Onward to 2015!

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:

•  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

•  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.