Streamlining
A Series on Self-Reliance in the Studio: Part 4
So far today, on my day off, the sun is shining, and it is supposed to warm up. I may relax a little as work at the big paper factory was quite exhausting. I was able to sleep in some, though here I am now writing the dailies. I decided to continue writing about overcoming times of hardship in the studio and give suggestions on how to save money, time, and effort while working on self-reliance, self-sufficiency, and sustainability. Once more, I would like to remind you all not to let the hardships rob you of your vision of the future and what it can be. The future is built day by day, and we can influence the outcome by the decisions we make and our attitudes towards them.
In this post, we will talk about streamlining your processes. This can take some time and a little testing to find what materials, techniques, and tools work best for you. Once you are able to find out what these things are, you can then use them in some consistent way to be more productive with less. For example, at my studio, I only have and use one clay body, I only use one base glaze, and oxides for color. In the base glaze, there are only three raw ingredients, with the oxide being the fourth. By having a simple recipe, I am able to mix it easily and quickly. I am also saving space by not having raw materials I am not using being stored. Also, I am not spending extra money buying large amounts of different raw materials.
Experiments get better when they’re focused. Instead of buying for six different glaze recipes just to see, I pick one, buy exactly what I need for that test, and follow through. Only after testing and being sure I am committed to a project will I then order larger quantities of materials. I also try to limit how many projects I have going on at the same time. It can get costly having many different projects going and then losing interest in a majority of them on which you already spent time, money, and effort but never finished.
So, at some point, look at your process and think of ways that you can simplify things to make your workspace more efficient, so you can eliminate loss as much as you can. Glazes and workshops do not need to be like shoes; you do not need one in every color. Just because there are sales and specials running, there is no need to overbuy things you may not use up in the near future. Far too much money is spent on buying things for a future that never comes.
If I were living yesterday a second time: Slept in one more hour. I need a coffee.
Things I am grateful for: One clay body that does everything I need. One base glaze that I can mix in my sleep.
Days remaining if I live to 86: 12,741
Originally published at Creek Road Pottery
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