Being a potter or ceramic artist is not easy. But everyone is different and has their own issues and struggles. Listen to this episode (or read below) to see if there are other people that are struggling with the same things that you are.
Resources
The Dip: A Little Book That Teaches You When to Quit (and When to Stick) (affiliate link)


How to make the most of your time in the studio (Article and Free Download)
Transcript
First off, I wanted to say thank you very much for listening. I really do appreciate it. Especially if you’ve listened to previous episodes and have come back for more. If this is your first time listening, welcome! Just before I started recording this episode I checked the podcast stats and it said that there have been over 1000 downloads! That is amazing to me. That isn’t a lot in the grand scheme of things but I feel like I’ve barely figured out what I’m doing. So thank you for your support. This is episode 7. The question for this episode was: What is the hardest thing about being a potter or ceramic artist? This is a fascinating topic and I can’t wait for you to hear some of these great responses. There were so many comments that I couldn’t include them all! Maybe because everybody struggles with something? Or maybe it’s because it’s such a personal topic and that there are no “wrong” answers? I guess everyone feels like they can relate. Whatever it is, thank you to everyone who took the time to share their thoughts on Instagram and Facebook.

The show notes for this episode and all other episodes can be found at expertclay.com. It’s free to sign up for the email list to find help with something you are struggling with or help other people with something they are struggling with. At the end of the episode you’ll hear how to get a free download with 5 ideas that I have used to make the most of my time in the studio, which has been one of my biggest struggles.

As I was reading through these comments I sorted them into categories to make processing them a little easier. First we’ll talk about struggles with the process, then time and balance, then running a business and then the physicality of working with clay. We’ll also hear some other miscellaneous struggles and I’ll share some of my favorite responses. At the end I’ll share 10 things that I keep in mind when I struggle with something.

So let’s get to the responses.
Process
Making pots is pretty complicated and there is a lot to learn. Some potters struggle with part of the process.

Many people, including Zeevar, FrancoiseAndre, ClayWishSweden, Potterinhawaii, Sometimes_sam_sometimes_paige, Jack.degnan, and Amadia14 all mentioned glazing in one way or another.

Zeevar I think doing the glaze is hard! Am i right?

Francoiseandre @zeevar yes ! Glazing is also for me the hardest thing...

Claywishsweden Glazing!!!

Potterinhawaii Getting the glaze right your piece can be beautiful but if you mess up the glaze it turns out like (beep)?

Sometimes_sam_sometimes_paige Hoping the glaze compliments the form

Jack.degnan Not getting enough layers of glaze on my pieces ?

Amadia14 I struggle with glaze consistency!

Donrankpottery I have a continuing dislike for pulling handles on mugs!

Baxenburg Kilns!! And transporting fragile things that haven't been fired yet because you've cleverly decided to make something at home without thinking about how you're going to get it to the studio in one piece... !

Etgesq shrinkage in the kiln
Time / Balance
Time management was a popular response. It seems like a lot of potters are part time potters and work a “regular” job to produce a steady income. I bet if we had a survey, most potters don’t make 100% of their income just from selling pots. And with the lengthy process that clay requires, it’s going to be tough to keep everything balanced.
Time to Make
Wildfirepotterypenn I have a full time job outside the studio. Because of this, the hardest thing for me is finding the amount of time I feel is adequate in the studio