Pricing One's Work, Ceramics and Dazzle 2011

Brooch by Gill Galloway-Whitehead
Click for a larger image

This morning we had a lesson on how to price our work. It's really difficult, even though there is a formula... It seems as though I'll have to learn how to use spreadsheets (it's easy I'm told).

The formula includes working out the running costs of your business, dividing it by one's working hours. Then deciding on an hourly rate. You add your running costs, your hourly rate (times the number or hours it took to make the piece), materials, plus a percentage of profit. That works out as your wholesale price. To get your retail price, you multiply it by two...

After all that mind boggling stuff, I attended my first session at the ceramics workshop. I want to make my own pottery shards, and started work on some textured pieces. I'm still only getting to know the clay and what can be done with it, but it was great fun. I used my metal clay tools, for quite fine textures. Next week I get to use porcelain! Pictures will follow!

Lastly, I went to visit my friend who's working at the Dazzle exhibition in the National Theatre. Dazzle is... a jewellery exhibition, and all the work is for sale of course. Many of my favourite designers had work there, including Daphne Krinos, Marianne Anderson, Ruth Tomlinson and Grace Girvan, but this time I have a new favourite as well - Gill Galloway-Whitehead.

Links:
Dazzle London 2011
Daphne Krinos
Marianne Anderson
Ruth Tomlinson
Grace Girvan
Gill Galloway-Whitehead