The Pin Tool Podcast | Pottery | Ceramics | Small Business cover art

The Pin Tool Podcast | Pottery | Ceramics | Small Business

The Pin Tool Podcast | Pottery | Ceramics | Small Business

By: Alford Wayman
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About this listen

 A pottery podcast by artist /owner Al Wayman of Creek Road Pottery in Laceyville, Pennsylvania, next to the cold Tuscarora Creek. Pull up a chair around the wheel as we discuss topics concerning the art and craft of pottery, good books, storytelling, marketing, and creating work that matters for folks who care.Copyright 2022 All rights reserved. Art Economics
Episodes
  • S5E3: Managing Finances During Hard Times

    S5E3: Managing Finances During Hard Times
    Apr 30 2026
    In this episode, Alford Wayman talks honestly about financial pressure, debt, and what it actually takes to build a pottery business that is financially stable, not just creatively alive. What We Cover in This Episode The emotional truth first. There's a particular kind of shame that comes with being a maker who is also broke. You chose this. You chose clay over stability. And some days that feels like a mistake. Before we can talk about spreadsheets, we have to talk about that. Five practical things studio potters can do: 1. Know your numbers — all of them. What does your studio actually cost per month? What does each show earn — net, not gross? What does each pot actually cost to make, including your time? Most potters don't know these numbers. Once you know them, you can act. 2. Price for sustainability, not for approval. Your price is not a personality statement. It's math. Every time you undercharge, you are subsidizing your buyer's lifestyle with your own labor. That's not generosity. That's a slow leak. 3. Diversify your revenue. Shows alone are not enough. One bad weather day, one canceled event, and your month is gone. Online shop, workshops, commissions, writing, journals, podcast — each one is a leg of the table. You don't need all of them. You need enough that losing one doesn't collapse everything. 4. Treat debt like an emergency — because it is. High-interest debt is the enemy of creative freedom. Every dollar of interest is a dollar that didn't go toward clay, propane, or a kiln repair. Pay off the highest interest rate first. When it's gone, redirect that payment to the next one. Momentum is real. 5. Build a cushion — even a small one. A pottery business with no cash reserve is one bad kiln firing away from a crisis. Even $50 a month into a separate account builds something over time. The habit matters more than the amount at first. The Bigger Picture Financial stability isn't the opposite of creative freedom. It IS creative freedom. When you're not panicking about money, you make better work. The potters who last are the ones who figured out the business side without letting it eat the creative side. Hard times don't last. But the habits you build during hard times, tracking numbers, pricing correctly, diversifying revenue, eliminating debt, those do last. And they compound. Links mentioned in this episode: Creek Road Pottery shop: https://www.creekroadpottery.com/shop The Pottery Dailies (Substack): https://www.thepotterydailies.substack.comFounding member pricing for The Pottery Dailies closes May 27, 2026. $5/month or $50/year — locked in forever at that rate. My Pottery Firings: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CDZ2D6ZQMy Pottery Journal: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CDNMNRX7My Pottery Projects: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CD164HJK Pottery Cost Analysis Spreadsheet: A tool to add up costs per unit, including conversions and Profit First accounting/banking principles.Pottery Cost Analysis App: An application created to help potters identify the true costs behind every piece of work to ensure a profitable business.
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    34 mins
  • S5E2: Creating In Hard times

    S5E2: Creating In Hard times
    Mar 30 2026

    Hard times don't ask permission before they show up. In this episode, I'm talking honestly about what it means to keep making work when life is pressing in from every direction; when the bills are real, the struggles are personal, and the studio feels like the last place you have the energy to be. But it might also be the one place that saves you. I share a few practical tips for staying at the wheel when everything in you wants to walk away. This one is for the makers who are still showing up even when it's hard. Pull up a chair. I’m your host, Alford Wayman, and today, we're discussing creating work during hard times.

    The Pottery Dailies: https://creekroadpottery.com/the-pottery-dailies/ The Creek Road Pottery LLC Blog: https://creekroadpottery.com/blog/
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    33 mins
  • S5E1: Goal Setting For 2026

    S5E1: Goal Setting For 2026
    Feb 2 2026

    Welcome back to The Pin Tool Podcast, where we dive deep into the craft, philosophy, and business of making pottery that matters. I’m your host, Alford Wayman, and today, we're discussing direction setting and goals for 2026.

    The Pottery Dailies: https://creekroadpottery.com/the-pottery-dailies/ The Creek Road Pottery LLC Blog: https://creekroadpottery.com/blog/
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    25 mins
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