Update on Lil Heads...

So my theory seems to be working.  This past weekend I had a whole bunch of lil heads in my booth.  I believe my final numbers were 13 lil heads sold vs 3 big heads sold.  My new magnets didn't generate much buzz, but I think once I re-arrange my booth and get them more present they should catch some more eyes.  Also hard at work on beads and pendents.  I'm determined to get a piece of that jewelry pie, guys.

Update on wind chimes:  Almost there.  Lot's of setbacks with this project, but once I finally get it figured out it should be successful.

Update on masks:  I believe this weekend I'll have a few wearable masks in my booth.  This is a project I'm very excited about it, and if I log enough hours and get more familiar with the materials and whatnot, this thing could be my go-to item.  My goal is to offer them in my booth for Halloween season and see what kind of response I get.  If it's a favorable respose then I would spend 6 weeks in New Orleans this winter selling them on the streets, then start up the new season at Saturday Market.  While in New Orleans my goal would be to sell masks, establish a pipeline with a shop or two that would carry my masks, and hopefully find a place that would want to show and sell my ceramic art.  I doubt any of this will happen.  However, I am getting a smidge better at reaching goals these days.


paulsen

Lil Heads...

My plan for this week was to make as many small heads as I could.  So far I've made 17.  I'd like to have 30 ready to put in the kiln by friday.  Pretty sure I can reach that goal.  I've also made a bunch more magnets, and in a different style than before.  For this new magnet series I'm using my colored slips and I'm drawing/carving on the clay to create the flowers.  I'm hoping to expand it to stuff other than flowers.  Today I'm going to attempt to make a little magnet picture of Mt Hood, as well as one that features the state outline of Oregon.  Yes, I'm making touristy things.  Fuck off.  I'm trying to operate a successful business here.  I figure I can sell out up to 25% and still maintain my dignity.  I haven't yet turned my heads into key holders, so back off.

paulsen

Television Update...

I figure since I claim to be a fan of television in my blog header I should devote a blog to it.  Here's what I've been watching lately, and what I'm looking forward to...

Currently Watching:

Curb --     I love this show so much that I'm willing to publicly out myself as a douche and call it "Curb".  This season has been excellent.  Larry is totally divorced from Cheryl and it seems to have unleashed a fierce comedic creativity into the show.  The latest episode, which was shot in NYC, was great.  Seeing Larry and Jeff drive around in a old Volvo with a periscope was awesome.  And I laughed out loud (lol) last week when Leon showed up in Larry's hotel room, threw open the drapes, and asked "What's up New York?!!!"  I also find it refreshing that there seems to be no ongoing theme, unless you count going to NY as a theme.  Sad there's only two eps left, guys.

Breaking Bad--       I won't say much because this is one of those shows everyone will catch up on at some point.  This season seems to be better than the previous three for some reason.  It seems like they're going all out with the camera angles, lack of dialogue, mood, tension, suspense, all that shit.  Can't wait to see where it's heading.  Each week makes me more nervous about where it's going.

The Glades---     This show isn't the greatest, but it involves a detective solving a murder every week and I like that stuff.  And it's set and filmed in South Florida, which I appreciate.  I have a crush on the lead actress on this show.  She played Bullock's girlfriend in The Perfect Getaway.  Each week the murder is pretty well crafted and it's fun to try and figure out whodunnit.

Entourage---     I hate this show, yet I've seen every episode.  So glad it's almost over and I can be done with these assholes forever.  Or, at least, until they make a movie.  Dice Clay has been involved in the storyline this season.  I can't stand him.  I hate this show, yet I can't quit it.  The only thing that will save this show, in my opinion, is if Sloan whips out those funbags.  Nips and all.  Preferably while wearing pegged blue jeans and high heels.

That's about it, I think.  Not much on right now.  However, a new tv season is around the corner and it's full of watchable stuff...

Parks and Recreation
The Office
Community
Criminal Minds
Bored to Death
Mad Men
Boardwalk Empire
Modern Family
Monday Night Football
Sons of Anarchy
Parenthood
The Good Wife


Those are just the returning shows.  There's also a whole slew of new stuff that I'll be trying out once they premiere.  Until then...


paulsen

New new plan...

Now I'm thinking it might behoove me to offer some heads at a more affordable price.  I've noticed that I always sell the smaller heads, so I'm planning on making a whole bunch of smaller sized heads.  I'm thinking I'll have some that are $20, as well as continuing to offer some heads in the $30-40 range.  So far this week I've made 13 small heads.  Hopefully I'll have them in my booth this weekend and can test my new new business plan.  That being said, I still plan on offering more non-head items.  First though, I want to build up inventory on the small heads.

New Plan...

Saturday Market has been kicking my ass lately.  Rather than fight it and continue to have spotty sales, I've decided to alter my business plan.  The new plan is to decrease focus on the heads, while increasing focus on more accessible items.  I'll be making a strong push towards garden art (wind chimes, bird feeders, things like that).  Also will be focusing more on the colorful bowls.   Making some bigger, making some more suitable for food, etc.  Plan is to still keep heads in the booth, but less heads.  I'll probably have one rack of small heads, one rack of big heads, and one rack of medium heads.  I'm hoping to have all this sorted out by the end of August.  I should add though, that I'm planning on getting my heads into galleries.  I think that's where they belong.  The Johnson family that's visiting from Ohio doesn't give a shit about my heads.  And I'm tired of families making goofy ass comments about my art.  So, that's an update on where my head is at when it comes to my booth.  Now I have to get busy making wind chimes.

Defeated,

paulsen

Internet...

I've been logging quite a few hours lately trying to establish an internet identity.  I'm finding the whole thing to be a bit confusing.  I've reached this conclusion:  I need a proper website that has links to my blog, etsy, facebook, twitter, and email.  I thought I could accomplish this by just using a blog, but that doesn't seem to be happening.  Shit, I'll probably have to open a flickr account too.  Bear with me, guys.  Soon enough the internet version of myself will be organized and confident.  Until then....

paulsen

One Year...

I just realized that I've been blogging here at paulsenland for nearly one year.  I promise to not have so many vacant months in my blog calendar this year.

Here's one of the other heads I sold last week at the market.  This was a companion piece to the one I regrettably sold to the kid from Vancouver, BC.  This one was purchased by someone from Olympia, I think...

It was encouraging that I sold both of those heads in the same weekend.  Here's what was learned from those two selling:

1.  I need to make more heads like this, which I did.  Made three of them yesterday.

2.  They sold for an average of $105.  Good to know I can get away with charging that much for a single head.


Happy Anniversary,

paulsen

Ceramic Fish...

Last week I ventured out of my comfort zone and decided to come up with a new product for my booth.  I wanted to make something that i thought would appeal to some of the folks that are turned off by my heads (which is plenty, btw).  I thought, "I'm in the NW, lots of fish, people buy fish trinkets, maybe I should make some ceramic fish."  So I made some fish.  They're not as crazy as my heads, but they still bear my unique markings.  Not sure how they'll do at the market.  I suppose I'll find out this weekend when I unveil them for the first time.  Here's a sneak peek...

A reminder:  season premiere of Men of a Certain Age is tonight.


Love That Show,

paulsen

Blogging...

I'm planning on trying to blog more often.  I feel like my twitter account has rendered blogging useless, which is a shame because I used to love blogging back in the myspace days.  So, in an effort to not let my writing "skills" further atrophy, I will be making a conscious effort to blog more.  Look at that.  Atrophy, man.  I can't figure out where the damn commas go.  How the hell am I supposed to fix that?  I can fix a misspelled word, but a comma?  That's going to require a lot of legwork on my own.  Ugghh.

Here's a picture of my favorite piece.  I sold it for a hundred bucks last weekend at Portland Saturday Market.  I felt horrible afterwards because I wanted to keep it for my own collection, but the kid who bought it really wanted it.  It was the first time he had ever bought a piece of art.  And he lives in Vancouver, BC, which is kind of cool.  That city is on my bucket list.

I remember now why I stopped blogging.  It just took four minutes to retrieve that photo.  #needtofixmycomputer

Dang it, this isn't twitter.  Stop hashtagging.


Blogging,

paulsen

flower magnets...

Last week I made a bunch of little flowers.  I intend to turn these into little ceramic flower magnets (LCFM).  These will be my low priced items once I set up shop at the Saturday Market.  Not sure how they will be received.  I know a couple of my former co-workers seemed to like them.  It would be nice if I could cover my booth fee every week with LCFM sales.  If my math is correct I'd need to sell about nine LCFMs each week to accomplish that.  That doesn't sound too outrageous.  Here's a team photo...

mini birds...

I've been making some mini birds lately.  I call them brokaws, but it's becoming a pain in the ass to explain what a brokaw is every time I list one for sale or whatnot.  So I'll just dumb it down for now and call it a mini bird.  Look for a detailed web log post regarding brokaws in the near future.  In the mean time here's some mini birds.  They're about three or four inches in height.  Again, mini birds....

WTF...

WTF is going on here...

WTF...

WTF is going on here...

WTF...

WTF is going on here?

Tales of the Unemployed...

I've spent the last six weeks or so being unemployed.  Overall it's been kind of boring.  I miss interacting with human beings, even if I generally don't care for them too much.  My laughs per day (LPD) have dropped significantly since my layoff.  However, being unemployed has allowed me some time to explore other life options.  One of those options has been manscaping.  I finally have the time to sculpt my body hair in ways I could only imagine while I was employed.  Last week I realized a dream I've held for nearly 20 years when I sculpted the timeless "man in the maze" Native American design into my pubic hair.  It took me four and a half hours to complete, which is weird because I've never spent more than an hour on any of my ceramic sculptures.  I was quite pleased with the results.  So pleased I photographed my work in an effort to archive one of my greatest works.  In the interest of decency, I will not post the pictures here on my blog.  Just know that I was very pleased with my work.  Another life option I've been exploring is physical fitness via a gymnasium membership.  I've been easing into this life option, mostly just using the treadmill and stairmaster.  After two weeks of just focusing on those activities I graduated to using the body shaping machines, focusing mostly on my arms.  I've never been confident with the toning on my arms.  I started feeling so good about myself that last week I decided I would swim laps in the pool.  I even purchased some swimming goggles.  After a light workout on the treadmill I ventured into the locker room to change into my swim trunks.  I should note that I don't have a whole lot of locker room experience.  It's a place I've tried to avoid my whole life.  I decided I would avoid all eye contact and get out of there ASAP (as soon as possible).  I found a locker stall, got my swim trunks out, then disrobed.  It was at this moment that some guy walked into the locker room and stopped in his tracks.  He was standing ten feet in front of me.  I was topless, my gym shorts around my ankles, and too startled to grab a towel to cover myself.  The man then made eye contact with me, smiled, and pointed at my private parts.  He asked me, "Hey man, are you Yavapai?  I'm Pasqua Yaqui."

Books...

My mom informed me that she just finished reading her latest book.  It was called 'Sins and Needles'.  The book she read last week was called 'Sticks and Scones'.  My mom is a huge fan of pun literature.

Dave...

This is just a test to see if you are actually reading my web log.  You gave me sh*t for not posting enough, yet I can't even tell if you are reading this ridiculous area of the web.  I'll say this this...your family policy on no one wearing shoes in the house is going to cause an accident.  All it's gong to take is a guest to reenact Billie Jean and there's going to be a fall.  Your floors are too clean,  Scuff em up, bra.

Scuff,

paulsen

Cashier Tales...

The day after Christmas I went to the gas station to purchase gasoline and a fountain drink.  When I approached the cashier the guy said to me, "How you doing, man?"  I said, "I'm doing all right.  How 'bout you?"  The cashier then says, "Oh, I'm doing good except I punctured my hand yesterday trying to open up a Christmas gift."  I offer up to the cashier a folksy "I hope it was a good gift".  The cashier lit up as he said, "Oh, it was!  I'm a huge Indianapolis Colts fan and my girlfriend got me some Colts floormats for my truck."

New Plowl...

I've been making a bunch of platter/shallow bowls/plates.  I'm not sure what I should call them.  For now I'm calling them plowls.  Here's an example of one of the first ones I made.  I think Erica in Customer Service bought this one.