Tag: #thehornypotter

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Product Variations for the Holiday Season

As Summer is drawing to a close, and most of us are thinking about preparation for the Holiday seasons, Many of you creatives have to keep in mind that updating your work for the Holidays is important to show growth in new directions, and to test out new lines of work to see the new possibilities of financial gain in new directions of work.

I have often seen when returning to holiday shows of friends and researching new venues, that some creatives always have the same objects for sale as they did in previous seasons.Same merch, with maybe a slight variation in color but same old same old product with nothing new on the horizon. In order to increase sales and grow your audience of new admirers of your work, you need to give a bit of new product variation to your setup whether online or at a Holiday show….This is vitally important to give yourself the opportunity to have new work for existing clients and to test out the waters on newer lines of work, see the public’s reaction in order to draw some conclusions to your artistic strife after the holidays are over, and for future shows.

Begin with what has been financially successful in the past and modify existing size or format, offering high quality reproduction alternatives for gifting during the holidays and try out some new directions to test out your current audience of admirers. Diversify price points with newer work, and allow yourself a bit of room to decide the what should be the right prices for newer work and older work that has remained in your inventory.

Too many artists produce one size, one style, one or two color variations of past work and never think about WHY the do not sell as much as before, Think about different categories of art consumers, how to attract younger patrons that are on a budget while providing newer work in format and style to returning patrons. After the Labor Day holidays, many are starting to shop and you need to know that your social media entries need to be up to date so that your audiences can plan to see what you are working on, and pre-purchase work that is still a #WIP(work-in progress). The Online reality will hit many of you as the holidays near, that is now part of the game. Without an online presence, it will be difficult to reach a vaster audience.

Plan and choose wisely, provide several price points for your admirers and also allow yourself room to”Grow” artistically and also to grow a bigger audience to your creative endeavors…..

All for now, thehornypotter

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Artist Calls, Commissions and Online Presence

Sorry that I have been too busy to Blog, as my mind has been concentrated on re-stocking my studio displays, commissions and Artists Calls as of late which has taken up the majority of my time.

Trying to settle back into the routine of blogging more on a regular basis, but with the holidays fast approaching I doubt that I will be able to keep up with the pace of producing and blogging to keep you all informed about the daily life of this potter/illustrator.

The most up to date of what I am producing in the studio is on my social media where I have been keep with regular frequency. This online world has put yet another layer to artisans and creators as the online presence NOW is part of the game to keep galleries, patrons and clients in the loop as to what the things that you might be working on.

Realize that story behind the creations made by your hands, are equally important as the finished product. I have many new clients coming into my studio, as the restrictions on Covid have decreased and are willing to come pick up a piece to see what the actual finished products look like, check the quality of the craftsmanship, and most importantly, drop a bit of cash to add to there collections.

I try to encourage all creatives, that the online presence is the first step to get a reaction from clients or galleries and there doesn’t always have to be a clear thought or path, You should feel free to try out new things, and gather information and reactions from the online community as it might be a newer direction for a portion of your work. Be open to criticism and sometimes ask the public what they think of your newest creation…. It is a good determining factor for keeping your work fresh and might be lucrative in the process…

As I have said before, you do not have to be a tech wizard with social media, there are many tutorials out there to help you with your online presence, so use them. especially if you do not have a brick and mortar place, this is vitally important, even as a side hustle..

Keep at it and follow people online that inspire you and observe how they do their social media and thought processes online. You never know who will be looking at your work….

Until next time, peace out

thehornypotter

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Inspiring Others and Growing The Art Community

I have a lot of visitors and art enthusiasts that walk into my studio at the Torpedo Factory Art Center, and often strike up conversations with a diverse group of students, Part-time artists and returning art enthusiasts and always, when possible try to speak truthfully and to the point about “the life of an artist and the challenges that many of us face during these times of getting use to the” New Normal” post-pandemic.

As more individuals get vaccinated, and we begin to return to our lives and our businesses. But the things have changed, and we need to adjust to a new way of doing things, both in person and online.

Many people speak to me about opening an online store to sell their work and I alway try to tell them the following things:

1 Do you use social media to show your work?

2 Who are the artists online that inspire you because you do similar work?

3 Do you follow these artists?

4 What is the profile for your personal Target Consumer for your  artwork

5 Are you a member of any art organization local or online?

6 What are your objectives when selling online?

These questions, sometimes stops them dead in their tracks, and our conversations take off from there. Due to the pandemic, most of us have found that the isolation has made us alter the way we do things, in order to promote our work. I have had to shift to a more online platforms, due to the requests of my galleries and concentrated on social media to inform and get feedback from my followers and loyal friends about “what I am up to and my creative day2day”. Remember, there is no set formula to put yourself out there, and what works for some, might not work for you. Each venture is a road to growth about the business of Art, the response to your creative output and most of all a learning experience about selling your Art and increasing your audience of followers and hopefully clients.

My checklist above is a good guideline to consider when thinking about launching yourself into the digital world of Art & Social Media. The internet has changed the way we work and promote to ourselves and it is important to look at this list to give yourself an idea of WHO and What is out there…. If it becomes your business or side gig, it comes with costs of domains, websites, forums and servers, online shops & communities and more, It is vital that you are well informed because everything comes at a price. Nothing is free…..

Whether you are an Art Student out of school or a mid-life Artist that is trying to catch up on the internet and social media, BE PREPARED. And look and observe those that inspire you and analyze what platforms they use, what artist communities the are part of, how much do they sell their work for, etc.etc.etc.

Look into forums where you can get information about topics that interest you.

Creativity can be a way to make money, but it is a business and most people do not realize it is one thing to create it, It is another job to promote and move it onto online channels and venues

And most of all. Get feedback of your work from friends and other artist communities. Learning to go online you will learn that you will need to”Grow a Thick Skin” take feedback, critiques and criticism from those you respect and use it to help yourself grow…

Many people create art or music because it is a passion or a pipe dream, we all have different reasons for why we create. Learn to open up about your experiences and exchange those ideas with others. It helps us as a community of artists become more informed and stronger about what is out there.

Encourage others by sharing your experiences with the Art community and remember that each person’s journey is a bit different. Share that experience on online forums when possible. Regardless, of the stage of your Art career, share information that will help other artists that will come after you.

I could blog about this forever but the bullet points is a good place to get you thinking.. When helping others be positive and encouraging but put no silver lining on things Truth sometimes is hard to take , but it also saves time and creative energy.

Most of all FOLLOW your passion and create. 

Until next time, think about it….

thehornypotter

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Why Erotica? Question Asked So Often

Getting away from the usual blog entries, so that I can answer a question that many have continued to ask of me about the Creative Use of Erotica in my work and the Pros and Cons of this decision…..

Many wonder why my site and social media entries are sometimes centered on the question of Erotica as subject matter for a lot of my work and, the answer is relatively simple. This is part of my research and story on trying to create work based on historical ceramics and the modern artifacts of such work applicable to Modern day….

I am not the first, and certainly will not be the last potter, who uses Erotica as one of the main influences on my work. The Chinese, Etruscans , Mayans and the possibility of living overseas for many years have helped me see my work as a chronicle of modern day society, the mores, and attitudes towards sexuality and the way it has grown into new groups for sexual deviance and more relaxed attitude towards sexuality towards the main stream audiences.

The Historic References have always been part of my research and the things discovered are quite amazing. From fables or woodblock prints to artifacts that I have uncovered during the time I read and research have lead me to the need to re-interpret this stories in my own way that it is pleasing to the eye for the decorative aspect and where technical execution of the construction and firing meet my critical eye and standard to work that I produce.

My aim is to appeal to a small niche of collectors and art enthusiasts that collect my work for fun as collectors and to use in every day life as they were meant to be when making functional wares, though decorated in a less common way. I like the fact that, something normally forbidden can be used everyday instead of destined to a collectors shelf or show case. As a potter, I firmly believe that functional wares need to be used and enjoyed everyday as we live our lives.

I hope that this answers the question , aside from the fact that I have a dirty mind which I am willing to admit…… Next time more about working in front of the public and less about personal preferences