Bella Joy Pottery Updates
I realize I haven't blogged in awhile and to say I have been busy feels like an understatement. I have been BUSY. So let's do a little recap!
Back in February, I took a hands-on pottery workshop at the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts with Suze Lindsay. It was fantastic! We made pieces that were totally different to what I make and it was so fun to create and explore just for fun. Here is the candleholder/ vase that I made.
Then came March, which is when the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA) happens annually. This year I had a full plate. I was the moderator for the panel discussion Business Models: The Unconventional Path with Stefani Threet, Kate Schroeder, and Rebecca Graves. I was so nervous, but made it through and it was well received. It was such a great experience!
Later in the week and I had the fun experience of demoing screen printing underglaze at the Speedball Ceramics booth. Speedball is such a great company to work with and so receptive to customer feedback. It really is a breath of fresh air!
I was also asked to participate in the pop-up Freshwater Clay. It was such a fun experience to set up my pots and sell them Sefton Coffee Co. The best part is I was with such a lovely and talented group of potters. The other potters there were Eric Heerspink, Courtney Rekowski, Taschelle Maruszak, and Nicole.
In April, I was asked back to be a guest on Wheel Talk podcast (Episode 248) to talk with Ryan Durbin and Becca Otis about pricing. My friend Isaac Shue was also on to give his take on pricing. It's an interesting listen as each person has their own pricing philosophy.
When I got back from NCECA I decided I wanted to try and sell the studio. I figure it would take awhile because it was for sale for 3 years before we purchased it. After finding a realtor and jumping through all the necessary hoops with listed the studio in May and within the first week we had an offer! Too say I was shocked is an understatement, too say I wasn't prepared is an even bigger understatement! It was go time. I had to wrap up outstanding wholesale orders, prepare the business to shift, and pack and move. Yes, we did it ourselves.
On July 1st we closed and said goodbye to an era!
Then it was time to set up shop back in the chicken coop! Where I have been working for three months now and experimenting with new ideas and really leaning into screen printing. I am excited to see where it goes. I am striving to have the ideas in my head match what I create, which is a lot easier said than done!
And that bring us back to fall!
