Honest Thoughts on Pricing

This past year, I’ve drastically changed the way I work due to chronic pain from arthritis in my neck and two bone spurs pressing on the rotator cuff in one of my shoulders. Throwing on the wheel, and the wedging required to prepare the clay, were contributing to that chronic pain. I tried elevating my wheel at various heights, tried standing while throwing, tried softer clay, all to no avail. So, I decided the time had come where it would be best for my health to switch to hand building methods. Though it felt daunting at first to change my entire body of work, embracing the need for change has opened up a world of possibilities and exploration of new forms. I’ve been having such fun making! What I’m finding now that I’ve had a chance to live into this new way of working is that each piece takes much longer to finish than when I was wheel throwing. Of course, this makes sense. The speed of an electric wheel yields faster results than coil building or slab construction.

Since things are taking longer to make, I’m not producing as much work as I was when I was throwing on the wheel. I also had a bit of a reality check at the Michiana Pottery Tour last weekend when I noticed that my work was priced much lower than that of my peers. I’ve recently assessed my financial earnings and have come to realize that I need to be asking more for my pots so I can make a living wage. I know this will mean that some of you may no longer be able to purchase my work. Though this is a difficult truth for me to accept, I need to factor my own needs into the equation (something I’ve been called to do in general in my life of late). This leads me to the subject of value. Me valuing the skill, time, and effort that goes into each piece I make; and you, as the customer valuing the qualities, both tangible and intangible, of hand-crafted pottery.

Take my mug as an example. The new price I will be charging is $65. Though at first, this may seem like a steep price, consider the cost of a meal in a nice restaurant. Just one meal for two people is often more than the cost of a mug. Even lunch for two people at Panera can come close to $30. Most of us won’t balk at the price tag on a pair of hand wrought earrings or other jewelry items. We tend to deem their value higher than that of handmade pottery (I’m sometimes guilty of this myself, and have made efforts to consciously self-correct).

I ask you to consider the value you actually place on a handmade mug. If it becomes a favorite, it’s something you might reach for every morning. It can serve as an object of comfort. One of my customers told me once that he doesn’t know what he’d do if he ever broke the mug he bought from me years ago. It’s actually something he worries about! A mug is an intimate object—held in our hand, coming into contact with our lips, delivering something delicious or even nourishing to our bodies. When a mug, or any piece of pottery, is thoughtfully made, it can open a conversation between maker and user, a conversation that can continue over time and through use. What a beautiful thing. What value do you place on that?

If you are still able to purchase one of my pieces, whether it be a mug or something else, know that every detail and stage of its making has been thoughtfully considered—each seem, coil, handle, and surface design tended to without rushing. My full care and attention has gone into each piece, and it’s these qualities I hope you will experience and come to value as you use my pots.