I'm trying to get myself geared up for my 2 up-coming shows, and I must admit that it's hard to think about Christmas and holidays with this kind of weather. We are probably due in for a bunch of rain soon, but in the meantime, it's been lovely during the days, colder at night, with only a hint of frost. The apples are starting to turn sweet, and we are going to have to get a hold of some more soon.
I always find that fall feels like a good time to hash out new designs and ideas that have been stirring while all the other production has been going on. Although this year my designs are getting more complicated and less efficient in the glazing department. Glazing a kiln-load of work is taking me a whole week, when it used to take about 3 days, partly because I'm working through design ideas, but also because my process is just that- slow. This does not bode well for me when it comes to wholesale orders. I feel the pressure of needing to get the work out faster and smarter, and even cheaper. It's an interesting thing to think through- how much wholesale (ie double the amount of work) can my business sustain. I'm sure there are some good formulas out there for how much direct sales/wholesale/e-sales is a good mix- it would be interesting to know what that should look like. I guess finding the 'perfect formula' is somewhat subjective, but it would be at least nice to know.
