Marketing Your Creativity

1. Create a PotteryDaily.com account – the Clay (Basic) Level account is FREE.  If you have a Facebook account, you can use this to create your PotteryDaily.com account.
2. Once you are approved (within 24 hours) you can begin posting ceramic pieces for sale in your PotteryDaily.com shop.
3. You DO NOT have to login each day to post a piece of pottery, the PotteryDaily.com website allows you to pick the date the item will be shared with the world.
4. When you post a ceramic piece to PotteryDaily.com, you also have the option to post it to the PotteryDaily.com Facebook Fan Page and your own Facebook Wall.
5. (more…)

Post written by Leo Babauta.

Lately I have been so inspired by my friend Alisa aka Ducky’s Always Hungry.  It all started several months ago at Cake Day.  Our office celebrates all of the birthdays and anniversaries the last Friday of each month.

Anyway, we were sitting there in the lunchroom chowing down on the delicious Moist & Creamy cakes when she starts talking about this woman, on the food network, who was “discovered” from her food blog posts.

My friend Alisa is a foodie – one who is willing to explore and try absolutely anything, was posting photos of her culinary adventures to Facebook on a regular basis under the title – “I’m always hungry”.  She is also well traveled and writes a travel journal (aka personal blog) that she shares with family and close friends.  Having read many articles that she had written, I knew she could write.

So, after swallowing my mouthful of heavenly Bananas Foster cake, I said to her, (more…)

As Thanksgiving approaches we (as a collective nation) focus on gratitude for all of the good things that have come into our lives throughout the previous year.  After all, this is what the holiday is all about.  Long before Black Friday and Cyber Monday existed, we would join with our family and friends to give thanks to the universe for the abundance bestowed through Mother Nature and our ability to harvest a full cornucopia in order to survive the upcoming harsh winter.

I believe that we should be giving thanks and expressing our gratitude every day, not just on the 4^th Thursday of November.  For years, I kept a gratitude journal and before going to bed would write 5 things I was grateful for that day.  Most times, I wrote, I am grateful for:

• my house
• my job
• my creativity
• my family
• my dogs

However, sometimes I would reflect on more specific things:

• a flower blooming in my garden
• the humming bird chasing me out to the car
• the clean air after a brisk rain fall
• a smile from a stranger
• a reassuring/inspiring email
• a phone call to reconnect with a friend
• a great haircut
• true joy
• electricity
• time to read a good book
• an unexpected sale
• ice cream
• my porch swing
• fruit from my trees

In reflecting on the more specific items in my life with gratitude, I found more peace within myself and a desire to share it with the world.

When I was a child, I was taught to say, “Thank You”.  Although the words are nice to hear, it is even better if they are truly expressed in gratitude.  It is not just about saying the words, it’s about truly receiving/accepting what is offered, reflecting on it and then sharing it back.  This can happen in just a few seconds – a genuine giving of thanks.

I am so very grateful for you, my readers.  I truly appreciate that you take the time to read my articles, leave comments on this blog and send me email messages telling me how you have been moved.  You all inspire me to continue writing more.

So, what things are you grateful for?

© 2011 Heather C. Morrow.  All rights reserved

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE OR WEB SITE?  Of course you can, as long as you include the following with it:

Heather C. Morrow, owner of Pottery Daily, helps emerging artists express their true value and get paid what they are worth.  Her products and services show you how to make more money, save more time while enjoying the freedom in your art.  For your FREE audio go to www.marketandsellyourart.com.

This weekend, I watched one man’s vision come to pass.  I attended the Grand Opening of the new home of the American Museum of Ceramic Art (AMOCA) in Pomona, CA.  The event was fortuitously scheduled on 11-11-11 and also gave us all the opportunity to preview the museum’s latest exhibit – Common Ground – Ceramics in Southern California 1945-1975.

AMOCA, the only ceramics museum west of the Mississippi, was the vision of one man – David Armstrong.  In 2001 he began laying the groundwork and AMOCA opened to the public in 2004 with the mission to educate by presenting, collecting and preserving significant ceramic achievements of the world’s cultures from ancient times to the present and ultimately to provide a deeper understanding of cultural values and traditions.

AMOCA’s new home is in an old bank featuring a 77 foot Millard Sheets painted mural.  When the grant for the current exhibit (featuring ceramic artists influenced by Sheets) was written, they had no idea that they would be moving into this space.  It was as if the stars aligned when they unveiled the mural.  This magnificent mural would be preserved and become a part of the museum’s history.

So, what does it take to be a visionary?

Looking beyond your immediate needs to the future.  When presented with the opportunity to acquire the bank, David not only stepped up financially to acquire the space, but also knew that the Millard Sheets mural had to be preserved and wrote it into the contract with the bank – lest it be moved and/or tragically destroyed.

Hiring the right person for the job.  David had the foresight to hire Museum Director Christy Johnson.  Christy is an amazing director and has in turned hired the other right people to help grow the stature of AMOCA in the community.

Asking for what you need and being open to what is given.  AMOCA relies on ceramic art collectors to loan and possibly donate their collections.  My glaze instructor, Roger Porter, donated over 4000 ceramic books to AMOCA for their permanent library.

Involving the community.  AMOCA not only supports their local community by being a part of the 2^nd Saturday Art Walk, they also regularly reach out to the ceramic arts community (both artist and collectors) for support.  I, and many others, donated toasting vessels for their 11-11-11 fundraiser.

Creating experiences.  Not only does AMOCA regularly have new exhibits, they also have regular presentations from world renowned ceramic artists.  The new location provides them with the additional space to display their permanent ceramic collection and have a working studio.  In the ceramic studio, they will offer classes and other opportunities for those who are interested to experience the world of pottery.

Going with the flow.  I am sure there were many things that did not meet with David’s expectations when the museum officially opened its new doors; however, you would have never known and in the end, it really doesn’t matter.

If you live in Southern California (or will be visiting), I highly recommend visiting AMOCA in Pomona.  You will not be disappointed.

If you don’t live in Southern California, I’ve created a video montage of the photos I took at the exhibit.   The Sheets Mural is at the beginning.  Click here.

Do you have a vision for the future?  What steps can you take today to help build that vision into something greater than yourself?

© 2011 Heather C. Morrow.  All rights reserved

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE OR WEB SITE?  Of course you can, as long as you include the following with it:

Heather C. Morrow, owner of Pottery Daily, helps emerging artists express their true value and get paid what they are worth.  Her products and services show you how to make more money, save more time while enjoying the freedom in your art.  For your FREE audio go to www.marketandsellyourart.com.

I would probably not be considered a risk taker – I haven’t been skydiving or bungee jumping. The thing is, being a risk taker is not really something that can be measured other than by the person taking the risk.  This is because taking a risk is based on your own personal comfort zone.

What one person considers risky another might think is something fun to do on a regular basis (e.g., cliff diving).  So, by measure of my own comfort zone (which is somewhere between the couch and my regular paying job), I take risks on a pretty regular basis.

Why should you take risks? (more…)

Heather Morrow & One of her Skeletons

I wish I could say that I don’t have anything hiding in my closet or under my bed that is not scary, but the reality is that I have both imagined and real skeletons in my closet and ghouls under my bed.

They might not seem so bad to you; however, hiding them increases their power and potential influence if revealed by someone other than myself.

Before tackling my skeletons, I wanted to talk about why this is important for your business and how coming clean can help your customers relate to you. (more…)

In the commencement address given at Stanford University in 2005, Steve Jobs spoke about his life and all that he had learned.  This was shortly after surgery to remove a pancreatic cancer tumor.

You can see the speech here, but I wanted to talk to you about one point that really resonated for me.  He spoke of connecting the dots and how all of his experiences (good and bad) led him to where/who he was today.

Without dropping out of college; taking a calligraphy class; building the first Macintosh computer in his parent’s garage; getting fired from Apple – the company he had created; (more…)

Post written by Leo Babauta.

A father and his son went fishing on a small boat, hungry.

The father helped his son reel in his first fish, and it was a beauty. “Great catch, son,” the father said.

“Yes, but I’m worried I’m missing out on better fish,” the son said. “What if I could catch a bigger, tastier fish?”

“Maybe you should try,” the father said.

And the son did, catching an even bigger fish an hour later. “A real beaut,” the father said.

“But what if there are better fish out there?” the son asked.

“Maybe you should try,” the father said.

And the son did, catching a bigger fish, then wondering if there were better fish, catching another, and so on.

At the end of the day, the son was exhausted. The father asked, “How did the fish taste?”

The son hesitated. “I’m not sure. I was so busy looking for better fish that I didn’t taste any of them.”

The father smiled contentedly, patted his belly. “Don’t worry. They were delicious.”

—

We are all of us like the son. We all worry, at some time or other, that we’re missing out on things.

It’s why we’re so busy — we take on so much because we don’t want to miss out. We take on dozens of goals and aspirations, because we don’t want to miss out. (more…)