mel jacobson on thu 5 nov 09
you must develop a standard line...like:
`oh, that is easy, just use elmer's glue and duct tape.
do both sides and squeeze together, then duct tape til dry. easy`
or, like i tell high school kids.
`no adult will every talk to you, or listen, so
when they say.."how is high school and where are you going to college?"
say this:
`i have a 3.8 gpa, and i am going to `northwestern university` and
will major in communications`.
they will just say...`wonderful`.
have a story ready. keeps the blabber down.
and like when you are on an airplane and your seat mate
says...`and what do you do?`
i say, ` i am a world renowned artist and i am traveling to
spain to get a gold medal.` or some such thing...sometimes
i am an orthopedic surgeon. makes for great discussion.
the other great `rockford` line is...at the airplane boarding
area. i say. `minneapolis art institute, i have valuable items
here, so can i board early?` they help you get settled.
never said i worked there...just said `art institute, minneapolis, and
my stuff is valued. and it is. i love it when they put blankets around
my carry on.
life is fun if you make it fun.
and, it hurts no one.
mel
from: minnetonka, mn
website: http://www.visi.com/~melpots/
clayart link: http://www.visi.com/~melpots/clayart.html
new book: http://www.21stcenturykilns.com
John Post on thu 5 nov 09
As an art teacher, I always have parents and business owners think it
would be fun for me to make signs for their businesses and charity
events etc., because you know... 'art is fun'
I have a friend who is a self employed painter, sculptor, etc. He
takes commissions. I just give them Dave Bollman's number and tell
them that he is awesome. He has actually made some great signs for
businesses, got some public sculpture commissions in the city etc.
That's my standard ready line, call Dave.
Naturally, they never call him, they wanted me to do it for free
because 'it's fun.'
I'm glad I have such caring acquaintances, I could never think of
anything creative for me to do in my studio without their little
projects.
John Post
Sterling Heights, Michigan
:: cone 6 glaze website :: http://www.johnpost.us
:: elementary art website :: http://www.wemakeart.org
James Freeman on fri 6 nov 09
A neighbor purchased four tourist-grade dragon tiles on a trip to China.
She asked me if I could make her enough matching tiles to do the backsplash
in her kitchen, explaining that it would have been too expensive to buy
enough real Chinese tiles to do the entire job. I explained to her that
even if I could duplicate them, they would cost at least five times what sh=
e
paid for hers. She could not understand why "homemade" tiles wouldn't be
way cheaper than "real" Chinese tiles.
I also had someone ask me to make her a 4 foot long ceramic Hershey Bar,
because she wanted something big, quirky, and inexpensive to put above her
kitchen cabinets. Same puzzled look when I explained that it's just not
what I do, and that even if I did, it would probably cost her about $500.
On the furniture side, I had a young couple ask me to make them a book case
because the ones they liked were too expensive in the stores, and that they
would rather have something made by someone they know. Again total shock
when I explained that I could not even buy the raw lumber for what the
stores charge for the entire imported bookcase.
I am afraid that there is a very real perception out there that our homemad=
e
stuff should be cheaper than the "real" stuff in stores.
All the best.
...James
James Freeman
"All I say is by way of discourse, and nothing by way of advice. I should
not speak so boldly if it were my due to be believed."
-Michel de Montaigne
http://www.jamesfreemanstudio.com
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamesfreemanstudio/
http://www.jamesfreemanstudio.com/clayart/
On Thu, Nov 5, 2009 at 5:57 PM, John Post wrote=
:
> As an art teacher, I always have parents and business owners think it
> would be fun for me to make signs for their businesses and charity
> events etc., because you know... 'art is fun'
>
>
Chaeli Sullivan on fri 6 nov 09
Great post Mel !!!=3DA0 I love your sense of humor !!!
Chae
--- On Thu, 11/5/09, mel jacobson wrote:
From: mel jacobson
Subject: fix'n clay stuff for others
To: Clayart@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
Date: Thursday, November 5, 2009, 2:31 PM
you must develop a standard line...like:
`oh, that is easy, just use elmer's glue and duct tape.
do both sides and squeeze together, then duct tape til dry. easy`
or, like i tell high school kids.
`no adult will every talk to you, or listen, so
when they say.."how is high school and where are you going to college?"
say this:
`i have a 3.8 gpa, and i am going to `northwestern university` and
will major in communications`.
they will just say...`wonderful`.
have a story ready.=3DA0 keeps the blabber down.
=3DA0 and like when you are on an airplane and your seat mate
says...`and what do you do?`
i say, ` i am a world renowned artist and i am traveling to
spain to get a gold medal.`=3DA0 or some such thing...sometimes
i am an orthopedic surgeon.=3DA0 makes for great discussion.
the other great `rockford` line is...at the airplane boarding
area.=3DA0 i say.=3DA0 `minneapolis art institute, i have valuable items
here, so can i board early?`=3DA0 they help you get settled.
never said i worked there...just said `art institute, minneapolis, and
my stuff is valued.=3DA0 and it is.=3DA0 i love it when they put blankets a=
roun=3D
d
my carry on.
life is fun if you make it fun.
and, it hurts no one.
mel
from: minnetonka, mn
website: http://www.visi.com/~melpots/
clayart link:=3DA0 http://www.visi.com/~melpots/clayart.html
new book: http://www.21stcenturykilns.com
=3D0A=3D0A=3D0A
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