Faster, faster, you gotta work faster. When you are trying to make a living working faster can be so important. Less time spent on each piece can mean more money.
I worked with a potter who was sure it was important to touch the clay as little as possible and whip out those pots.
He made more money than I did. He was very efficient but I was happier. I like to touch the clay and it is not just about making money in my humble opinion.
There were a few lessons to be learned from him, like your income comes later from the pots you are making now. There is usually about a 6 week turn around time in making your money back.
And when you are self employed" you are the boss of you" and you better have the self discipline to produce through rain and storm or have another job to support yourself as well.
Time is money and you need to figure out how many pots you can make in a day and how many you can make without hurting yourself or getting burned out.
I have attended some incredible workshops over the year and almost always produced more than anyone there in an attempt to pay for the workshop and stock my shop. Did I enjoy working that way? Maybe, but I exhausted myself in the process. It was like a creative rampage.
Now, I must pace myself more as I nurse along chronic injuries. How do you know when you have healed enough to strength the muscles by working more. I don’t know. I do know now to listen to my body more or pay the price.
Pottery is hard work and very physical. We need to eat right, exercise even though we don’t think we have time and remember to always enjoy making pots. The love is in the journey not just the finished pot.
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