Some backwards reflections to help me forward - a kind of review of 2020

Midnight blue vases originally destined for a gallery and then I sold them myself due to Covid restrictions

It’s been a long while since I’ve written a reflection blog post about my year. I think I’ve probably done instagram captions that become a bit too long and no-one wants to read those!

It’s funny as I used to find the end of year blog posts a little like naval gazing; is anyone really interested in what has gone right or wrong in my year. Maybe, maybe not but I think its valuable to be honest and share some time to reflect on some of my wins before the busy-ness of next year steps in and I get lost in the next lines of production and making. Also if I can’t celebrate my own wins, no-one else is going to do it on my behalf. My Mom is no longer around and its so important to be your own champion, even if that doesn’t come naturally.

A mixture of outsourced and my own photography here. Photography announcing a shop launch always seems to do well in terms of engagement and likes.

So what have my wins been?

I find it interesting to see how other artists and creatives measure their wins. I’ve noticed that for some finance is the key determinator of success. And whilst it is big component of success its not my first marker for measuring my wins.

Consistency

I think for me, starting to develop consistent ranges has been a key turning point for me, as my natural instinct is to make all the things. With the onset of Covid I wanted to offer more of a shop, offering multiples of the same piece, rather than making lots of slight variations. It has taken courage to have this approach - I worry that people will be bored of the same work, but you also have to give people time to buy those pieces, for example I launched travel cups over a year ago and then this Christmas I received lots of commission requests which really surprised me.

The pre-sell and selling out

I definitely used to be the kind of person who didn’t like to talk about their product more than once, being afraid that I would turn people off or feeling guilty about not producing ‘new content’. But basically this is rubbish. Marketeers talk about products needing at least 3 touch points before some one buys your work. Yes, there are those spontaneous purchases that we all make but really little drip feed reminders work so well.

This year I’ve gotten a lot better about bringing my customers along the making journey. Sharing how I make things; talking in front of the camera about various launches and their inspiration, or why a certain collection was important to me. Being present and showing people little videos of finished pieces and why I like certain aspects of the work has started to feel much more natural to me.

Selling out of work always used to be something that other artists did and not me. Fortunately 2020 has bucked that trend and I remain thankful for that. Though I have to add that my August launches were not sell out, and there is a seasonal lesson there that I need to remind myself of.

The importance of the newsletter

The increasing unreliability of instagram , in terms of decreasing views has encouraged me to remind my customers to sign up to my newsletter. I’d say that around 75% of my sales now come directly from my newsletter. I finally reprogrammed my brain that I didn’t need to post daily to my instagram and my useage has fallen from over 6 hours a day (that number scares me so much) to around 2 and a half hours. I do try and comment on others posts and share tips and what I’m up to daily in stories as I like the community feeling.

Being recognised as an artist

So this is where I have a big case of imposter syndrome and I know that some people reading this may be surprised by my own feelings of self worth and pride. It can often be hard to stay in your own lane when all around you people are sharing their bright, shiny wins. Investing in photography has really helped my products to shine - although ironically some of my most popular posts have been where I have taken the photography myself. Hurray for me.

Specifically towards the latter half of the year I have been approached by a gallery and a beautiful store specialising in home-wares and pottery, which has been a big boost to my confidence. I was also a featured artist on the instagram account of my trade publication, Ceramic Review. And I have a feature coming up in 2021 in a lifestyle magazine.

The makers community

With the lack of in-person events, I was really impressed with how some online market organisers went beyond the call to raise spirits, offer training and create a community focus. In particular the Etsy team organised Zoom chats, detailled notes about how to have a successful online event. In a year when its been difficult to get out and see friends in real life the maker community has really made me feel like a valued member.

Investing in my brand

This can be a scarey commitment to make, but I worked with designer Lemon & Birch and she developed a repeat pattern for my branded tissue paper; she designed some branded postcards for me and I also have a new signature design stamp which will be coming soon. In my mind it is these small touches which can really elevate a brand experience, and I know from feedback and the unboxing stories on instagram that my customers seem to appreciate my packaging efforts.

Other personal wins

Personal development is always a key priority for me. I’m more or less a self-taught throwers so despite restrictions I was really happy to attend two specialist throwing courses. One was two days at Clay College at Middleport Pottery (the venue of the Throw Down); the other was more local at the Ceramics Studio in Stratford-upon-Avon. Each time I do a course I come away with lots of enthusiasm, though I rarely give myself the time to really practise what I’ve been taught, however I can see big improvements in my work this year; throwing lighter, taller pieces.

Getting to grips and understanding glaze technology is a huge subject. It’s one that I had felt intimidated by, however this year I have completed both a beginners and advanced class. I’m still playing around with ideas but I do have a lovely new pink, which is low in silica and alumina and gains its colour through the addition of (quite a lot of) tin.

In my previous job I used to have to do a lot of presentations, and I always used to get really nervous; I’d have a red rash on my neck and I really hated it. So it’s quite an achievement for me that I now feel quite comfortable in front of the camera. And this year, I’ve really enjoyed chatting to the camera and sharing snippets of my process; I think this is something I will do more of next year…

I’m fairly sure that being more visible is what has lead to me being asked to chat on a couple of podcasts. Most recently I was featured on Andrew Timothy OB’s garden, weeds and words podcast, where we chatted about pots, my business and the influence of the natural world on these. If you missed it you can listen here.

Snowdrops in the snow in my new pink glaze…

So what hasn’t gone so well?

Like many people I have been up and down on the Rona-coaster. There have been times when I’ve felt really lonely and sad, and have really missed everyday normal contact beyond my family. Working on your own can be really tough. I finally got round to going on HRT and I think the increase in Oestrogen has probably helped with low moods and I have continued with a good exercise routine which includes yoga and running.

I’ve found that it’s virtually impossible to make new friends in a pandemic but I’m going to resume the Artists Pages (Julia Cameron) to see if I can be more comfortable with my own company.

Logistics
I had an impromptu seconds sale which then meant I didn’t have quite as many boxes as I needed for a shop launch. I had to do a spread sheet to work out what I would be sending out. Fortunately I found a box which I’d previously unaccounted for so I was able to send out parcels more speedily than I had anticipated but a bit slower than I’d have liked!

Summer shop updates

I don’t know why I didn’t spot this one coming, but trying to launch a shop update in August is really not worth the effort. It can be hard to not take it personally when your work doesn’t sell, and the inner-critique starts to shout that your work isn’t good enough, but from later shop updates I realise now that timing is quite important when it comes to launches.

Plans for next year

I am not the world’s best planner, however you can expect new Valentine ranges featuring this new pink glaze; I’m currently playing with a new micro crystalline glaze so there might feature; I want to revisit some round vases and I’m going to expand my mugs range too. That is more than enough to keep me busy.

I hope you are able to relax for the next few days and I wish you all happiness and success for 2021.

Best wishes,

Katie