I have been getting ready for my show in Jackson, MS. on Novemeber 30th.

 I love doing this show because it’s so personal. I love connecting to people that buy my work and to hear feedback in an environment such as this is pretty priceless to me.

it’s hard to know where i belong in the world of galleries and shops right now as i don’t have a lot of time to pursue those avenues because of full time momhood. I have found that the Home Show avenue is presently the best for connecting to people that are purchasing my work. These are real people that have a desire to buy handmade objects and in talking with them i gain so much.

so, here i come Jackson! If you are in the area, Please Stop By!

Annie Singletary Ceramics

Holiday Show 

handmade functional and decorative ceramics 

unique gifts for those special people 

 location: 850 Avondale 

                        Jackson, Ms. 39216 

date: November 30, 2011 

time: 10:00am-6:00pm 

I was reflecting recently on things i’ve learned in my past as a potter. Val Cushing told me one of the most valuable pieces of information i have ever received, and what’s funny about it is that my own husband tells me the same thing all the time.

Focus.

Whatever you do to your pots, do it deliberately. Make conscience decisions through every step of your process.

i had forgotten this. my work seemed to be lacking in so many ways and yet i was just happy i was still working through having babies. but now that i’m able to work for a longer period of time with naps and such I had to have a very honest conversation with myself. did i like my work? and painfully, the answer was no.

so, about 2 months ago. i changed some things. actually, went back to what i like about my work before babies. Don’t get me wrong, i learned a lot the past few years of making mediocre pots and technically speaking, got a lot better. I decided to focus really.

So, out of all that work and struggling to find who i was now as a potter i feel like it’s just beginning. good questions i asked myself were:

who am i making work for? my answer: a combination of myself, customers and respectful work in my field

what are 3 important aspects i want in my pots? my answer: function, softness, and surface dimension

Where do my pots fit? my answer: ultimately peoples homes, but how i will get them there?

so i ask you, how do you sell? how did you go about finding the right niche for your work? once you got your pots where you wanted them where did you take them, or did you wait to be found?

thanks.

I have a “to do” list as long as the longest word……know that that is? It’s

letters in this word. It is the chemical name of titin (the largest known protein).

This pretty much sums up what life has been like since having my second child. One distraction after another.  I will get in the studio during a nap only to hear a cry coming from little Jack (now 15 weeks old) and when i fix him i stop by the computer to check on something, then next thing you know i’m looking up the longest word in the world. Wow!….and facebook, we won’t even start with my uncanny sense of wonder into other peoples lives.

The last body of work i did was for the christmas season and i raced to get that done. Some little oval vases I did came out just right. I was tired of having all the old element wire from my kiln around and so I decided to use it for these little guys. I broke it into small curves (being very brittle it’s all i could do). Reusing items around the house and studio for different purposes give me great joy.

working on filling my etsy shop back up……yet another “to do”. Excited to have some pots to post on there! Another “to do” is change some major aspects of my website.

Working on my list but knowing all the while that even if i don’t get one thing done on my list in the day, everyone in my house is rested, fed and clothed…..and maybe just maybe i learned a new word!

Jackson McClure Singletary

born Sept. 27, 2010

Jack is here, we have 2 children now. Trying to figure out how to get back in the studio is a little daunting at this point. I’m attempting to let myself enjoy this time with baby Jack, probably the last time i will have an infant. There is a time and season for everything under the sun. As i look out at the leaves changing i am reminded of this. Enjoy every moment for what it is.

So, I am sketching a  lot. Ready to get back in there and work. I feel like i’m storing up to work hard when i can get back to it. I’m reading books about the chemical aspects so i can perfect some glazes i’ve been working with. Looking at all kinds of beauty and looking in my childrens faces is inspiration in itself.

I’ve been thinking about childhood a lot. How fast it goes by and the fleeting memories that are like ghosts. Sometimes when i’m trying to remember a time from my childhood my head begins to ache from the lack of clarity. Why does the past seem so ghostly? Why do our memories not serve us well? Objects hold those memories within themselves. When i hold a mug from a good friend a flood of the past comes rushing back.

 That is what i love about functional pieces, the beauty of being able to create something that makes ghosts turn into real time, real people, clear visions of the past. They are grounding.

In my house are my grandmothers glass door canning shelves. I remember her spending hours a day preparing the cucumbers, tomatoes, ocra and other vegetables from her garden and putting them in jars. I remember this now bookshelf filled with her jars and cookbooks. I remember where it was in her house and hearing the doors lift and slide back while she got a jar out. It’s a vivid memory. The power of an object is inspiring.

This same grandmother is who Jack is named after, his middle name McClure is for her memory, i loved her. I hope to tell him of this cabinet one day. Maybe he will have it in his home and be able to tell others of her.

What are your cherished objects that bring back vivid memories?

I have to admit when i took on this summer project of making 375 mugs, i had my fears of being miserable. But the money was going to be good and we have a baby coming in october.

[View with PicLens]

Well, it ended up being exactly what i needed. the repetition was the greatest excersize for me in discipline and perfecting my handles and form. when i worked for a production potter in college i was in a different place and in art school, which drove me to want to be innovative and creative. i think about how i dreaded making the same thing over and over and all the various conversations i would have with other artists about this topic. there is a time and a season for everything i guess.

in the end i am so grateful to have been given this oppurtunity to make the gifts for the staff  of these 4 marvelous camps, Ridgecrest, Crestridge, Merri-Mac and Timberlake.

7 weeks left until baby Jack comes. I’m busy making the last round of work for a while, which will go to Pottery 101 in Salisbury,nc and Morning Sky Gallery which is a great shop here in Black Mountain, they have been so kind and done really well with my work. i’m really excited about some satin matte glazes i’m bringing back into my mix. i’ve always loved the satin surface and how it accentuates the softness of my pots.

I’ve also wanted to update my etsy site for a while now, hopefully i will get to that too. so much to do, having a baby is a little daunting of a task when you are not sure how much work you will get done or want to get done. i like to give myself the freedom to not work for a while, i think this is healthy because i always end up craving being in the studio. so here’s to cravings!!!