This has been the summer of cups. I have made and sold dozens both at the
ACGA show, my
Etsy shop and through wholesale orders. Quite a few of them went to
this great new store that should be opening in San Francisco any day now. My patterns are now perfected and I am actually feeling a great sense of pride in being able to produce multiples. For me, a reluctant and very slow production potter, this has been quite an accomplishment.
The wholesale orders are a bit painful. Getting paid half the retail value for these labors of love is just a KILLER. The old manufacturer/capitalist mentality in me raises to the surface and I have a hard time saying NO. Getting paid before delivery does, most definitely, help. Putting work in a gallery, waiting for it to sell, getting paid half when it does and taking back the pieces that don't sell after they have sat dormant for a sad, long time can be even more painful. It can feel kind of like renting expensive storage space. However there is something so ego boosting about seeing my work in a beautiful gallery perfectly displayed and precious.
I don't have the answers about what's the right direction in this "career" of mine. Anybody out there have any insight you might want to share?
I just know that I should be turning off this computer and wandering down to the studio to put on a few more handles.
