The Pin Tool Podcast | Pottery | Ceramics | Small Business

S2E16: A Thanksgiving Christmas and Elijah’s Chair

A Creek Road Pottery LLC update and a holiday story:"The heavy-loaded train slowed its speed as it entered the little sleepy town of Laceyville, Pennsylvania. Its loud horn echoed across the river, through the corn fields, and over the mountainside as it entered the straits.Hobo Smoky tossed off his pack from a gently rocking sander car, then made the light jump and roll to the ground on the hard railroad gravel. The train cars clicked and squeaked by as Smoky brushed himself off and then walked back to find his pack."  ...read more here.If you enjoyed this story I wrote and love pottery, sign up for our newsletter and become a raging fan.

S2E15: What’s Your Hero’s Journey? - Selling Your Pottery

May you one day look out across the vast sea and have a glimpse of the smoke from the cooking fires rising from your homeland of your Ithaca. Or may you one day, after many wanderings and hardships, wake up on its shore surrounded by the many gifts you were given. But even on that shore, it’s fine to be suspicious and on guard.The Lectures Mentioned:The Odyssey of Homer by Elizabeth Vandiver, The Great Courses on Audible. Lecture 2.Books Mentioned: The Odyssey. by Homer. Robert Fagles translation.The Power of the Myth. By Joseph CampbellThe War of Art. By Stephen PressfieldTurning Pro. By Stephen Pressfield

S2E14: For Gere -The Potter and Robin Hood

While at the thrift shop I found the book ” The Ballad Book of John Jacob Niles” from 1961 and for $5.00. The book is a collection of old time folk ballads from the Appalachian mountains. Haunting and yet amazing. The stories and poetry in the music is amazing.The background and extensive notes to this rendition of the song can be found here.A Youtube version of a ballad on the topic can be heard here.
The importance of the Potter
It was amazing to see the potter show up in the songs as in the past pottery was a trade that was needed for making wear for everyday home life, commerce, and building. In James town, for example, kilns were made to fire out pottery and also for brick making. Pottery was imported at the time from Europe, but it was not enough to meet the demand. Four different kilns were found at the James town island. It was very enjoyable for me to realize the potter in these few folk songs that are quite long in story telling, violent, and dramatic. Creating is not only about making a thing, but also about reading and absorbing culture. There are many ways to tell a story and the mix of folk music and pottery was a fun study for me to do for a day. I hope you all enjoyed this! Have you ever heard any folk songs you enjoyed? If so let me know by commenting below!
Sources:
Pottery at Jamestown: https://www.nps.gov/jame/learn/historyculture/pottery-at-jamestown.htmVisit Gere's Blog Here!

S2E13: Thoughts On Design & Product Placement - Selling Your Pottery

In this episode, I talk about ways to underscore your style and set yourself apart from others in your own way by asking: "Who's it for?", "What's it for?", and "What change are you trying to make?".Books: The Practice: Shipping Creative Work. by Seth GodinAn example of intentional design and why. See The Florian Gadsby Mug Post Here.See my friend Angela and the details section of her cat bowls here.Say hello to my cousin Beth here.
 

S2E12: Thoughts On Design & Creating Prototypes - Creating Your Pottery

In my opinion, bad art might be forms and elements that communicate poorly. In this episode, I talk about taking the work from a design in your sketchbook to creating a clay prototype of your form. I discuss what bad art might be and a few topics concerning the many elements that might be included in a form you create. I then go into some of the philosophy about these design concepts. The podcast mentioned where Dennis Allen talks about his throwing stick.Clay At Our Core: A Pottery Podcast - Episode 59: Dennis Allen plays music, does woodworking, plays with clay.Potters, who create production work and create elements on their forms to make the production of forms be more efficient:Florian Gadsby Simon LeachBill van GilderAmy PalatnickBooks Mentioned:
A Potter's Book. by Bernard Leach
Basic Visual Concepts and Principles: For Artists, Architects and Designers. by Charles Wallschlaeger & Cynthia Snyder
Functional Pottery: Form and Aesthetic in Pots of Purpose. By Robin Hopper     Making Marks    The Ceramic Spectrum
Surface Decoration for Ceramics: A Creative Guide for the Contemporary Maker. By Claire Ireland 
 
 

S2E11: Thoughts On Design & Idea Generation - Creating Your Pottery

How do you generate ideas while creating art? In this episode, you help me kiln sit as I fire an updraft and chat about design. I discuss some ways ideas for work might happen and the sources we might draw from to generate elements in our art. A list of good books mentioned are in the show notes. “Furthermore, we have not even to risk the adventure alone; for the heroes of all time have gone before us; the labyrinth is thoroughly known; we have only to follow the thread of the hero-path. And where we had thought to find an abomination, we shall find a god; where we had thought to slay another, we shall slay ourselves; where we had thought to travel outward, we shall come to the center of our own existence; and where we had thought to be alone, we shall be with all the world.”― Joseph Campbell, The Hero With a Thousand FacesBooks by Joseph Campbell:The Power of MythThe Hero with a Thousand Faces
Historical Atlas of World Mythology Stephen Press Field:The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative BattlesSeth Godin:The Practice: Shipping Creative WorkCarl Jung:Man and His Symbols.
 
 
 

S2E10: Thoughts On Design & Function: Creating Your Pottery

In today's world, we do not need to wait to be picked due to social media and the internet. We can pick ourselves. Many of the standards that were once used by gatekeepers to define what a good pot was may no longer be relevant. Or are they? Design, function, and elements on a form, when used intentionally, can add interest and help communicate what you might be trying to say to the world. Can we use fate, luck, chance, or happy little mistakes as a good way to make art? Or is it an excuse for poor skills or failed craftsmanship? What tools of design can we use with intent when we create work?Books Mentioned:My Pottery Project Journal.
A Potter's Book. by Bernard Leach
Basic Visual Concepts and Principles: For Artists, Architects and Designers. by Charles Wallschlaeger & Cynthia Snyder
Functional Pottery: Form and Aesthetic in Pots of Purpose. By Robin HopperWarren Mackenzie: An American Potter. by David LewisThe Potter's Directory of Shape and Form. by Neal FrenchFeel free to like and subscribe!  Email me at creekroadpottery@gmail.com I would like to hear from you!  Happy Potting!Al Wayman
Artist/Ownerwww.creekroadpottery.com
 

S2E9A: Live Mug Throw Chat

S2E9: Manually Fire Your Pots - Firing Your Pottery

Many people leave it up to luck, fate, or "Kiln gods" when firing out work.  But once you get to know your kiln, you can use it to add a whole new layer of interest to your work by how you choose to fire it. Even when electric firing, using different firing schedules, holds, cooling techniques, and much more can make your pots more exciting to create and enjoy. So be brave, put some shelf cones in your kilns, and try a few things.  I talk slowly in the podcast to explain things clearly, but I might have done a lousy job. 
Slow Cooling By the Ceramic Arts Networkhttps://ceramicartsnetwork.org/daily/article/Super-Cool-Slow-Cooling-in-an-Electric-Kiln
Kiln firing for beginners:https://creekroadpottery.com/guide-for-manual-kiln-fire/
A Potter's Book by Bernard Leach
https://www.abebooks.com/book-search/isbn/9780571109739/used/
My Pottery Firings Journal by Al Wayman
https://www.amazon.com/My-Pottery-Firings-Alford-Wayman/dp/B0CDZ2D6ZQ/?
 

S2E8: Spending Time With Meaning - Creating Your Pottery

Many times we may feel anxiety about how we are spending our time. Either we feel we were not as productive as we would like to be or even when we are able to complete all the daily goals we gain anxiety by adding more things. In this episode I discuss some ideas from the book Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals. by Oliver Burkeman. Thanks for listening! Journals I was able to publish. I hope a few of you find them useful. My Pottery Projects. 
My Pottery Journal.