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Wheel Talk

Arts & Culture Podcasts

Ryan Durbin (@rdceramics) & Becca Otis (@5linespottery) share their experiences as potters, makers, small business owners, and creatives. Becca is a full time potter and studio owner, while Ryan is a full time website developer and part time potter. We'd love to share our ups and downs along the way as we build our skills as makers and small business owners in an honest, informal manner. We hope to bring you helpful tips we've learned over the years, learn from each other, and share expertise from a number of guests with you also. Please join us for some Wheel Talk!

Ryan Durbin (@rdceramics) & Becca Otis (@5linespottery) share their experiences as potters, makers, small business owners, and creatives. Becca is a full time potter and studio owner, while Ryan is a full time website developer and part time potter. We'd love to share our ups and downs along the way as we build our skills as makers and small business owners in an honest, informal manner. We hope to bring you helpful tips we've learned over the years, learn from each other, and share expertise from a number of guests with you also. Please join us for some Wheel Talk!

Location:

United States

Description:

Ryan Durbin (@rdceramics) & Becca Otis (@5linespottery) share their experiences as potters, makers, small business owners, and creatives. Becca is a full time potter and studio owner, while Ryan is a full time website developer and part time potter. We'd love to share our ups and downs along the way as we build our skills as makers and small business owners in an honest, informal manner. We hope to bring you helpful tips we've learned over the years, learn from each other, and share expertise from a number of guests with you also. Please join us for some Wheel Talk!

Language:

English

Contact:

9702146013

Episodes

#62 - Prioritizing happiness

10/24/2020
Becca goes solo this episode to share about her recently feeling more content with her business as COVID has hit this year. It's been a challenging few years since Becca started selling pottery full time back in 2014. She examines how decisions can pile up to something we may not have envisioned early on in the business and how vital putting your mental well-being is for long term success. Enjoy this honest outlook on something many makers can relate to but may not be vocalized as much as it...

Duration:00:50:09

#61 - Pot Swap 2020 is COMING!

10/21/2020
Ryan & Becca bring you a special mid-week episode to talk all things #potswap2020. We made a new Instagram account for all Pot Swap shenanigans @potswapofficial to help us with sharing everything now and into the future. Registration is free and open to the first 400 entries on Wednesday, October 28th at 8pm EDT. First come, first serve on sign-ups so set a reminder! Spots WILL fill up in a matter of hours (if not sooner)! We're enlisting some help from a select group of clay friends this...

Duration:00:46:42

#60 - Finding New Customers with Amy Boullé from Tryst Studios

10/17/2020
On this episode, Ryan & Becca sit down for a conversation in Cincinnati, Ohio with Amy Boullé from Tryst Studios. We chat outside of Queen City Clay where Amy has her private studio. We chat about balancing home life with her family while dedicating time to making and growing the small pottery business. COVID has thrown a wrench in Amy's year (like most of us), but she's finding ways to adapt to selling online and reaching a new customer-base in the Pacific Northwest with her current batch...

Duration:01:03:22

#59 - Hustling Online with Andrew Fegler from That's So Andrew

10/10/2020
On this episode, Ryan & Becca have a conversation with Andrew Fegler, the solo small business owner of That's So Andrew. Our discussion is driven mostly from a listener question related to how to use Instagram & Facebook for marketing. There is so much that goes into marketing period and social media marketing is a new world of its own, with each platform having unique pros & cons. Andrew shares some great insights how he uses Instagram & Facebook separately to grow his brand and make sales....

Duration:01:47:32

#58 - Building a cohesive body of work

10/3/2020
Ryan & Becca discuss finding a cohesive style and design with your work after a question from Jodie at @mudslinging_pottery. It's tough to explain exactly what dictates your personal style, but it doesn't hurt to ask your peers. We share a lot of examples of fellow clay artists to explain some different ways to separate yourself from others and figure out your own style. It's such a long process and documenting your growth through social media is a good way to see the evolution. Listener...

Duration:01:30:13

#57 - After-hours with Ryan & Becca

9/26/2020
Becca recorded this conversation without Ryan's knowledge (it's okay, she told him at the end). They chat about the motivation to continue showing up in the studio every week, whether there is a sweet spot follower count for having a sell out restock, Ryan's sales income during the pandemic in relation to last year, and more (there's even some cat talk). Enjoy this candid conversation and a little peak behind the curtain. P.S. Get yourself a friend who you can chat with about this kind of...

Duration:00:33:06

#56 - Why pay for a community studio?

9/19/2020
Ryan & Becca answer a listener questions about whether someone new to clay should still take classes at their community studio after coming into some equipment for their home studio. We didn't realize how much you get for your money at a community studio until we listed all of them out. Each maker has a unique personality and needs for their making process. You have to choose what environment and equipment are required for you to make your best work, progress, and get your monies...

Duration:01:20:29

#55 - Balancing a day job & side business

9/12/2020
Ryan & Becca discuss how Ryan balances his full time job while slowly growing his side pottery business. Lots of you may be having to balance out a side hustle while having a day job and it's really hard to find a balance, along with all the other commitments. As you grow your small business, it's typically all on your shoulders how you handle scheduling, finding time to make, and keeping up with all the behind the scenes tasks that small business owners have to keep track of. Listener...

Duration:01:24:24

#54 - Why is branding important?

9/5/2020
Ryan & Becca are comparing aspects of three social media platforms (Tik Tok, Facebook, & Instagram) to start this episode. The rest of our discussion came from a question we received on the topic of branding & marketing your business. Your branding extends from your social media, online orders, your work, in-person shows, and much more. Lastly, in celebration of hitting our 1 year anniversary of hosting Wheel Talk on August 22nd, Becca sent Ryan a couple gifts. We share what he received and...

Duration:01:09:41

#53 - Q&A Part II

8/29/2020
Ryan & Becca are back for another question and answer episode with clay, small business, & personal questions. We haven't done a rapid fire episode like this since Episode #6 - 21 Questions. Enjoy, have some laughs, and get to know us a little more. Listener Questions Send us questions so we can answer anything you've been thinking about on a future episode. Send those through Instagram @wheeltalkpodcast or email us at wheeltalkpodcast@gmail.com. Thanks for joining us and we would love to...

Duration:01:13:44

#52 - A Call to Adventure with Matt & Tara Brault from Pitch Pine Pottery

8/21/2020
On this episode, Ryan & Becca share an amazing conversation with Tara and Matt Brault, the husband & wife artists behind Pitch Pine Pottery. We discuss their journey from Massachusetts to New Mexico, growing their online pottery business, balancing the business and relationship as a husband & wife team, and the struggles along the way the past few years. We absolutely loved having them on and feel it will be very relatable for you creatively & personally. About their work: "Our work is...

Duration:01:46:16

#51 - Are you ready for wholesale?

8/15/2020
Ryan & Becca get into a listener's question about considerations when thinking about selling wholesale. Contracts, deposits, pricing, minimum wholesale orders, sales tax on wholesale, and way more are covered on this episode. There's so much that goes into thinking about wholesale, but you can build confidence in your products, understand how long it takes you to make them, and do the best you can to over-communicate with your wholesale clients. PS: We previously spoke with Rebecca Prowse...

Duration:01:27:43

#50 - Shop Talk with Curt Hammerly from Hammerly Ceramics

8/8/2020
On this episode, Ryan & Becca chat with Curt Hammerly from Hammerly Ceramics, located in Westminster, Colorado. Curt works full-time in his storefront/studio with multiple employees to support his production cycle. He primarily makes functional wares with expertise in 3D modeling, 3D printing, slip casting, and vast array of eye-catching glazes. We appreciate his insights on running a growing small business, his making process, and managing his growth these past few years. Look out for...

Duration:01:38:52

#49 - Diversifying your income

8/1/2020
Warning: Nerd Alert!! Ryan & Becca chat today about how they diversify their income in their pottery business and a little bit outside of that as well. There are lots of ways to spread your income around within the pottery business, from selling at shows, teaching, galleries, etc. Having multiple streams of income during these past few months has saved many of us small business owners as we weather this COVID storm. This one gets into some deep financial talk near the end that we thoroughly...

Duration:01:10:04

#48 - Essentials for a home studio

7/25/2020
Ryan & Becca answer a listener question at length on today's episode. Justin Patterson (@justcooperson) asks about studio essentials when moving from a community studio to a home studio. Some clay studios have limitations on the clays, glazes, tools, or open hours that can make you consider whether a home studio set-up is for you. While community studios eliminate a lot of the complexity on your part because nearly everything is provided for you (equipment, clay, firing, glazes, etc), you...

Duration:00:48:46

#47 - Muglyz with Aaron Kleinhelter

7/18/2020
On this episode, Ryan & Becca chat with Aaron Kleinhelter, a recreational clay artist from Louisville, Kentucky. He's recently moved to Washington state and currently focuses on creating figurative mugs, which he calls "muglyz." They are very odd and unique pieces that people either seem to love or hate, as with most art. Aaron's background in ceramics is very basic, only a few classes in high school and two intro classes in college. Aaron currently works full time as a Head Distiller in...

Duration:01:22:49

#46 - Adapting your business during uncertain times

7/11/2020
Ryan runs solo on this episode to speak to his new normal these past few months. Adapting to the current reality of very few in-person shows, online sales increasing, and ramping up the social media marketing has given many small businesses like ours new challenges to face. I've decided to keep moving forward, catching up on some studio projects, and experiment with new forms/clay in the 'down-time' so I don't become static. It's up to you where your business goes in times like these and...

Duration:01:16:27

#45 - Art shows during a pandemic

7/4/2020
Ryan & Becca briefly address the happenings around the United States these past few weeks before jumping into the topic for today. Afterwards, we discuss Ryan's first in-person art show in Cincinnati, OH during the COVID pandemic at the Westside Market on June 6th. The feasibility of outdoor events are still up in the air for the coming months, but protocols are going to be different for the foreseeable future if/when they happen. With brick and mortars around the country allowed to open...

Duration:01:14:06

#44 - Time is money

6/27/2020
Ryan & Becca break down some ways they are willing to delegate parts of their process or spend money so they aren't the sole person responsible for every part of the making process. Just because you can do everything from start to finish, doesn't mean we all should or want to (and all power to you if you want to do everything yourself). As artists, we sometimes undervalue our efforts for tasks that are seen as 'part of the process,' like weighing & wedging clay, mixing glazes,...

Duration:00:56:11

#43 - Talking Glazes with Joshua Heim from JH Pottery Works

6/20/2020
On this episode, Becca sits down for a chat with Joshua Heim, owner of JH Pottery Works and Gebharts Floral Barn & Greenhouse in Warren, Indiana. We get a glimpse into Joshua's business lately during quarantine before jumping into answering common glaze & kiln issues, while getting into some glaze chemistry. We hope potters from amateur to expert can learn something new from our conversation or have a few laughs along the way. Some of the topics covered include: pinholes, crazing, witness...

Duration:01:53:20

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