Sales fatigue

Pull it together Gillies! You can do this……

Roughly four months of solid work gearing up for the holiday sales events have left me sleep deprived, undernourished, and swamped with pots needing homes. Somehow I planned it like this. I must be a genius! No, really……

Actually, my studio life is so out of balance at the end of a sales scenario like this that I usually end up questioning why I do it the way I do it. I spend a good few months making new pots, drying them, storing them, cramming them on every available surface, consolidating them, moving the dried ones out of the way for fresh ones, all of which I sort of like doing, and then another month and a half of nothing but firing and glazing, glazing and firing, in an unending seeming loop that by the end of it seems like a scene from my own nightmare version of a Potter’s Hell. Yech! I haven’t touched fresh clay with intent in way too long……

Add to that that this is the final weekend of my Holiday Sales Extravaganza and I’m seriously fatigued. I love seeing the folks who show up to claim pots for their own lives and others’, and I wouldn’t trade that for anything. Its just back to back to back events leaves me feeling like I’ve been left out in the sun too long. The only balm is that I get to see folks I don’t always cross paths with. I get to hang out, catch up, hear some stories, and maybe tell a few of my own. If I wasn’t actually selling pots it would be a good version of a Potter’s Jubilee.

But it is a sale, and I’m also busy getting the word out. And I don’t doubt that recipients of the email sale notifications are fatigued by the back to backness of it as well. Too much of even a good thing can have negative consequences….. The number of folks opening the email dropped by about 7% between the first and second sales, and a further 13% between the second and third sales. Which maybe makes sense because many folks have already made it out. But I do worry that I’m overloading inboxes and interest, and I don’t want to push things too far.

Which is why I made this my final sale email of the season:

Carter and Friends Holiday Potters Market Howdy all! This weekend will be the last of my 2014 pottery events. I apologize if the emails have been coming fast and furious. I’m just grateful for your support and generous understanding of how the message gets out. Some potters only have two sales a year, and that’s such a slim chance to make an entire year’s worth of income. I promise, no more emails until May of next year 🙂 So, this weekend I will be setting up again. This time I will be joined by the fabulous Farmington potters Geoff Pickett, Nancy Green, and Jeff Bishoff. They are all such talented artists, and between the four of us there will be plenty to choose from. The weather will be nice, so the pots should look really good in the sunshine and near 60 degree temps. It will definitely be much nicer than the chilly rain we had to suffer through last Saturday….. So come on out if you can! I’ll have the kids section as usual, and still have the majority of my pots left to find good homes. And if your shopping is done for this year, please still come on by and say “Hello”. One of the real treats of doing these events is seeing all the folks who care about what we do. There isn’t much support for the arts these days. There isn’t enough local shopping these days. But you guys are out there making it happen! Thanks so much for believing in what we do 🙂 And if I don’t get to see you, Have A Great Holiday Season! All the best! Carter Saturday Dec 13th & Sunday Dec 14th 10 am to 4pm 572 Nantahala ave Athens Ga Work by Nancy GreenWork by Geoff PickettWork By Jeff Bishoff