Emily Murphy 1/9/09 Emily Murphy 1/9/09

How to make a USB powered pottery wheel

I just came across this little instructional video for a making a USB powered mini pottery wheel out of an old hard disk drive:

Of course this is not something that you could really go into production with, but it is pretty amusing. Maybe I can talk Ian into trying out this little hack sometime. It probably wouldn't be a great idea to have clay so close to a computer. Perhaps a USB extension cord would be an important part of this project.

If anyone out there tries this out, please let me know... and send pictures!

Emily Murphy 1/7/09 Emily Murphy 1/7/09

A semi-complete tour of pottery blogs, part 6

This post is a version of my new blogroll which can be found on one of the top tabs on the new site. It was way too big to list in the side bar of the site so I gave it it's own page. After a lot of work (and a little lot ofhelp), I was able to create thumbnail snapshots of the blogs to break up the very long list and add a little visual interest. The blogroll that is on the top tab is connected to my blog reader, so it updates whenever I add or subtract a blog automatically.

In addition to writing thispottery blog, I also am an avid reader of clay focused blogs written by other ceramic artists. There are more than 100 blogs on my blogroll that I read daily through a blog reader. (I really do read all of these blogs listed!) It can be a bit overwhelming at first, but once you're caught up, it's so nice to start your day catching up with potters from around the world.

At the bottom of this list you'll find directions for connecting this list to your blog reader so you can read them regularly too. Because this list could be endless without some restrictions, I do have some perimeters for the blogs here- they need to be mostly about clay, have original content and are updated semi-regularly. This is not a complete list (I did title this as semi-complete). I "discover" new blogs every week and wonder how I possibly could have missed them before.Let me know if I'm missing anything!

Emily Murphy 1/7/09 Emily Murphy 1/7/09

tweet tweet! potteryblog is now on Twitter

I signed up for Twitter this week. If you Twitter, you can find me atpotteryblog.

If you don't Twitter and you're not really sure what it is, I'll let my friend Julie explain it:

Twitter is a microblogging platform. Small blogs. Really small. Basically, you have 140 characters to answer the Twitter question â€œWhat are you doing? If you are a Facebook user, it is somewhat similar in format to the status update that you give on your page. If you are a blogger, it is similar to your blog but only SUPER short. You can share photos, links, information, and updates.

With Twitter though, you can also converse. You can reply to people's postings, repost (called a retweet or RT) a post that you find interesting, and send direct messages to people. You can ask questions, start threads, and have discussions. Twitter does not need to be a static update list. It can be a dynamic conversation.

My plan for Twitter is to use it for short updates about the glamorous day to day life of a potter. What I'm making in the studio, business stuff, blogging and website updates, etc... You'll be able to find these little updates in column on the right side of this blog. I wish I was better at actually writing full posts about what I'm up to each day, but I just haven't been able to pull it off. I'll just leave that to Ron!

Emily Murphy 1/6/09 Emily Murphy 1/6/09

Pottery Blog is now on Wordpress!

I've been talking about doing this for months... I've finally made the switch. On Christmas morning Ian surprised me with the fantastic gift of moving the content and comments of my blog from Blogger to Wordpress. It was the beginning of a huge project that I've been working on steadily ever since. Adding content, tweaking the template, plug-ins and reorganizing tags and categories.

If you're reading this post on a blog reader or through an email, I encourage you to take a minute to visit the PotteryBlog.com directly. And if you're on the actual website, take a look around at the new digs.

I've been working on lots of features that will be both visually interesting as well as make the site easier than ever to use. Some of the things I've done will be obvious, like the extensive categorization of the archives. Others will not be quite so obvious, like when you post a link from Pottery Blog on Facebook, the post will be excerpted and you'll be able to choose the accompanying thumbnail image.

I will be doing a series of posts that will highlight some of the new features over the coming week. And there are still some major changes/ additions coming too!

Thanks Ian! I definitely couldn't have done this without you!

Emily Murphy 1/1/09 Emily Murphy 1/1/09

Online:

Online:

Etsy

Emily Murphy Pottery's Etsy Shop
emilymurphy.etsy.com

At my studio, by appointment only:

please call or email to make arrangements for a visit:
612.234.clay
[email protected]

Emily Murphy Pottery
3015 10th Avenue South
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55407

Galleries and shops:

Lillstreet Gallery, Chicago, IL
Gallery 360, Minneapolis, MN
Brewbakers Cafe, Keene, NH

Emily Murphy 12/29/08 Emily Murphy 12/29/08

How would you like to be kept up to date with Pottery Blog and Emily Murphy Pottery? I would like to subscribe to potteryblog

How would you like to be kept up to date with Pottery Blog and Emily Murphy Pottery?

I would like to subscribe to potteryblog.com posts via email.

I would like to subscribe to potteryblog.com updates using RSS and a blog reader.

I would like to get updates a few times a year about Emily Murphy Pottery via email and/or postcards in the mail.

I would like to get Emily Murphy Pottery and Pottery Blog updates via Facebook.

I would like to get Emily Murphy Pottery and Pottery Blog updates via Twitter.

1. Get potteryblog.com updates/posts via email:

2. Get an RSS feed to potteryblog.com through a blog reader such as Feedly:

RSS feed for potteryblog.com:http://feeds.feedburner.com/potteryblog/YqHH

Feedly is my preferred blog reader since Google Reader shut down. There are many alternatives out there. And also tons of apps available for your phone or tablet to keep up with all of your favorite pottery blogs.

3. Emily Murphy Pottery studio updates a few times a year via email and/or snail mail:

Emily Murphy 12/28/08 Emily Murphy 12/28/08

The best way to get in touch with me is via

The best way to get in touch with me is via email.

You can also leave a message on my Facebook Fan Page: Emily Murphy Pottery

You can visit me at my studio in Minneapolis. Please contact me to make an appointment.

Studio & Mailing Address:

Emily Murphy
3015 10th Ave South
Minneapolis, MN 55407

Phone:

612.234.clay

Emily Murphy 12/17/08 Emily Murphy 12/17/08

One Day Sale! 20% off Everything!

Last minute holiday shopping? Have you been thinking about getting a new mug for yourself? Do you need another serving bowl for Christmas dinner? Your procrastination has paid off.

I'm having a 1 day sale this Saturday, December 20 from 10am - 6pm in my studio in Chicago. 20% off everything (and that even includes the pieces that are already marked down). There are even new pieces that I will be putting out on Saturday.

I think you'll find a little something for everyone. There are mugs, tumblers, bowls in all sorts of shapes and sizes. Necklaces, soap dispensers and honey pots fill the shelves. I even have these great new spoon/ teabag holders that are the perfect stocking stuffer for that tea lover in your life. You can't put off your holiday shopping much longer!

I'm working on a whole slew of new necklaces that I'm really excited about. I might have to pick out a couple to keep for myself :)

The details:

Saturday, December 20, 2008

10am - 6pm

Emily Murphy's Pottery Studio

Studio 205 West

4401 N. Ravenswood Ave.

Chicago, IL

1 day only

20% off everything, including pieces that have already been marked down!

There is plenty of street parking which is not an easy thing on Chicago's snow covered streets. You can also find your way there with many public transportation options- like taking the Brown Line to the Montrose stop.

There are tons of other studios to shop in, as well as the gallery at Lillstreet. And Montrose has a bunch of little shops and restaurants. My favorite little gift shop,Hazel, is just down the street. You can make a day of it and get all your last minute shopping done by shopping local!

Emily Murphy 12/11/08 Emily Murphy 12/11/08

Finally! My Etsy shop has pieces in it!

I've had an Etsy shop for more than a year, but it's been an empty store. No more. I'm starting to stock it with pendants, mugs and soap dispensers. New additions will be up daily over the next week.

I'd been putting this off for a long time. I kept waiting to have the perfect photo set up and a little more time. Then I realized that I should just jump in. Those things can come later. I'll be posting new pieces in the coming days. I'll keep you posted.

Happy Shopping!

Emily Murphy 12/7/08 Emily Murphy 12/7/08

Picasa 3 for all your imaging needs

There has been a little program that I've been using for years: Picasa. This last week I downloaded an update, Picasa 3, and it's fantastic! This is a program that will change your life... or at least your computing life. Picasa is a photo management program from Google. It finds all of the images on your computer (even the long lost hidden pics) and allows you to view, edit, organize, print, etc... all through the Picasa interface. And the best part is because it's from Google, it free! Unfortunately for Mac users, it's not available yet. It's just for Windows and Linux currently.

Here is a little overview of what you can do with Picasa:

Resize pictures for email: You can select images to email and Picasa will automatically resize them to a reasonable size for emailing. No more overloading other people's inboxes.

I'm Feeling Lucky: One of the cool editing buttons is I'm Feeling Lucky. It automatically adjusts the light and contrast and can balance out the colors from a flash photo.Below is a photo that I took on a piece of white poster board with natural light from a window and no flash. Then on the right is the same photo after using the I'm Feeling Lucky button. If you're an Etsy user and uploading 5 pictures per piece, think about the time this will save you.

The Straighten Tool: I'm not sure if you can see this on the screenshot below, but another cool editing tool from Picasa is the Straighten Tool. It puts a little grid over your image and you can adjust the picture to go from crooked to straight with a click of the mouse. Think of all the askew images that you can fix!

Print Screen: You might also notice all of the nice screen shots I have to illustrate what Picasa can do. Well, it's one of the new tricks that came with the update. If you click the Print Screen button on your keyboard, the screenshot will automatically pop up in Picasa. I've been wanting to figure out a way to easily to do screen shots for years! There are so many times on this blog that I want to illustrate something with a screen shot - and now it's easy!

Print Photos: You can upload directly from Picasa to pretty much any of the online printing companies (Snapfish, Shutterfly, etc...), but you can also print using your printer. You're given options for sizing and if you want the images cropped or shrink to fit. And it lays them out so you can cut them easily with a paper cutter.

Low Resolution Warning: This might be hard to tell from the image below, but when you're printing images and the resolution is too low for printing, it'll warn you so you don't waste ink of pixelated images.

Create Collages: There are many collage options. Too many to go through. You can change the way the pictures are lined up, add borders of different sizes and colors, pivit or shrink or enlarge the images in the collage.

Mosaic Grid: Another collage option is to create a mosaic. I forsee creating a lot of these collages in my future! There is a Shuffle Pictures option so you can mix up the images in the collage without having to start over from scratch.

Text on Pictures: I had a show application a few months ago that required putting text on the digital images and it wasn't an easy task. The Picasa 3 update now allows you to add text onto your image. You can change the font, size, color, etc... and make a spiffy show announcement.

Slideshow: I'm not sure if I need to explain all of the cool uses of the slideshow feature, but here's a sample of one for you: (Update: as of 2012 this seems to be broken)

Web Albums: With Picasa you get some free online storage for uploading your digital images to share.

Movie Editing: The Picasa update now includes movie editing. I haven't used this yet, but I've been waiting for this feature! I have tons of little movies that I've taken with my camera but haven't had a way to edit them yet.

This isn't a complete list of what Picasa does, but I tried to point out some of the tools that aren't easily found elseware and are hard to live without. Download Picasa and give it a try. I think you'll like it!

Emily Murphy 12/7/08 Emily Murphy 12/7/08

American Mug - Facebook Application

There's a new way to share handmade pottery with your friends: American Mug. Simon Levin, created a cool Facbook application where you can share a mug with your Facebook friends made by an American potter. They're not actual mugs, just an image of a real mug. Simon says: "You will be sorely disappointed if you try and fill them with coffee." If haven't tried that yet, but I'm guessing that he's right on that one.

This is what it looks like (you might recognize some of the mugs):

If you're on Facebook, just follow this link, and start sharing some pottery love.

And for some more virtual pottery sharing, here are some images of Simon's work:

Emily Murphy 12/5/08 Emily Murphy 12/5/08

A tour of my studio and new work for the holidays

The opening reception for my holiday sale (and throughout Lillstreet & Lillstreet Studios) is tonight, Dec. 5, from 6pm - 9pm. But if you miss the opening, you can stop by throughout the month of December. Or if you're not in Chicago, you can take a tour here. As promised, here are some pictures of my studio and new work for my holiday show:

This is what you'll see when you walk into my studio.

And this is me enjoying my sparkling clean studio. I'll be back to the wheel on Monday, so the clean shelves and floors won't last too long. Well, I'll still be enjoying my studio, just not the cleanliness of it!

I have been making tons of soap/ lotion dispensers this season. I resisted making them for a long long time because I didn't want to use plastic pumps. I finally found beautiful brushed stainless steel and brushed copper pumps and I've gone a little crazy with them!

This is a new wall display that I've set up outside my studio door. The shelves are bamboo shadow boxes and they're quite fun to arrange little groupings in.

I have spent the last year making mugs. I LOVE designing and making them and the demand for them has been higher than ever. Mugs are so personal. Everyone's idea of the *perfect* mug is different- so I make a wide variety of shapes and sizes. People are also quite opinionated about the interior glaze color. Some want something light so they can see how steeped their tea is. Others want something dark that will hide the coffee stains. There is a mug for everyone :)

I have been making more ceramic pendants. I'm more excited than ever about this newest series of necklaces. They are made out of a variety of clays, with different slips, glazes and textures that are enhanced by the soda firing process. They're finished off with hand dyed silk that is knotted onto the pendants.

This is one of the serving bowls that you'll see in my studio. Each side is totally different from the others. I feel like I should have put up a series of images to capture all the details.

You might remember this series of tea bowls that I have been making this year.
peace. hope. change.

These shallow bowl-plates are part of a dinnerware set that I've been working on. I love using this shape of plate at home for most meals. Some might call it a pasta bowl but at the Murphy-Bicking household we call them bowl-plates. They're perfect for salads, stir fry or a good mid-western casserole.

In addition to finding my work on the 2nd floor of Lillstreet Studios, you can also find it at Lillstreet Gallery on the 1st floor as part of the Dinnerware Show. The show is beautiful. I'm happy to be sharing the table with Kristin Pavelka.

Happy Holidays!

Emily Murphy 12/2/08 Emily Murphy 12/2/08

3rd Annual Empty Bowls Chicago

I'm excited to announce that the 3rd Annual Empty Bowls Chicago is coming up on December 12th at Lillstreet.

Empty Bowls is an event that brings pottery, community and good food together to help fight hunger. For the last three years, my friend Joanna Kramer has been organizing the event for Chicago. (I'm including a letter from her below that explains all the details.)

If you're a potter (or vessel maker with another medium), I encourage you to send us a bowl or two. Just make sure it gets to Chicago by the 12th! I think the deadline is listed as the 5th, but it's ok as long as it's there by the day of the event.

If you're going to be in the Chicago area on the 12th, I hope you can join us for a family style meal. Doors open at 5pm on Friday, December 12th. There is a room that will have all the bowls spread out on tables (like the picture to your left). You get to pick out your bowl and then fill it with soup. Then you'll eat your yummy meal made by the First Slice Cafe at family style tables and enjoy a good conversation with the other attendees. At least that is what my experience has been in the past.

If you're not in Chicago, you might want to think about creating your own Empty Bowls event for your community. You might remember a post that I wrote last spring about my friend, Jordan Taylor and the event he organized in Scranton, PA. (Don't be intimidated, you don't have to make 1000 bowls... you can start small.)

Here is the letter from Joanna with all the information that you need to know. Also, you can RSVP to the even via Facebook.

Dear Artist and Supporter,

Bring us your bowls and help feed the hungry! Join us onDecember 12, 2008for a bowl of soup and help to feed the hungry. The Empty Bowls Project is a nationwide effort by artists to help fight hunger. Lillstreet Art Centeris proud to host the 3rd annual Empty Bowls Project to benefit Chicago-area hunger-fighting organizations. We're asking student and professional potters to donate bowls for this cause.

Empty Bowls works like this: guests choose a bowl and are served a generous serving of soup and bread made by First Slice Cafe, in exchange for a $20 suggested donation. Guests keep the bowl as a reminder that there are always empty bowls in the world. Bowls with an estimated price of over $30 will be placed up for auction. Empty Bowls will take place on Friday, December 12, 2008, 5-8 pm in the Lillstreet Gallery. 100% of the money raised will be given toFirst Slice, so they may continue to create healthy meals for these local organizations whose mission includes helping those who are hungry and/or homeless: Heartland Alliance,The Night Ministry,American Indian Center Youth Program, andHoward Area Alternative High Schooland Chicago-area soup kitchens.With the revenue generated from last year's EMPTY BOWLS event, First Slice was able to donate 1000 meals to youth in need. All donated bowls may be mailed or delivered to Lillstreet Art Center by December 5th. We hope you will participate in this important hunger-fighting event.

Thank you in advance for your generous donation to help feed Chicago's hungry.

Joanna Kramer

Drop off / Ship bowls:
Lillstreet Art Center
Attn:Joanna Kramer, Empty Bowls Coordinator
4401 N. Ravenswood Ave.
Chicago, IL 60640
(773)263-5581

Emily Murphy 11/29/08 Emily Murphy 11/29/08

Lillstreet Studios Holiday Show - 2008

I've been locked away in my studio this fall filling it with pots for the holiday show at my studio. Mugs, necklaces and bowls are stacked on the shelves. Lots of smaller pieces that will make perfect gifts.

This Friday, December 5, 2008, is the opening celebration atLillstreet Studiosin Chicago from 6pm - 9pm. You can find me in my studio on the 2nd floor on Friday and throughout the month of December.

There are over 50 artists at Lillstreet making pots, tiles, jewelry and more. It's a unique place where you can shop directly from the artist's studios as well as from the Gallery at Lillstreet. The opening of the show is on Friday from 6pm - 9pm, but the studios will be open throughout the month.

There is plenty of parking and accessible by lots of public transportation (Montrose-Brown Line, Lawrence-Metra, Ravenswood-Montrose Bus, etc...).

I'll be posting a preview of my newest work over the next couple of days so watch out for the updates!

Emily Murphy 10/19/08 Emily Murphy 10/19/08

Obamaware!

Ayumi Horie's Obama/ Biden fundraiser: Obamaware is live on Ebay. Bidding is open until Wednesday evening, but there is a "Buy it Now" option available if you don't want to play the bidding game.

For more information on this fundraiser, I highly suggest reading this essay by Sarah Archer: Kitchen Table Politics: â€˜Obamaware' Campaigns for Change, One Mug at a Time

This is the one that is coming to my house to live:

Emily Murphy 9/29/08 Emily Murphy 9/29/08

Ravenswood Art Walk - Chicago (Oct. 4 - 5)

The air is a little crisper with a cool edge to the breeze here in Chicago. Autumn is upon us and that means that it is time for the Ravenswood Art Walk!

The north side art walk takes place this weekend, Oct. 4 -5, 2008 from 11am - 6pm in Chicago. There are over 30 participating venues and over 150 artists.

The art walk takes place on the Ravenswood Ave. industrial corridor (by the Montrose stop on the Brown line).Lillstreet is part of the walk as well as other ceramic artists.Most of the studios that will have their doors open this weekend aren't regularly open to the public so you don't want to miss it!

My studio will be open this weekend as part of the artwalk, and as I posted yesterday, a show that I am in, Collective Conversations in Clay is also opening up in conjunction with the artwalk.

If you're around, I hope you'll stop by!

Emily Murphy 9/29/08 Emily Murphy 9/29/08

Exhibitions: Collective Conversations in Clay

Collective Conversations in Clay

A collaborative exhibition with:

Emily Murphy& Gary Jackson

Gina Hutchings& Sarah Hicks

Joanna Kramer & Dustin Yager

Jay Stromen& Debra Fritts

Shane Grimes & Nancy Pirri

I am going to be in a very cool show that opens this week at Lillstreet Gallery in Chicago. (Please refer to the diagram in the top left corner and follow along.) The show is made up of work from five pairs of artists. Each ceramic artist made 1 piece(s) from start the finish and another piece(s) halfway. Then traded the leather hard piece with their partner. The partner decorated, finished and fired the piece(s). Each pair will display their four pieces. I haven't seen any of the other pieces yet, so I am really excited to see what everyone did.

The details:

Collective Conversations in Clay

Lillstreet Gallery

4401 N. Ravenswood

Chicago, IL 60640

Oct. 3 - Nov. 1, 2008

Opening Reception:

Saturday, October 4, 2008

4pm - 7pm

This show is part of Chicago Artists Month and the Ravenswood Art Walk.

We did a slightly different incarnation of the show last year. You should definitely check out it out: Being to Being: Collective Conversations in Clay.

I think this is an exercise that every ceramic artist should try. You learn so much about your own work and your approach to it by seeing your form through someone else's eyes. I will be posting pictures of the show soon so you can see the work even if you're not in Chicago.

Emily Murphy 9/20/08 Emily Murphy 9/20/08

Upcoming shows

I've been a bit of an absentee blogger lately. After a summer of travel, I came home to a very busy life (I haven't even downloaded the photos from our trip yet). I will get into some of it later in a future post, but for now I thought I would share with you some shows that I will be in over the next 3 months. I've been shipping a lot of pots lately!

Platters and Pourers
Juried Exhibiton

Baltimore Clayworks

Baltimore, MD
September 27 â€“ November 6, 2008

Juror:John Glick

Opening Reception:

September 26, 2008

6:00 pm - 8:00 pm

map

Ceramic Biennial 2008

Juried Exhibiton

New Hampshire Institute of Art

Amherst and French Building Galleries

Manchester, NH.

October 8 â€“ November 7, 2008

Opening Reception:

French Building Gallery

Friday, October 17, 2008

6:00 pm - 8:00 pm

map

Collective Conversations in Clay

Invitational Exhibition

Lillstreet Gallery

Chicago, IL.

October 3 - November 1, 2008

Opening Reception

October 4, 2008

4:00 pm - 7:00 pm

map

Clay³

Juried Exhibiton

ClaySpace

Warrenville, IL
October 24 â€“ November 22, 2008
Juror: Simon Levin

Opening Reception:
@ IBEW
October 24, 2008

6:00 pm to 9:00 pm

map

Soda Salt National IV

Juried Exhibiton

The Clay Studio of Missoula

Missoula, MT
November 7 - 25, 2008

Juror: Jim Koudelka

Opening Reception:

November 7, 2008

5:30 pm - 9:00 pm

Map

Winterfest 2008

Invitational Exhibition

Baltimore Clayworks
Baltimore, MD
November 15 â€“ December 22, 2008

Opening Reception:

November 15, 2008

6:00 pm - 8:00 pm

Map

Dinnerware

Invitational Exhibition

Lillstreet Gallery
Chicago, IL
Nov. â€“ Dec.

Map

Our Cups Runneth Over
Invitational Exhibition

The Society of Arts and Crafts
Boston, MA

November 1, 2008 â€“ January 25, 2009

Opening Reception

November 7, 2008

6:00 pm - 8:00 pm

Map

Emily Murphy 9/14/08 Emily Murphy 9/14/08

Don't Knock my Smock!

Enjoy!

Thanks to: dontknockmysmock.com for posting this!

Emily Murphy 8/10/08 Emily Murphy 8/10/08

Four Years of Pottery Blog!

How it All Began

It's a bit of an anniversary for me... It's been 4 years since I first started writing PotteryBlog.com. It all started about 4 and a half years ago at NCEC A â€“ Indianapolis. I had attended a number of panel discussions and lectures given by writers, editors and publishers of both books and magazines. I found myself inspired by the words I had heard throughout the week and the conversations had, but I wasn't quite sure where to go with it. I knew that I wanted to write, but the time lines for traditional media didn't appeal to me. Magazine articles usually took about a year to be published, and books could be 3-5 years. I wanted to go in the direction of something less formal and with more immediate feedback, for now.

On the trip home from Indianapolis, a conversation started with my friend Brian Boyer (programmer, writer and potter). He really felt that a blog was the direction to go in with my post-conference energy. Ian and I had many conversations at home and he had been urging me to start a blog throughout the previous year. My hesitation was that I didn't know any other potter that was writing a blog about clay. A huge part of blogging was the connections with other bloggers writing in the same field. Blog writers are great blog readers, and when you begin to link to each other, your audience can grow exponentially. But after the conference, and my conversation with Brian, I realized that it was what I was going to do. And so I went home, registered the domain name: PotteryBlog.com, and soon I began to write. I had no idea where it was going to lead me, but I knew it was were I wanted to be at that moment.

A Slow Start

When I started this blog, I had to do a lot of educating. The question that I got from most of the clay folks that I talked to about my writing endeavors was â€œWhat's a blog. I guess it's a question that I still get, but in the beginning it was the question that I got from everyone that I talked to about it. I continued to write for the next 2 years. Not on a super regular basis, but regular enough. A couple of years into it, I had that nagging feeling that maybe no one was reading my blog. A large part of writing a blog is personal, so theoretically, I would continue to write with or without readers. But when you send your words and images out there, you do hope that someone is reading them.

Why do I Blog?

The other top question that I get on a regular basis is: why? Why do I spend my time and energy into writing this blog. Why do I "give away information for free" (their words, not mine)? The answer is pretty simple: information is free. I would love to give away pots, but it's not the most sustainable business model. Ian (my significant other of 12+ years) is an open source programmer. He's rubbed off on me over the years. The idea with open source is that the programming code and/or the process of writing it are open for others to see and use and that by making it public, the larger community will benefit from the sharing of information and collaboration. With programming, you can easily do this regardless of geography. With clay, it's not so obvious on how to do it, but I think blogging is has been a good way to do â€œopen source ceramics . If I give you a pot, now you have a pot and I don't have that pot. But if I give you an idea then we both get to keep it.

The open sharing of ideas might be the overarching reason on why I write, but I've discovered many more benefits to blogging. I have found that writing has greatly impacted my work. The conversations I have with myself about my own work have grown and evolved, affecting the aesthetic decisions I make daily about my pots. As a visual artist I'm used to falling back on the thought that my work will speak for itself. I hope it does, up to a point, but there is something to be said for backing it up with words. And obviously not everything I write is that profound (like instructions on covering your remote with plastic). But when I have to be more serious and thoughtful about my words, like when writing an artist statement, it comes easier than it ever has before. The habit of writing makes writing easier.

Getting Re-energized

Two years after I began this blog, I once again found myself at NCECA (Louisville) and throughout the week had some amazing conversations with people that "knew me" from my blog. I suddenly realized that my blog posts were not just disappearing out there, but they were being received on the other end by ceramic artists that not only knew what a blog was, but were excited to be reading one that focused on clay! Once I had the knowledge that people were out there across both the US, but also around the world were reading, I was energize and completely dove into the blog.

When I got home I started writing more regularly. I also started to pay attention to the statistics on who was reading my blog. And I set up an email list so readers could automatically get an email with each post. Knowing people were out there on the other end really pushed me.

Some Nice Side Effects

I've had a website of my work, in one form or another for the past 9+ years. I used to be conflicted about having pots online. They are 3-dimensional and tactile; things that don't usually go so well with the internet. I think that a blog helps add other dimensions to the piece. You can show the pieces in progress. Talk about the process of making. Show the pieces in use. Talk about inspirations and frustrations in making. Some of the blanks begin to fill in and the connection between maker, pot and user has grown stronger. Stronger than I ever could have imagined way back when I began my first adventures online.

There have been some great and unexpected side effects of writing my blog. It turns out that it is the best kind of publicity: it's publicity as a side effect. I get to put my efforts into what I want to do: write, teach, share my work, and connect with others. And it just so happens that it's publicity. I've been lucky that I've been asked to be in a number of invitational shows where the curators, jurors and gallery managers have found my work and gotten to know it through this blog.

It's also allowed me to keep up with regular customers. They can check in and see what I've been up to easily. The email list, RSS feed and blog reader instructions have been really important. I wrote a while back about the concept of 1000 True Fans. I'm far from it, but my blog helps me on my path.

The Ceramic Blogging Revolution

Ever since my return from NCECA in Louisville 2 years ago, something really exciting is happening! The number of clay focused blogs has grown exponentially and an incredible international community of clay bloggers has developed. It's a community that I feel very lucky to be a part of, to have these relationships with my readers and other pottery bloggers. I'm learning a lot, both technically and personally.

What's Next

I have at least 6 other posts in progress, and another dozen ideas in my head, but if you ever have any suggestions, I'm glad to hear them and respond to them. I find that the more I write, the more I want to write (like this past week).

I will continue to have tutorials, studio updates and show announcements. But I'm also expecting the unexpected, just like when I began. You never know where life (or a blog) is going to take you.

Thank you for reading my blog. Please share your thoughts about pottery blogging with me and the other readers in the comments, it's an important part of the process for me. It would be quite a different experience entirely for me if I wrote without comments. The posts would become static. This post doesn't end with this sentence, it ends with the last comment at the bottom of this page.