Its beginning to look a lot like Christmas

Haven't written in a little while..... Things are gearing up around here, I have two more shows to get work prepared for, galleries to fill and Etsy sales to brace myself for, so its getting crazier by the minute.
Here is a shot of the massive amount of urchin bowls on the table at the moment.

Custom Order Nightmares

So, I just spent 9 weeks on the "big tile" project, referred to in a previous post.
I have discovered what most ceramics artists have long known: custom orders are NEVER WORTH IT.
There, I said it.
Whitney gave me great advice when a consulting firm hit me up for 1000 pieces about a year ago, she told me to charge what would make it worth it to me. That specific project would have taken me and 2 or 3 studio minions away from everything for 6 months or more,and I would have had to invest in more equipment, so I gave them a pretty crazy quote. They declined to even negotiate, and then ordered a small and very manageable amount of Urchin Bowls, which was fine with me!!!!!
The Big Tile project had some flaws, some were my fault, some were the fault of the agency. They wanted three tiles, but wanted to only pay for one up front to see if they liked it. I suggested that I send them a 9" tile and they could visualize the larger tile, they could then decide definitively if they wanted to proceed with an order for all 3 tiles. I should have been more firm, my price should have been triple what I quoted, and they should have listened to what I said. I ended up making 3 molds and 5 tiles out of 2 clay bodies.

The tile arrived to their office damaged, I ended up having to fork over a few bucks, and if they call me for the other 2 tiles, I am telling them to shove it.
The next time someone requests a custom order, my lead time will be at least 4-6 months, and the price will be well above the original number that pops into my head.
I am learning, and I guess its a process all artists must go through. Making something to satisfy someone else's vision kind of sucks, to put it plainly, and when dealing with ceramics, it is a major technical pain in the ass.

Where is my Mind?

Okay, its official, I need to hire help.
I know, I know, you have seen me resist the idea, kicking and screaming, trying to keep my business small enough to manage on my own, to keep it all under control....... but this week, I made a dumb mistake. I screwed up my shipping and sent a round of packages out to the wrong people.
This is a sign for me. I have been tired and overworked for quite a while now. I physically can't keep up with the pace of working by myself anymore, as the volume of business I do pretty much requires that I work until midnight at least 5 nights a week. if I split up my day properly between the first shift of office work and errands, I end up in the studio from 3- 12, sometimes later.
Stress breaks down my mind to the point that I can't retain information for more than a few seconds, and from now until Christmas, its only going to become more overwhelming. I don't know where this will lead, how it will affect my income, my business, or my attitude, but I think its time to give it a shot. I know that it may take people coming in and out of the studio and my life on a pretty regular rotation, and I can't say that I am excited about the prospects of employee turnover.. but I am excited by the possibility of being a little less overwhelmed by the mile long list of daily tasks that confronts me every morning, knowing that there will be someone there to make it more manageable.
wish me luck, and if you have any advice, I would love to hear it. I haven't managed other people since I left the restaurant world..

Be careful what you wish for

I have seen a theme emerge over the past few days, as I was reading Whitney's blog, and today's installment of Quit Your Day Job in the Storque, and just kind of reflecting as I start preparing for the cold and hard work of the winter season.
I can be whiney, and negative, and a victim of burn out, not too far off from what used to happen to me when I was rolling burritos too many days in a row in my former life. Its hard sometimes, to maintain perspective. As one of Whitney's recent entries suggests, you have to adjust your attitude, and I must remember that even though there are many things in my day that may not necessarily be my favorite part of work, they are part of work, and a fact of life.
And as they say over at littlealouette , the hardest part about owning your own business is, " Heavy shoulders. The paperwork and responsibility that come with this lifestyle are quite hefty.....(you) never stop working. The fatigue is tough at times. No one tells you to stop. "
But one of the best parts, even when you are burnt out and whiney, is knowing that you can follow your dreams, no matter who you are, and where you are in your life. I am lucky to be standing where I am, even if I am exhausted and don't feel like cleaning the floor or repairing a kiln, or answering the phone, this life and all of its burdens, are quite a blessing indeed.
So be careful what you wish for, you may find yourself there.

99 problems and the shipping's one

International shipping is no fun, and it seems that the buyers don't quite understand what is involved in the process.
All of my international packages must go to the post office, where I must drive, and stand in line and fill out customs forms before I pay the crazy fees to send something over seas. If a package weighs more than a few ounces, it must be shipped by priority mail if you are using the US Post Office, which is actually cheaper than using UPS or FEDEX, but it is still crazy expensive..
You also have to worry about adding a little extra cushion, and then hold your breathe and hope that the package won't get lost, which happens quite frequently on international orders. This means hundreds of dollars in lost revenue, which is always a bummer. Canada is my most unfavorite place to send a package, I think they lose 75% of the packages I send up there... I don't know what the hell their postmen are doing, but they need to get their shit together.

A domestic package gets picked up at my door and I get a discount on the already low postage, I can ship an urchin bowl out for a measly 9 bucks to any US destination, but that same bowl shipped to the UK, costs upwards of 30 dollars.
I have seen lots of complaints on Etsy from buyers, as they must convo the seller to get rates for their country... Etsy did just introduce a regional shipping option that I may try out, it could at least be helpful to have all of the European Union on one option instead of having to add each country indvidually as an inquiry comes up.... but I think that international shipping is always going to be one of those things, I think its smart to offer the option, but sometimes, I want to take it back!

Making Room

Making room in my life and making room in my studio for all of the inventory I will need in a few weeks...
I am listing a lot of great deals on my Etsy Page, so you should go check out whats there over the next week or two. This will be your last chance this year to get a discounted piece, as in another week or so, there will be no time at my disposal to do the extra work involved to hold a sale.
Take advantage.... they will go fast, and then you will have to pay full retail for holiday gifts....

Let the Games Begin

Okay, enough with the boyfriend blogs...... now that business is back to booming and the loser is long gone, we can talk about what is fixing to happen for myself and my fellow crafty people: The Holiday Season.
My inventory is way too low, like if I get slammed next week, I am totally screwed, low. I had big plans this summer, I was going to be over stocked by now. Funny, right? In a fantasy world, I would be coasting along through the holidays, merely pulling inventory off the shelves to stuff into boxes and sleeping a full 8 hours a night. In reality, I woke up yesterday and realized that it is crunch time, high leaf season in the mountains and holiday shopping is beginning.
How am I going to cope with the madness, faced with the possibility of doing double what I did last year?
I am already busting my butt and will hopefully fill up my shelves with finished wares before the month is up. Then, I will do my very best to keep it up and make even more stuff because once Thanksgiving happens, my life will be hell until the 20th of December. I have 3 shows between now and Christmas, plus I have to keep up with my galleries, stores and of course the crazy volume of Etsy shoppers.
I am a dedicated list and schedule maker, so hopefully my daily habit of laying every minute of the day out and organizing a production schedule will pay off.
May the force be with us all.