Wheel Talk

Ryan and Becca get into how you can prepare to bounce back from a long hiatus away from your business. This listener question was specific to relocating and having a child recently, but this could apply to other scenarios that has you returning to making after being away from it. Thanks for the question and good luck getting back to it! Resources Clay Con West Northern Clay Center (MN) Anderson Ra...

Ryan and Becca have some funny stories to start out today before getting to some listener questions. We discuss how to work with shops who want to carry your work, approaching new shops for partnerships, and handling rejection from a show. Enjoy today's chat. Listener Questions On this episode: - Since you're both cat people… If you could raise a baby tiger for a pet, would you? Tigers a...

Ryan and Becca are joined by Rachel, Ryan's spouse, to discuss balancing time in the studio with family time and other priorities. This differs by your personalities, jobs, child commitments, etc, but there are sure to be some takeaways that can relate to you. We also dig into some top places to see while you're in Cincinnati for the upcoming NCECA conference in March 2023 & answer s...

Ryan and Becca recap a couple recent shows they did together before getting into some questions related to community studios. You all asked some good questions to assess your local community studios and what makes them more enjoyable to work in & the amenities that are must or nice to have. Thanks for always asking good questions to spark conversation between us. Listener Questions On this epi...

Ryan and Becca talk post-holidays on today's episode. They cover how they recharge, experiment, or prioritize their year ahead once the busy holiday season has concluded. We hope you all have a good end to your year and spend some time to reflect on your year, while looking ahead to 2023. Thanks for listening! Listener Questions On this episode: - What's your favorite Christmas cookie? @...

Ryan and Becca get into how they have each planned and hosted their own home studio sale. A lot of makers host a small (or large) sale from their home or studio to give the public access to an intimate setting to shop for the holidays or otherwise. It can be a big or small undertaking depending on what you'd like out of it and could be worth a try for you. Enjoy! Listener Questions On this ep...

Ryan and Becca are covering what to look out for when buying used equipment, specifically kilns and wheels. We mainly cover some consideration the think about when you're shopping for kilns: electrical, kiln quality, pricing, where to look, etc. We also go through some sample listings on Facebook Marketplace to share what we are thinking as we consider buying them. We hope you enjoy today&apo...

Ryan and Becca are way off topic for today's episode talking about some new happenings for them both before getting to business. A couple listener questions are answered about handbuilding & asking fellow artists their sales at a show before getting to the topic of the day where we think about how we are going to share a booth space at the upcoming Cincinnati Coffee Festival. Resources @a...

Ryan and Becca sit down with Sarah Anderson to talk all about social media, inspiration behind her graphical work, selling at various art shows, accepting commissions, applying for gallery shows, van life, & a bit more. It was a good time covering such a range of topics with an up and coming ceramic artist who is local to us. ----- Find more about Sarah’s business below----- Instagram - @sarah...

Ryan and Becca cover a topic raised from a listener question today about storing and managing inventory in the studio. We cover a range of ways to keep track of work for shows, tips for packing, and using what you have to keep your work tidy without having to buy all new storage containers. We hope you enjoy after hearing about our recent life happenings to start the episode. What would you do if....

Ryan and Becca are fresh off their interview with Tim See to talk about what they got out of the discussion that could be incorporated into their businesses. Hopefully this is a good exercise for you to reflect internally or with a friend after hearing discussions that could make your studio practice or business better. Resources #131 - "We're LIVE!" at Clay Con West Clay Con West -...

Ryan and Becca have a great time chatting today with Tim See from Tim See Ceramics. He is known for his robotic illustrative work, Facebook commentary in the Clay Buddies group, & hilarious personality. We cover such a wide range of topics across our 3 hours of discussion and it was such a fun ride. We hope you enjoy! ----- Find more about Tim's business below----- Instagram - @timseeclay...

Ryan and Becca answer a number of listener questions related to studio practice. Topics include attaching handles, rehydrating clay, studio waste, kiln sitter kilns, and an in-depth breakdown of someone who is struggling with pulling up their walls. Some answers are quick, some longer, and plenty of fun discussion as always. Listener Questions On this episode: - Have you tried attaching handles wi...

Ryan & Becca bring you a special episode discussing all things #potswap2022 , our 5th year hosting this global event. Follow along with all Pot Swap happenings on Instagram @potswapofficial . Registration is free and open to the first 1,000 entries this year starting on Sunday, October 16th at 12pm EDT. First come, first serve on sign-ups so set a reminder (we have a reminder shared in our Ins...

Ryan and Becca talk about a hypothetical life running a small business without social media in existence. Where would you focus your efforts? Are there areas that you could be focusing on now outside of social media that fits your business? We hope you enjoy today’s thought experiment. What would you do if... your car breaks down the week of a show? Listener Questions On this episode: - I have an...

Ryan and Becca share some stories about what’s changed since starting Wheel Talk over 3 years ago. Their businesses are in way different places over the years since this all started & their relationship has evolved a lot along the way. Thanks so much for listening, sending questions, leaving reviews, & sharing with friends over the years. Resources #106 - 2 years of Wheel Talk!! #37 - Kiln...

Ryan and Becca answer a listener question today about offering the right products & pricing your work for wholesale. Cindy sent us a great question with a detailed list of her wholesale and retail pricing to get a better understanding how she can balance making work for wholesale clients, if she's pricing them appropriately, and how she can have enough left for the markets she's sell...

Ryan and Becca get into what would be involved in having someone work for you in exchange for access to your personal studio. Some may consider this as a good alternative to paying someone directly for their services or they have ample space to share so we get into the weeds here. We hope you enjoy today's chat. Resources Episode 311 of The Maker's Playbook Listener Questions On this epi...

Ryan and Becca talk about preorders leading up to the launch of Ryan's new carved oil bottles. We discuss what items we would and would not consider preorders for, if there's a difference between preorders and made to order, and how to market them effectively. It's still newer territory for us but worth a discussion nonetheless. Resources @lizcohenceramics @hammerlyceramics Listener...

Ryan and Becca have an open discussion about what they think it takes to get "good" at pottery. Everyone isn't on the same timeline, but we try to do some managing of expectations for where you should be by year one, year two, and beyond as you are learning the craft. You can take many approaches to learning this medium from the beginning: school, local community studio classes, You...

Ryan and Becca are joined today by Diana Adams from Sample Haus. She's mostly known for her entertaining Instagram but we get into so much more on today's episode. We cover how she got into pottery, her recent experience at the Clay Challenge in Tacoma, WA, partnership with West Elm, balancing her workload, Patreon, managing Instagram, and a bit more. Thanks to Diana for joining us on an...

Ryan and Becca answer a listener question at length regarding what’s a feasible workload to rely solely on ceramics for a full time income. We focus more on production speed and whether it works with your income expectations. Thanks to @e.ceramicsuk for the question! Check out Ryan & Briggan’s collab at rdceramics.etsy.com Listener Questions On this episode: - What do you think is the best way...

Ryan and Becca discuss the topic of balancing priorities when you are pressed for time. We all can find ourself in a difficult situation when we are low on stock and have commitments to fulfill in a limited amount of time. This episode addresses how we approach these situations and what you can do to use your time efficiently to prepare for that next show or take on that new opportunity with confi...

Becca visits Yellow Door Ceramics Studio, an Indianapolis ceramic studio, to chat with the owners Felissa King and Amanda Pennington about starting their new community studio. They provide many details about setting up a partnership legally, equipment to start the space, class and membership offerings/pricing, and a few more topics. Thanks to Felissa and Amanda for joining us this episode! ----- F...

Ryan & Becca are back to answer many of your questions related to business and studio practice. Before getting into your questions, we talk about Becca's new wheel consultations and how it's going. Theres some learning and plenty of laughs along the way. Thanks to everyone who continues to send us questions on Instagram and by email! Resources Book a throwing consultation with Becca:...