Happy New Year!
Now seems like a good time to look back at last year and make some plans for this new year.
2014 Highlights
Mission Accomplished
Goals that I accomplished from the list last year:
- Â I’m making my own stamps!
- We are still taking photographs of families.
- My online presence has increased noticeably:
- Facebook 313 (+70) and Facebook Page 123 (+53)
- Google+ 244 (+181) and Google+ Page 8 (+4)
- Twitter 203 (+144)
- Pinterest 178 (+145)
- Instagram 412 (+350)
- LinkedIn 37 (+20)
- I’ve made sets of dinnerware and have started to define some shapes and glaze combinations that I’m happy with.
- I’m still testing glazes and doing a lot of experimenting.
- I participated in 3 sales this year including the Middlebury Fall Festival, the Michiana Pottery Tour and the Michiana Pottery Christmas Market.
Other Highlights
- Got myself some sweet ribs from Troy Bungart.
- Had some good times with other potters including stoking kilns, buying pots and a local throwing challenge.
- Created some shelves to display pots at festivals and events. I need to put up some images!
- Donated some work to a Local fundraiser.
- Spent a couple weekends preparing, loading, firing and unloading Bill Kremer’s wood kiln and hanging out with other potters.
- Created some nice promo graphics for the Michiana Pottery Christmas Market.
- Started to get the hang of firing things on their sides with running glazes.
- Made the honorable mention list of the top pottery blogs. Is that really an accomplishment if I wrote the list?
- I read some actual books including One More Thing, Schindler’s List, Road to Perdition, Life After Life, The Tenth of December.
- Listened to a number of audio books. Including The Idiot, Bloodlands, a few from the Ender’s Game series, and the first few from the Foundation series.
- Made it up to the cabin a couple times. Ate a lot of beef jerky.
- Finished two 5K races. 25:15, 24:46. Also, donated some clay works to each cause.
- Celebrated 10 years with my wonderful wife.
- Got to watch our daughter grow for another year.
2015 Goals
Goals I didn’t pull off in 2014
But I will accomplish these in 2015!
- Etsy shop is not open. But it’s getting close…
- My pots are not at any physical stores. No excuse for that.
- Haven’t started another clay class at WNP. Planning for one in the spring.
New Goals for 2015
- Â Apply to 3 juried shows.
- Participate in at least 3 sales/festivals/exhibitions.
- Blog more consistently. At least one post every month on the calendar.
- Participate in another wood fire.
- Work on my site: convert everything from static html, add some glaze pages.
- Read at least two books about pottery. Aiming for John Britt’s new book and maybe Tony Clennell’s book?
- Read/skim at least two books about marketing/business.
- Be an even better dad and father than last year.
Thanks for reading. I hope you find health and happiness in 2015.