Heres how you know if you and your work are ready for SALES.
YOUR WORK
- For utilitarian wares … No cracks, warps. Glazes should fit well and be food safe with no crazing or crawling.
- Lips and bases should be smooth so they do not scratch.
- Pots should be well designed, balance and weight should not be awkward
- Use your own pots and alter their design until you are satisfied with them.
YOU :
Are you ready to step outside your comfort zone? You will need to take on promotions, sales, photography, Internet sites, sales, invoicing, shipping and bookkeeping. You are starting a new small business so go to the library and get books on it or take a course on small businesses in your community school system. Another great resource to get you up to speed is the Arts Business Institute who run classes on business for artists.
http://www.artsbusinessinstitute.org/
WHERE DO I START??
Start by asking yourself a few questions.
Who are you pottery wise?
What kind of pottery do you want to make?
What do you want to be known for?
You cannot do everything. Narrow your focus.
How much work can you realistically produce?
This covers issues of full or part time?
Public studio or your own?
Family, financial and Job commitments.
Wholesale or retail?
see … Wholesale
If you decided on wholesale or consignment, do not start with the gallery of your dreams. Make your beginner mistakes in smaller, friendlier places. Some might advise starting in another town, but not out of state. You have to keep your eye on things.
HOW DO I FIND THE RIGHT GALLERIES?
You can hit the Internet. Open the sites to see if the work they carry looks anything like yours. Its amazing how many artists don’t do this simple step and end up wasting their time trying to sell homestyle pots in a contemporary gallery.
Look up their guidelines for submitting work and stick to them.
For more info on working with galleries, check this out. *****