Ayumi Horie's Match Striker in Action Ayumi Horie

As we all know, creative marketing is key when you are trying to make a living selling handmade pottery, or any other handmade item for that matter. You can make beautiful work, but if you don't do anything to get eyes on it, it's not going to go anywhere. Not only does potter Ayumi Horie make absolutely wonderful work, she also has come up with some of the most clever, humorous, and just plain smart ways to build her fan base.

Ayumi returns to Ceramic Arts Daily today with an example of her marketing genius: a "match striker in action" video. No doubt inspired by her "pots in action" photos, which she collects from her fans and displays on her website, this video shows a plethora of ways a handmade item can fit into, and enhance the everyday. As usual, this video oozes with Ayumi's wit and great style so I thought it would make the perfect pick me up for a Monday. Enjoy!

P.S. You may remember Ayumi's previous video, which demonstrated her dry throwing process. If not, be sure to check it out in the archives right here. - Jennifer Poellot Harnetty, editor

In this project, I took the idea of "Pots in Action" and extended it from static to moving pictures. In the video, I let go of being candid in lieu of emphasizing the match striker in use and imagining a narrative that was unreal in parts. The act of making fire, or striking a match, never gets old and I wanted the repetition to be both the visual and auditory. The swiping motion of the hand and arm grew into the passing of the match striker from scene to scene and tied them together. The scenes progress through the day from morning to night, making the video a "day in the life of a match striker." - Ayumi Horie