3 Things I wish I knew before selling my pottery online

Here are a few things I wish someone had told me when I first started my small business as a ceramicist.

🍵 Ceramic shop:

0:00 - Introduction
0:26 - 1. Start selling early!
1:41 - Practice selling pottery so you can practice making more of it
2:35 - Where to sell your pottery
4:05 - 2. Don’t compare yourself with others on social media
5:45 - Tricks on combating social media envy
7:46 - 3. Pricing your work
9:17 - summary

✨ Instagram:

Music: Epidemic Sound

#studiovlog #ceramicvlog #ceramicmaking #asmr #smallbusiness #soothingvideo #ceramicstudio

[KHFFSE]

I love how this is both good advice and actually uplifting. So much art and business advice is remarkably soul crushing lol Thank you for stressing the creation part as well as self care. Artists gotta art, so make art. Art is valid even without business on the other end of it. And art is special because we're not algorithmic machines. Take care of the artist, and you take care of your art <3

[seascapesandsalt]

I actually sold some of the first cups I ever made at a recent art market. They were small and uneven with thick walls but people loved them! I priced them really cheap, just to get them out of my house, but the folks that bought them were really excited about them. Definitely worth starting early.

[fosteringforwardmeditation]

Thank you for your post. I love the quote "envy is the thief of joy". Very profound statement. Wishing you many blessing and thanks for including your precious doggie, it brightened my afternoon.

[charlottesmom]

"Release your art back into the wild" I love this!!!❤

BTW, your pieces are so adorable (as is your dog!)🐶

[laurenw]

This was honestly one of the best videos I've seen. Thank you so much for your clear and caring advice!! And when you showed all your work on the shelves, I gasped! Your work is very beautiful!

[samivayajd]

As a fellow online art seller, the first one hit HARD! LOL, I often will reject pieces (I hand paint earrings) that I THINK aren't perfect or don't like personally. This is no way means I'll sell bad products, but I need to remember that some perspectives desire other aspects of art. I support a local ceramics artist.

[beccablack]

Great advice. I've never heard of the story about the professor who asked half his students to make as many pots possible and half to make them high quality. Looking back, getting good at quantity was my game changer in pottery.

[lwedel]

I began my business in Jan 2020 and spent hours making a Shopify store, setting up Etsy and learning DHL shipping rates lol. It was so stressful I ended up cancelling the online stores and just now focus on selling at a few local markets per year, as well as direct sales to existing customers (who will text me what they want). I only work PT due to having small kids, so if you are doing ceramics FT (8-10 hour days) I am sure you can manage the online shop sales channels... but man alive, it was hard managing socials too. I also got rid of IG and that gave me hours per day back haha! and I have been making a lot of small art projects. You need to do whatever works for you. So many people tell me I 'NEED' Instagram lol. No, no I do not. My Master Ceramics teacher (55 years old) has neither social media nor an online store and she does very well.

[jujubeethatsme]

Wow! I'm so impressed that you're actually sharing your thoughts and humanness with us! I can feel and hear your authenticity and I feel like I'm listening to a person speak instead of watching a video on a topic. You're very likeable. Keep up the authenticity please :)

[happypappy]

Thank you so much! This is so very encouraging and helpful! I’m fulfilling a lifelong desire (I’m 63!) to learn and sell pottery and have been taking lessons for four months. I started an Estsy shop (with sublimation mugs) but it’s been slow. I’m on the verge of renting studio space to start making pottery to sell. This is just what I needed to hear!!!

[marylynn]

I've noticed that I love seeing other artists and businesses as an inspiration and for fun while I'm doing something else, and then I feel very inspired, but when I catch myself comparing them with myself and my art while thinking about my own ideas I feel devastated, as if could never do what someone else is doing, but that's just wrong... if I were the one showing my work, someone else would be jealous of me probably...So it's a vicious cycle 😅 The most important thing is exactly to focus on your art as you said. Great video💗

[jackiechang]

Envy is the theft of joy... thank you for sharing your insights into this journey to build your business and sell your pottery.

[TriniRoyQuiReyes]

I LOVE your thought process dear, nice ceramics❤your art of making and selling is ideal. I will have that in mind when I start selling art hopefully professionally by God's Grace . Thank you for sharing. Congratulations to everyone that has started making their own works and selling 👍

[cherylbowman]

That was so sweetly expressed. Thank you very much! P.S. I like your pottery❤️

[ronijoni]

i dont do ceramics but this video is one of the most insightful videos i've found on the internet! thank you for sharing your experience and takeaways from doing your ceramic business <3

[dihanha]

thank you for this video, I want to start my business sometime this year but I'm still a little unconfident about my knowledge and skills, so watching this was really helpful specially the pricing aspect because one of my recurring thoughts is how can I price my pieces in comparison to the most well known ceramists in my city, and I feel bad thinking that puting a price similar to them is a joke because they've been in the business for years. thank you again for this video, it was recommended by the algorithm and i'll subscribe to see more of you in the future, best of lucks

[ellenthompson]

Thank you for sharing your ideas about selling pottery. You are very honest and it helps a lot. :)

[cyndikrupa]

Being the best you that you can be and letting your love and passion show in your work will attract those who love the same. Always be authentic to yourself. I love your sweet creations!

[aliciama]

I just started pottery and this was such a great video. Thank so much for being positive and giving great advice!!! I was feeling discouraged and this video really made me feel more confident with just practicing and not being afraid to put myself out there :)

[galekrcmarik]

Smart and thought out in the big picture. Go and