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This is the web diary for Millennia Antica Pottery, the vocation of potter Victoria Hamilton.
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2009-01-01Happy New Year!!Yup, it’s January 1, 2009. Nineteen days until one of the biggest events of recent history! And in my corner of the planet, conversations about new strategies are happening. This morning (actually it was around 1:30 this afternoon) at brunch, Dennis (my sweetie) and I had a conversation about how I might market my work more successfully. No question….my work is lovely according to folks who admire it. I’ve heard these words with my own ears: “Ooooh, I love Vicki stuff!” I have a friend who is also one of my studio mates. Her strategy involves not only the kind of work she does, but a way of pricing it that seems to work well. I’ve been reluctant to follow her lead…..well, really I’ve just not wanted to “do it her way” and it has probably cost me some percentage of sales. Brought me up short? You bet! I realize I’ve become quite arrogant about the kind of pots I’m willing to make and the colors I’m willing (or not willing) to use. The arrogance comes into play when I make my work real and the work of others less than real. Time to give that up and watch and listen to what’s not working for me and what’s working for others that I might try. All in all, it’s shaping up to be an exciting year!! 2008-12-29Looking for a break!The year 2008 is rapidly coming to a close. It’s been an amazing year in many respects. The country (and world) that we know has started to fall down around our ears economically – maybe not so amazing when you think about it. We elected the first African American as President of the United States – amazing, ground-breaking! I reference these events because they are enormous. They ARE the grand scale of things. On a much smaller scale, I’m wondering how long some of us can hold on as an artists and a potters. It’s true, I don’t make things that people need. I do, however, make things that enrich the lives of those people who feel they must have them. When it’s time for breakfast which lovely, hand-thrown mug will you choose from your cupboard today? Whose marvelous platter will hold the French toast you will make? When someone purchases one of my pieces, I want for them to have something unique and beautiful; not only do they receive a personally signed thank-you note and probably a happy conversation with me; they get a part of me – a part of my heart and a part of whatever it is in me that I put into my work. I watched people at our last sale as they carefully considered their choices of what to buy. Some of them walked through all the displays many times before they chose. Of course this is part of making a purchase of this nature, and at this time especially important. If one is spending money on something one does not “need,” careful consideration is truly in order. So, I think we are all looking forward to 2009 with great anticipation and lots of possibility. I know I am! 2008-12-28Loving Vicki’s Pots: My Coffee Cups
I love Vicki’s pottery, with special affection for the functional pots here in the household: plates and bowls, cups and mugs, and other utilitarian vessels. Occasionally, Vicki offers me a new coffee mug to have as my favorite. The problem is her desire to take away the old one and, as she says, “put a hammer to it.”
That must change. I am simplifying and re-organizing my home-office work space for improved productivity without the mess. All the accumulated bric-a-brac is going to disappear. Vicki’s study is already better-organized, and she is disciplined about organization at her studio as well. Before the cups go, I will preserve them with better photographs than this as a way to improve my photography of Vicki’s work. In thinking about categories for this blog, I asked Vicki for what terms help distinguish between pottery, the artifacts, from pottery, the activity of making those artifacts. Vicki reminded me that it is more confusing than that, since “a pottery” is also the term for a place where potters do their work. The term for the work of potters is “making,” including throwing, trimming, glazing, and firing. That will be the category here. |
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