[Clayart] ego vs promotion/long

[Vince Pitelka]

Correction - Mel did not start Clayart.  He took it over when Joe and Mary Molinaro and Richard Burkett backed out of it, but Mel is certainly to be thanked for keeping it going for many years.  
- Vince

Vince Pitelka, 
Professor Emeritus, Appalachian Center for Craft, 
School of Art, Craft & Design, Tennessee Tech University, 
Now residing Chapel Hill, NC 27516, 
vpitelka at dtccom.net, 
www.vincepitelka.com

-----Original Message-----
From: Clayart [mailto:clayart-bounces at lists.clayartworld.com] On Behalf Of Ann B. Potter
Sent: Thursday, September 26, 2019 1:30 PM
To: Clayart international pottery discussion forum <clayart at lists.clayartworld.com>
Subject: Re: [Clayart] ego vs promotion/long

Mel,

Your post gave me more hope and a clearer plan then anything I ever heard in a class or read in a book. Thank you so much for starting clayart and keeping it going you are wonderful.

Ann

On Tue, Sep 24, 2019 at 5:29 PM mel jacobson <melpots at mail.com> wrote:

> as a working potter, artist, whatever, you are the only one in most 
> cases to promote your work.  it is essential.
> how you do it, says everything about you.
>
> neighbors and friends help at times, and of course relatives...but in 
> the long run, it is up to you.
>
> if you are doing honest promotion, say....speaking about pottery at a 
> flower club, or local city hall class...it is worth a great deal.  i 
> have done plenty of them.  you have a very open audience. captured.  i 
> usually give away a nice vase as a gift.  they all write down 
> melpots.com
>
> i give a very nice platter every year for the empty bowls auction.
> they love it.  and lots of people see that platter...`oh, that is mel, 
> he used to teach at the high school...nice, he is still working...we 
> should go out and see him.  they do, they buy a $100 worth.
>
> i have worked with the empty bowls folks and i make a series of very 
> nice pots that we give to the huge donors...like $25,000 worth of bread.
> they get a lovely tea pot.  what do you give rich people...a toaster?
> no, a nice piece of hand made craft. we all win.
>
> so much about promotion is public interest stuff. low key...volunteer 
> sort of thing.  it works like a miracle.  you sell yourself as an 
> honest hard working potter, crafts-person.  made in minnesota, by hand.
>
> just this past year i talked to a senior cabin attendant on a delta flight.
> it turns out she lives near me...and building a house.  guess 
> what?...she has purchased about $400 in pots and now wants a big 7 
> foot painting. nice.
> (i gave her my email on a scrap of paper...she wrote. nice)
>
> of course many of you have heard my story about the 50 mile circle.
> i live within a circle of over a million people...some should want my pots.
> i work only that circle...folks in chicago do not buy from me.  i 
> collect every address i can get my hands on. tear off that upper 
> address on an old check..and keep track of every sale. get the 
> address. build a data base. work it hard.
> it works.  of course this is real business.  not romantic thoughts 
> that i will be discovered. i want to be discovered by one potential 
> customer at a time.
>
> i sell at home. it works.  i send out about 800 post cards for every sale.
> first class. black and white, simple instructions, when, where, what. 
> big mj logo on both sides.  keep the data base clean. they just show 
> up and clean me out. they love my home and studio.  they want a piece 
> of me. i give it up freely.  i complete orders. i run a small 
> business.
> anyone can do it.  you just have to try.
> mel
>
> website: www.melpots.com
>
>
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