Goals for 2024 - reviewed - the report card
Events {1}
Home Decor {1}
I'm having a sale {10}
In the studio {7}
Kiln unloading {12}
On the wheel {1}
Workshops & Mentoring {2}
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Let's stroll down memory lane of 2024.
I set out to accomplish 12 goals in 2024. Was that perhaps a bit too ambitious? Let's take a look.
No. 1 - expanding my studio space.
Are you familiar with the 80/20 rule? 80% of a project takes 20% of the time and the last 20% of the project takes 80%? Yes? Good talk. So at the beginning of the year I announced the completion of my new studio with a window and a blogpost would soon follow. So here is what happened.... It was only just before Christmas, last week, that we had completed all the 400 small little tasks and make time for a thorough clean which was then promptly followed by a photoshoot and a big blog post with over 30 images. I know, I know, the original goal talks about annexing another room into the studio mix. That did not happen. Main reason being we still use this as a guest room AND we had actual guests staying with us this summer. I just don't know if I am ready to give this room up from being a guest room. Moving on.
2/5 stars - for my indecisiveness to just go for it, but so happy that i chronicled my new studio with a window.
No. 2 - glaze mixing
Admittedly, I was so busy this year that mixing my glazes was a bit on the back burner. I also suffer from first-use-bias (Having great resistance doing something for the first time, then having no issues thereafter). Then all of a sudden, brought on by several supply chain issues, there were some issues with my commercial glaze that needed my immediate attention. This propelled me into glaze mixing around the summer time and I am actually so glad that happened. I made tons of test tiles and many many test glazes and learned so much, in large part, thanks you to no. 3 - finding a mentor. Continue below.
3/5 stars for my reluctancy to get going - but then being nudged by the Universe.
No. 3 Finding a mentor
When you ask the Universe for something, be very prepared to get, not what you thought you wanted, but instead the exact thing you NEEDED, but didn't even know to ask for. The Universe is awesome like that. And that is exactly what happened when I asked for a mentor at the beginning of 2024. As you can see in my original post, I thought I needed a mentor to help me throw bigger. Turns out, that was not on the menu. Instead, I got something a thousand times better! See how No. 2 up there was all about glazing? When I was knee deep in glazing bewilderment, I was introduced to my new mentor, Rae Graden from my local clay store, Clay Art Center, who, it just so happens, turns out to be the most fantastic and incredible knowledgeable glaze chemist.
As you know, or maybe not, I am an information junkie and I can take in large swaths of information in very few gulps, however it is very rare that I meet someone who can give out information, like that, cascading style, to suit that ability. Enter Rae! Faucet: OPEN! And even better, often when someone is as knowledgeable as Rae, they can sometimes tend to know so much that they know almost nothing. This is where Rae is truly excelling, if you ask me. Rae has the ability to synthesize their vast amounts of knowledge (which could lead some people to a type of "analysis paralysis"), with some action packed "best practices". I don't think I have encountered that in a teacher before and I am so so excited and GRATEFUL!
Favorite Rae quote of 2024 about when to open your kiln after a firing: "waiting is for the people, not the ceramics". See? Action!
Love that.
I simply can not WAIT to continue working with Rae in 2025.
5/5 stars for Rae!
4/5 stars for me for diving into this expansive subject with enthusiasm.
No. 4 - seasonal design
I set a goal of making 5 seasonal collection and by golly, I did! Here they are: Valentines, Spring, Summer, Fall and Christmas!
So much fun, so much work. I am so happy I did it. I learned so much! My collections below are a mix of new and existing, but mostly new core products and seasonal products. Going forward, I will continue my seasonal collections, but they will be much smaller and only contain the actual seasonal items.
5/5 stars for keeping up till the very end, even though I got so busy it was almost too much.
No. 5 - core products
I set out to formalize and structure my core products this year and really get them dialed in. This gave rise to the Sofee bowl, the Charlie bowl (named for being the perfect size for some peanuts) and most notedly the Foraged Collection. I also came out with new kitchen ware and made some lamps too. I am very happy with how this went.
5/5 stars for making great headway on this.
No. 6 Time management
Ooof. Struggle-sesh. I made lists and calendars and more lists. I had some wins, I had some fails. Then in November, I got my act together and for each task I estimated how long it would take, then I timed it and noted down how accurate I was. I was all over the map. Some things that I thought took me an hour took 4 (hey glazing, I am looking at YOU), other things took 10 minutes, not 30. So very illuminating. I spent time setting up some journals for note taking and by the end of the year - now - I can look back and know pretty well how long my tasks actually take and this has greatly helped in my planning of 2025.
3/5 for my sheer perseverance in this, otherwise, pretty un-fun task.
No. 7 - My two leaf lines.
I have worked on finessing both of these two lines. One is an oak leafy platter line, shown below on the left. It comes in two sizes so far. After losing quite a few to cracking, I finally found my groove with these organic shapes. And as for the fern platter, I am so so happy to say that I came in just under the wire with this one. I found solutions to the obstacles I had faced in making these platters and now I can not wait to make a bunch more.
Someone described the fern pattern as "a delicate print in snow" and I could not agree more.
4/5 stars. It was a long time coming, So happy with the result.
No. 8 Make cups and plates
I made great strides with this goal. I made quite a few plates, bowls and cups. Best of all, I set our Easter table with all home made plates and bowls this year. A long standing goal reached!
5/5 so proud of this one.
No. 9 find new markets
I tried out 3 new markets this year: Bellevue Arts Market, Renton Holiday Bazaar and Kennedy Arts & Crafts market. I also came back for my second year at Three Tree Point market and the Moshier Spring sale.
Both Kennedy, Renton and Three Tree Point were all such highlights of my year and if I get accepted back there in 2025, 10 wild horses can't keep me away. The Mosher spring sale is of course always fun because of the camaraderie with my fellow potters that go there, but the downside is that I am not by my table during the sale, so I don't get to shoot the breeze with you all, which is my favorite part about going to market.
Something very fun and surprising to me was how selling at Paper Delights just presented itself this year, as I kept selling out of my seasonal collections there. I went into it with no expectations at all and I was blown away with how well received my ceramics have been and how wonderful Alicia at Paper Delights has been to work with. Complete dream scenario!
Pinching myself with 5/5 stars! What a great year it has been. I am beyond grateful!
No. 10 Shipping
i WRAPPED! my head around shipping this year in the early spring. I shipped several packages and they all arrived safely and in as many pieces as I sent them. Phew! This was a big first hurdle in getting to opening my online shop. Something I was very gung-ho about doing this year. I would have too, but I was challenged to have enough stock to having an online sale. I have practically been running this whole year to try and keep up. Next year, I am planning to make that online store happening.
Shipping, major check mark 4/5 - we are just talking national shipping so far. International is a whole other ball of wax for another time.
No. 11 - Look Books
This was one of the things I looked forward to the most. But looking back I am feeling ambiguous about it. While it is super fun to do, I did not feel I had enough time to do it well. It's ok, but nothing earth-shattering. My favorite is probably the fall Look book. The biggest disappointment with the look book is that the software we used only works on a laptop/pc, and I only advertised them on Instagram (a phone app) and it did not work on a phone. That was such a bummer and I am very dissatisfied with that part. The time/benefit analysis did not work out for this project, so I will not be continuing the look books next year.
2/5 stars for a so-so experience. 0/5 for the software not working on a phone.
No. 12 Reels
Don't laugh, but I thought I was going to put up two reels a month this year. Nope. No time for that. I did make 7 reels this year. This one is my favorite with the setting of my Easter table shown above a close second. On the blogging front I faired much better. I wanted to post a blog post per month and even if you do not count this past week with one new blogpost per day, I breezed through that goal with 21 blog posts this year. (Because 21-7 is 14 = breeze)
2/5 stars because the goal had to do with reels, not blog posts.
That's it. My 12 goals for 2024 and how I did with each of them. Even though I didn't outright smash most of the goals, I am very happy with how my year went. I could not have asked for a better experience and it is all making me very excited for what 2025 has to bring. I learned so much and that is something I really like to do: learn new things.
Here is to a GREAT 2025! Happy New Year!
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This article: Goals for 2024 - reviewed - the report card first appeared on http://ahomeforceramics.com.
Events {1}
Home Decor {1}
I'm having a sale {10}
In the studio {7}
Kiln unloading {12}
On the wheel {1}
Workshops & Mentoring {2}
Some blog posts contain affiliate links to products I use. More information
I am a Danish American making Scandinavian inspired ceramics out of my home based studio in a forest. These are my stories from the studio. But there is more
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