Business Model

In May I completed Lady Delores and Her Weaponised Parasol.  She took me six full days simply to build, another five hours to repair (see my previous post), and then a few hours to glaze.  All in all, this made me recognise that, as fun as she was to build, and she was, in terms of business, I was never going to be able to financially recoup these hours on the piece.  It was time to take stock and apply my business brain to my practice.

I will never stop making pieces simply for the craic, but I need to be pragmatic about my practice being a mix of art and financial security.  My MA is different.  I don’t need to sell any of my work.  It’s there to progress my skills in line with my assessment criteria.

Last year as part of my assessments, I was fortunate enough to speak with David William Sampson about his practice.  I like David.  He’s a very generous person who is openly supportive and encouraging of new ceramicists.  Part of our discussion was about his business model, and it struck a chord with me.  He stated that he makes pieces to given sizes that fit his structured pricing system.  This made sense and I enjoyed the methodology employed..

I decided that I would devise a model that worked for me along similar lines.  I came up with four sizes of pieces based on my current makes: large like my one-off pieces; large busts but repeat designs; plaques that can be in pairs or singular; smaller items that can be made as limited editions and come in series.  The accompanying prices of these designs is not set into the model, as it is with David.  That I will work out along the way.  I felt organised having a notable path forward. 

Alongside making new business cards, re-designing my website and my logo, adding this business model into the mix has made me feel that I have an organised plan with my practice post-MA.  It’s been cathartic and allowed me to pare down the ideas that float around in my head.  Whilst I may evolve and change this plan over time, it is a strong basis to start from.  I feel it is a large progressive step on my journey through study.  I started out wishing to evolve my practice and take it to the next level.  Having a strong business model will inform how I work.