Wheel Talk

Ryan & Becca start by sharing how the Backyard Craft Show went for both of them at Ryan's parent's home in Louisville, KY. They then go into specifics about each of their 3 favorite cups: likes, dislikes, & the story behind how they got them. It's fun for us to share our favorite pieces with you and would love to see your favorite cups and tag us on Instagram. Follow us on P...

Ryan & Becca recap their weekend after returning from the Berea Craft Festival and answer a listener question. A listener has a good question about how they should go about raising their prices. Pricing is always a tough task but having confidence in whatever you decide is the best advice we could give you. Good luck out there! Listener Questions On this episode: - I need to up my prices due t...

Ryan & Becca finally get to a question that has been left unanswered for a while now: pros and cons of selling on your own website vs an Etsy shop. There is a lot to this topic but we hope to cover a number of angles to be considered before decided what's right for your situation. Selling online is a great source of revenue and we encourage you to open up your business to the wider custom...

Ryan and Becca give some insights about recycling your mountain of clay scraps effectively. They recap how they have handled reclaim in the past, what they do now, and what you should consider adapting to your situation. The price of new clay, time invested/lost by recycling, clay consistency, and studio spacing are a few factors to consider. Resources: https://www.instagram.com/reel/CRgvplFi372/...

Ryan and Becca answer a question about handle making and share their experience with various handle making processes. There's no one handle technique that fits all mug styles but it's good to break down how and why you make handles the way you do. Listener Questions On this episode: - I’m switching from extruded cut and placed handles to pulled from the cup handles Matthew Kelly changed...

Ryan & Becca share some of their favorite moments from the first 100 episodes. This is the first of multiple “best of” episodes since we couldn’t fit everything into just 2 hours. Thanks for all of the support these past 100 episodes & here’s to the next 100! Listener Questions Send us questions so we can answer anything you've been thinking about on a future episode. Send those throu...

Ryan & Becca break down what makes a great show after Ryan gets back from his 2 day show in Louisville, KY. A number of factors are accounted for when determining whether you may want to participate in a show for the first time or return in the future. Don't base your reasons entirely on sales, but think about all that went into your experience beforehand, during, and after your show. The...

Ryan & Becca answer a question from our MVQ (Most Valuable Questioner) @aleathabean about how we analyze inspiration vs. 'claygiarism.' How do you draw the line of making based on inspiration vs. copying someone else's work? How do you react to someone copying your work? Have you ever been accused of copying another person's work? This is a pretty open ended discussion toda...

Becca spends the day in the studio with her clay friend of 8+ years, Val Flynn of Val Flynn Pottery in Snohomish, Washington. They chat about building a new studio from scratch, experimenting with new forms, pricing your work/worth, and learning to grow her pottery business. Thanks for having us in your studio Val! Resources from today's episode: Flammable Entrepreneur ----- Find more about V...

Ryan & Becca are back for a fourth question and answer episode covering topics in clay, small business, personal, and some off-the-wall questions. These are always enjoyable for us to record and we hope you love them as well. Thanks to everyone for submitting their questions via Instagram this time around! Listener Questions Send us questions so we can answer anything you've been thinking...

Ryan & Becca sit down for a conversation with Link Henderson, owner of Kentucky Mudworks & Dirty Girls Pottery Tools, to go in depth about clay & tools. We learn how Kentucky Mudworks begun almost 20 years ago and how Dirty Girls Pottery Tools came about. We also answer a number of listener questions related to finding the right clay body for you, reclaiming clay, properties of various...

Ryan and Becca answer a question that has come over multiple times: how to quality test your pottery. We cover a number of testing methods to ensure your work is safe for food or drink & resistant to high stress situations. Enjoy and run a few of these tests on your own work to feel more confident in your finished products that are purchased by customers. Resources: Shrinkage/Absorption Test -...

Ryan and Becca are trying out a shorter episode today to answer a listener question in depth about the profit potential between various items. There are many factors that go into pricing your work and just because you have a larger form doesn't mean it has to be less profitable. Supply and demand play a big factor as well when you're deciding how to price your work appropriately for the...

Ryan and Becca go into a candid conversation about money and financial planning as individuals & small business owners. Topics covered include: our thought process when spending/saving money, debt, budgeting, retirement, how to pay yourself as a small business owner, and some other general topics related to money. It was a bit scattered, but talking about money with tact is necessary among our...

Ryan & Becca chat with another good friend in clay, Heidi Fahrenbacher from Bella Joy Pottery. She graciously shares some great insights about slip casting, wholesale, stressful art shows, pricing your work, a viral Instagram post, mental health, small business finances, & things to be happy about. We also wrap up with a new "What would you do if?" segment. Thanks so much to Heid...

Ryan and Becca go deep into a couple listener questions about the ins and outs of opening/running a brick & mortar business. Lots of variables factor into your decision making: location, store hours, must haves for the space to get it open, what offerings you want (classes, retail gallery, paint your own pottery, etc), how to structure classes, marketing the business, and more. Thanks for list...

Ryan and Becca try out a new segment on this episode called "What would you do if?" before moving on to the today's topic. Afterwards, they discuss multiple facets of having others help you in your studio/business. Questions answered relate to: when you should consider getting help, where to find help, what tasks are best to get help with, how to hire the right person, how to pay th...

Ryan & Becca sit down for a much anticipated conversation with Leigh Anne Thompson, owner of Elan Pottery & Elan Transfers. She's sharing all the things with us: balancing multiple revenue streams, fulfilling large quantities of orders, managing a team, scaling her business over the years, reclaiming clay, social media personas, renaissance faire life, and some personal stories as wel...

Ryan and Becca answer more art show questions our listeners submitted through Instagram! This is part two of two, and we mostly cover our booth setups over the years, progressing throughout the show itself, selling tactics, and a few random questions to close it out. Thanks for all the good questions about art shows and I'm sure this isn't the last time we'll cover this topic. Good...

Ryan was recently a guest on a podcast "How to Build a Business with Chandler Lyles." We talk about how Ryan started his business, running his business on Etsy, and looking forward to his challenges this year. Listen to this conversation at the links below: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/002-how-to-build-an-etsy-shop-on-the-side-w-ryan-durbin/id1522862963?i=1000507...

Ryan and Becca answer a ton of art show questions our listeners submitted through Instagram! This is part one of two, but these mostly cover topics related to finding the right shows for you in your area, preparing for your scheduled art shows, and a few random questions. We'll be back next week to answer the last of your art show questions. Recent Workshop Becca Recommends: Danny Meisinger -...

Ryan & Becca sit down with Lindsey M. Dillon and Donte from Earth Nation Ceramics who co-host The Mud Peddlers Podcast to chat about podcasting, social media, selling our work, and some rapid questions at the end. We're so happy to share some time among fellow clay artists in familiar & different positions to ours to glean great insights and entertaining banter. We hope you enjoy! ---...

So...we don't know what happened. Ryan & Becca start out discussing how innovation/creativity and maintenance factor into running a small business. Then they go off on a tangent about getting art degrees in ceramics and it's shortcomings. We had a fun conversation nonetheless, with some good discussion about our college experiences related to our art curriculum & it's shortc...

Ryan & Becca go very deep into all the facets of packing and shipping your work for online sales. Topics range from materials for wrapping your work, space filling materials, boxes, labels, shipping services, and costs involved throughout. We've broken a number of pieces in the past so we share some do's and don't on the packing front. Enjoy and let's help you improve your...

Great Scott!! Ryan and Becca get together one more time to answer a series of your social media questions. We cover a number of topics, including: differences between Facebook, Instagram, & Pinterest, selling on various online platforms, using social media to grow an audience, and what to focus on to help your growth long-term. We thank you for all of your great questions. Keep sending us more...