new year, new decade
Every December, following the rush of the holiday hustle and a calendar full of craft markets and pottery sales, I force myself away from the studio to get quiet. It’s never easy but it is really important for me to take a couple weeks away to decompress from the wheel and rejuvenate my mind, body and ultimately my business. This is a time to digest the past twelve months and to ponder what may be just around the corner.
As this particular year ends, it’s not just a new year that is beginning but a new decade. I have been thinking a lot about where I was ten years ago. 2009 was a pretty life changing year for me both personally and professionally. Ten years ago I owned a boutique in Philadelphia. I spent the entirety of that year struggling to keep what was once a flourishing business, afloat. This was the year that followed the financial crisis of 2008. By the end of 2010 I had no other choice but to close shop and work on recovering financially. I have come a very long way from that place but still certainly have some scars from it. When talk of another recession started earlier this year, a wave of panic shuddered through me. I’m doing my best to pay attention but not focus on such matters. Looking back I can’t help but realize that halfway through this past decade my passion for pottery took hold. In January of 2014 I enrolled in a handbuilding class with hopes of getting through some seasonal depression and by autumn of that year I was working on the wheel and completely smitten.
This past year felt hard. I put in the most focus and effort to date for my business and I wasn’t seeing huge results from that. I admit I was quick to become disheartened. I launched a new collection in September that practically went unnoticed thanks to the unpredictable algorithm of social media and a possible glitch in my email campaign. I wondered if the handmade goods market was finally hitting a ceiling. Perhaps everyone had enough ceramics in their kitchens? Maybe the whole no-buy/anti-consumerism fad was really taking hold? My most reliable holiday market this year was a literal wash out as both nights were raining and close to freezing temps which put a huge dent in my end-of-year income. There were definitely a few days when I was ready to thrown in the towel and look for another job or career. Instead I forced myself out of that studio. I got quiet. I took a deep breath and even deeper look into what I actually accomplished in these past 12 months. What did I miss? More importantly, what can I learn from and do better or differently?
I am not really one for resolutions but I do feel strongly that 2020 holds a lot of promise. I feel this more so than any year in the recent past. My first focus before business or time in the studio is my health. Health is something I do not consistently prioritize. But I have been putting it on the side lines too long. My word or theme for the new year is MOVEMENT. I want to make space within everyday for exercise and moving my body. I want to check in with myself and my business more regularly to make sure there is forward motion as opposed to stagnation or just the simple feeling of being stuck. I want to keep space in my studio practice for play and experimentation and not get caught up on the hamster wheel of production. I am going to step out of my comfort zone in this next year and take on some new responsibilities at the studio where I work that are outside the realm of Forged & Found and I look forward to the new challenges and dynamic that adds to my ceramic life. I also hope to cultivate a healthier relationship with social media, marketing and promotion. These are areas of business that I struggle with and have difficulty balancing time on. Lastly, I hope to try sell my work at more in-person events and markets. Nothing really beats being able to meet my customers face to face and hear feedback in real time. It is one of the most inspiring parts of what I do.
Happy New Year my friends! Thank you over & over for following along on this journey with me and supporting my creative pursuits. I honestly can’t express in words how much it means to me.
