Jennifer Allen Shares her Insights on Making a Living as A Potter Jennifer Allen

Being a potter is a romantic profession - what could be better than making beautiful things with your hands and getting paid for it? But as anyone who has embarked on being a potter as a career will tell you, it's HARD work. And a lot of it

In today's post, potter Jennifer Allen talks about the trajectory of her career and shares advice for anyone doing this labor of love. - Jennifer Poellot Harnetty, editor.

That first year outside of academia was the toughest. I'd been tossed into the real world and somehow had to find my footing. By my second year at the Bray, sales picked up, and I formed relationships with many galleries. However, I still needed to work part-time in order to make ends meet.

Last year, I moved to Morgantown, West Virginia, bought a small house with my husband and am in the process of establishing myself as a studio potter in the community. Now I sell work in galleries and out of my studio. In this age of globalization, it's also important to promote and sell work online. This becomes a tricky task. The Internet plays a major role in growing one's market by making the work accessible to a limitless audience. However, the tactile exchange between object and user is impossible to simulate online. I make physical objects, not images of objects. In the future, I will add both regional craft fairs and internet sales to my retail galleries and studio events. This way, I will have an image presence online and an object presence in my community.

As studio artists, our jobs become much more complicated than just making pots in the studio. We become managers, bookkeepers, advertisers, shippers, technicians, bricklayers, electricians, plumbers, educators, etc. This type of lifestyle has the potential to wear on people; therefore, it is our responsibility to remind ourselves to take a break every now and then. Like most potters, I work in my studio seven days a week. In order to recharge, I need to spend time outside of my studio. This may mean visiting museums in the region, attending conferences, lectures and workshops, or chatting with fellow potters. It is also important for me to experience the local landscape, as it has tremendous influence on my work. The best way for me to do this is to go on long walks.

My husband and I recently welcomed our first child.  Since she arrived, it's been a challenge juggling parenthood, studio time and teaching.  Needless to say, my priorities have changed a bit.  But I am very lucky to have a supportive husband who will let me sneak down to the studio for a few hours here and there.  Since I have less studio time, I find that I am able to spend my time more efficiently.  I also find that I want to experiment a lot more (with forms, glaze combos, pattern designs, etc).  Since I started this new chapter in my life, I feel like it's time for my work to do the same.

When I worked in a pottery in Alaska, I started by wedging clay, mopping the floor and hauling water. This combination of tasks really took a toll on my body and I exhausted both wrists pretty quickly. Now, I buy my porcelain from a local clay manufacturer. My time is precious, and if I can spend added time painting stripes on a pitcher rather than mixing and wedging clay, pre-mixed clay is worth every penny.

Health and health insurance are major concerns for potters. Health insurance is extremely expensive, but due to the physical demands on our bodies and the environmental risks involved with our profession, it is a necessity. I am fortunate to have a husband who has health insurance. In fact, we got married one year before our wedding so I could be added to his policy.

Last year, I developed extreme pain in my lower back from overextending unfit muscles. Since then, I have become very conscious of improving my overall health. I work out in a gym five days a week doing a combination of cardiovascular training, strengthening, stretching and core exercises. I also meet with a nutritionist once every three months in order to address dietary needs. I look at my gym's monthly membership as an investment in preventative health care. After all, I am investing in my biggest asset, myself.

For those who are considering studio pottery as a profession: Read as much as you can, but don't forget to read for pure enjoyment as well as for research. Go to museums, gallery openings, conferences, workshops, lectures, craft fairs, farmers' markets and meet people who share similar interests. Live with the pots you make and live with the pots of others. Befriend a web-designer and digital photographer or choose to tackle the tasks yourself.

Remember to leave your comfort zone and experience things on your own (it's much easier to approach others and network this way). Find a balance between work and play. Establish yourself locally, but think and promote globally. Don't stand on the outside and stick one toe in, but rather jump on in, and let your whole self be a part of this madness!