Life of an Artist

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An artist wears many hats. Tasks required in the pottery business and getting the pottery out to the shows are numerous. Production and processing, involves design and the actual making of the piece, trimming, handles, sanding, bisque, glazing and firing the kiln. Once fired, the kiln is unloaded and there may be additional parts to put on such as mirrors, wicks and beads, magnets and pricing. This is the part that is romanticized about an artist’s life, but I find that a relatively small percentage of my time is actually spent in the studio doing the design and production. Marketing involves finding shows appropriate to the work and applying for the shows as well as the actually doing of the shows. Slides and photography are required for getting into show. A web site is important for an artist. The maintenance and updating of the website is challenging to keep on top of. Business and record keeping will also require a considerable amount of an artist’s time. Studio building show booth maintenance as well as equipment maintenance need the artist’s time and attention.