Creative Idea Helps a Potter Get Through School and Start a Ceramic Business A Strategy for Paying for Art School Helps Pottery Business Succeed Sarah Wolf

Supporting oneself as an artist is not exactly easy. In fact, ceramic artists are the hardest working people I know. It takes a whole lot of motivation and sacrifice to get a ceramic business off the ground. Clever marketing strategies don’t hurt either!

If you’ve been brainstorming ceramic business ideas or have been looking for advice on how to start a ceramic business, today’s post is for you. In this excerpt from the Pottery Making Illustrated archive, Sarah Wolf explains how a great marketing idea, similar to a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture, sometimes called a farm share), helped her get through school and remains an important part of her ceramic business. – Jennifer Poellot Harnetty, editor

PS. Check out this post from the archive for more great advice on starting a pottery business.

I started the Mug Club about a year and a half ago to raise money for my art-school tuition and it rapidly evolved into a key foundation of my budding ceramics business. Besides providing periodic revenue, the Mug Club cultivates one of the most valuable things a business could ask for: ongoing connections with my customers. For over a year now, the Mug Club has been perpetually sold out with a cap of 50 members, though I am gradually opening more spaces.

How It Works

The Mug Club is like a wine club or CSA (community supported agriculture). Members pay upfront for a year’s subscription, which buys four mugs (or four pairs of mugs) to be received over the course of the subsequent year. I make and distribute Mug Club mugs each March, June, September, and December, and each season brings a new mug design.

It’s a Win-Win

Beyond building a base of loyal customers and a sense of community around my business, the Mug Club is simply fun. It’s fun for me because I get to create new designs, knowing that I’ve already sold them, and then practice putting them into production. This has helped me grow as a potter and a designer. The Mug Club is fun for its members because they get the surprise of receiving a new and different mug each season, along with the satisfaction of supporting a small business.