Category: World Record

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Why It’s Not Enough To Do What You Love

You also have to love what you do.

Flipping the slogan of “Do what you love” to “Love what you do” changes how we spend our time. Instead of dreaming grandiose thoughts of succeeding at our passion, we can love what’s right here in front of us– even if we’re struggling with something that’s not so glamorous.

“‘Do what you love‘ is in the future. ‘Love what you do‘ is right now.”

– Paul Buchheit

You’ve probably never heard of Paul Buchheit, but his work helps millions of people everyday. He invented Gmail.

Paul worked at Google and helped build it from the ground up, back when Google was tiny– less than 30 people.

Why do some companies stay small, while some grow to mammoth scales like Google? Is it just luck? Being in the right place at the right time? Or does it have more to do with our choices?

Finding Your Larger Purpose

Paul compares growing a business to launching a rocket. What’s most important is why— our purpose, and our deep human need to explore.

“It’s often assumed that business is all about money. But to me, that’s like saying that rockets are all about rocket fuel. On some level, it’s true. You won’t even make it off the launchpad without fuel…But among the truly significant founders [businesses] I’ve known, there’s always a larger purpose. It’s not just the nihilistic pursuit of rocket fuel.”

Success Comes From Loving What You Do Everyday

For 5 straight years, I lived as a full-time potter but barely made minimum wage. Sometimes I had to fight to keep Cherrico Pottery alive and often traded pottery for food.

Looking back now and admitting that is embarrassing. But at the time, people would constantly tell me, “At least you get to do what you love!”

That’s not how I survived. Cherrico Pottery grew because I woke up everyday and loved what I did.

I was genuinely excited to work 18 hours straight on a kiln firing. To me, it felt like playing with clay and fire day!

I didn’t care that the payoff was maybe a few hundred dollars worth of pottery to sell for the week (before expenses). I loved the artistic process. The work of making pottery, living as a potter, was it’s own reward. And I always sold/traded enough pottery to get by.

And years later, that love also helped grow the business too, starting when I created the “Cosmic Mug” and raised $34,099 in one month on Kickstarter.

“Frugality, Focus, Obsession and Love”

– Sam Altman

Focus is so rare today, with our easy digital distractions. But when you lean into the difficulty of an intricate craft, you reap the rewards. Years of toil and strife set me up for the skills necessary to captivate people in a Guinness World Records spectacle, achieving the record on my first try. But that wouldn’t have been possible without 10k+ hours of deliberate practice.

Frugality taught us how to package pottery with post-consumer and eco-friendly materials, like when we shipped 1,000 pots with 1,000 egg cartons.

We don’t make art because it’s necessary for our capitalist society. We make art because it’s necessary for humanity. Loving what we do means that even when times are hard, when things aren’t going so well, we can still find joy everyday. Long-term, that’s a recipe for success.

GIVEAWAY: What is one thing that you do everyday because you love it?

(ENDED: congrats to the winner, Helen W and she was emailed and notified about her free gifts. Thank you for your wonderful comment Helen, and thank you everyone for participating! To get notified about all future giveaways, please join cherricopottery.com/newsletter

Leave a comment on this blog post before 2pm Central this Friday 8/17/2019 answering the question above (What is one thing that you do everyday because you love it?) and I will pick one person to win one free “Random Cosmic Mug” from our back stock paired with a coin I carry in my pocket almost everyday. It says, “Amor Fati” which means “Love of Fate.” It reminds me to love everything, both good and bad, everyday. It helps me use even my hardships as fuel, like a fire that turns everything in it’s path into fuel. I got it from dailystoic.com because I really enjoy their work, and I’ll mail it to one of you for free (giveaway 21+ void where prohibited, no unicorns, etc…winner will be chosen by Joel Cherrico and announced in the comments around 3pm Central Friday 8/17/2019). Please allow 24-48 hours max for our moderator to approve your comment 🙂

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Beaten By A Machine Powered Potter: Passing the Torch to the New Pottery World Record Holder

March 7th, 2016 we made history. A team of people documented me setting a new Guinness World Records™ title for ‘most pots thrown in one hour by an individual’ by throwing 159 pots in one hour, on a kick-wheel: 

Today I discovered that someone else beat it, on an electric wheel.

Congrats to James T. Calhoun, who made 193 and set the new Pottery World Record. Seriously, I’m happy for you, Jim! He is the new official record holder as shown here, and he probably won’t be the last potter to beat it (many other people have attempted just this year).

It’s extremely difficult to attempt, even on an electric wheel. Guinness World Records has extremely high, difficult standards and guidelines, that you can learn about here. 

My time in the limelight is over, but I’m astounded by the reach/buzz it created:

Today I’m passing the torch to the new holder. I set the record to inspire people to attempt and achieve great things, so I’m honored to be in the company of other ambitious potters like Jim. Great work, bud!

Electric Pottery Wheels vs. Kick Wheels

Guinness World Records™ doesn’t currently have a separate category for kick wheels vs. electric wheels, even though setting the record on a kick-wheel does feel different to me:

  • A kick wheel has no electric motor. It only spins when you kick it.
  • Kicking and throwing pots at the same time is more difficult than letting an electric motor do the spinning work for you.
  • Kicking requires different training: cardio, running, stretching and leg and back strength.

To me, the records seem fundamentally different. Again, there is no separate category for kick wheels vs. electric wheels, but we think that maybe there should be. What do you think? (Please leave a comment at the bottom of this post – I would love to hear your thoughts).

When I attempted the record back in 2016, the previous record holder used an electric wheel to make 150 pots in one hour. I knew that a kick wheel was not required by Guinness World Records, but decided to use it anyways.

Kick wheels are harder to use, which is why the vast majority of potters today use electric wheels. One of our most common Frequently Asked Questions on our popular Facebook Live videos is, “Why don’t you use an electric wheel?” With thousands of comments per video, we had to devote an entire blog post to answering it.

Bigger pots are also more difficult, making the electric motor even more important. At first, I requested to make tiny shot cups like in this video, but Guinness World Records required a “planter” with larger size and weight requirements.

Even after beating the record on a kick wheel, the chance always remained that someone would beat me on an electric, motorized wheel. Maybe I should have used an electric wheel instead.

But if I could go back, I wouldn’t have. I attempt the record in a new, innovative way on purpose.

Here is why: to inspire people to attempt and achieve difficult things. I did that the best way I knew how. That required the tool of my trade: a unique, historical kick wheel. Maybe I’ll attempt it on an electric wheel someday, but right now it doesn’t seem appropriate.

Jim Calhoun did remarkable work to win his time in the spotlight, and lets all raise a glass (or even better, a Cosmic Mug) to him.

Joel Cherrico World Record Pottery

This week is the last chance to buy my official “World Record Pottery” planters with Certificates of Authenticity from Guinness World Records™ paired with the pottery. This Friday 6pm Central, all remaining pots Certificates of Authenticity are going into my private collection, in archival storage. I’m keeping this body of artwork for future exhibitions in the coming decades of my “Pottery Journey.”

You can get them here, before this Friday: store.cherricopottery.com/world-record-pottery

(NOTE: please forgive the text that says Joel Cherrico is the official record holder. I AM NOT THE CURRENT RECORD HOLDER. Please give us 30 business days to make extensive website updates.)

If you would like to purchase one in the future, you can send inquiries here anytime and I will consider taking them out of storage to sell, maybe: contact@cherricopottery.com. They are pieces of art that I finished with care and attention, wood-fired in a traditional style, and then painted with care and detail. I’m honored to keep or sell them as part of my story for future exhibitions, and as part of my lifelong pottery career.

Do you remember the story of John Henry? Every schoolkid learns the folktale of the railroad worker who battled a machine and won, but died right after his victory. Historians argue about details, but a plaque in West Virginia summarizes his legacy:

“John Henry died from a race with the steam drill, during construction of the tunnel for the C.&O. Railway Co. May God Grant that we always respect the great and the strong and be of service to others.”

Obviously, the legend of John Henry is way different. Henry suffered the ultimate loss: the loss of his life. He lived in a time and place that struggled with all kinds of inequalities. His struggles were far more difficult than mine. However, all of us can be inspired by message he left in the wake of his accomplishment:

“…always respect the great and the strong and be of service to others.”

Congrats to all of you past, present and future record holders, and cheers to all of you pottery fans.

– Joel Cherrico (former Guinness World Records™ title holder for ‘most pots thrown in one hour by an individual’)

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Audacious Pottery Goals: How Failure Fuels Innovation

One year ago today, I published a blog post titled, “Where Will You Be One Year From Today?” This was my goal:

“One year from today, my goal is to break ground on a new pottery studio that supports future pottery production with 100% solar fired pottery.”

I failed. I still live in the same tiny apartment that I lived in while writing “A Potter’s Journey” years ago, and I work in the same dirty, old studio. The pottery is fired with 100% of whatever fuel is generated by the electric company.

It’s not the first time I’ve failed so publicly…far from it. You can read all about my most gut-wrenching failures in this American Craft Council blog series, “A Potter’s Journey.”

But having BIG dreams, even when you might fail, fuels innovation. Today is also the 2 year anniversary of the time I set the Guinness World Records™ title for ‘most pots thrown in one hour by an individual.’

Most of the World Record Pottery Planters have been given away, purchased by people globally and opened remarkable new doors to new fans and celebrities alike. It almost didn’t happen, because I threw my back out practicing, which can be a serious problem for potters. Pushing through that failure led to achieving the ridiculous goal of actually braking the record- on a kick-wheel, for the first time in history!

“If you set your goals ridiculously high and it’s a failure, you will fail above everyone else’s success.”

– James Cameron, filmmaker, philanthropist, and deep-sea explorer, qtd. in Tools of Titans by Tim Ferriss

This doesn’t mean you should let your ego run wild, trying to be better than everyone. It means that audacious goals will bring you to EPIC new heights, even if it’s not the heights you expected. You, and everyone around you, will achieve what you never thought was possible.

I might live in a tiny apartment, with the same dirty, old studio, but that apartment is shared with the love of my life. We’ve already drawn a floor plan for the studio we hope to build together and we’re saving money. We’re also setting more audacious goals and feeding inspiration into our artistic careers, like this trip to NYC to meet Neil deGrasse Tyson at the StarTalk Radio Patreon Party….

Photo by Justin Starr PhotographyTwitter: @urbanastronycInsta and Facebook: @justinstarrphotography

…or our annual trip to the Rocky Mountains to escape the madness of modern life for a short time, to relax in the vast mountainous landscape.

 

Dream Big, Start Small

Even little actions, like this technique I developed to reduce cracking in my “hump thrown” pottery, can have profound long-term effects. I use this technique every time I throw pottery, and millions of people have been captivated by it.

Plan Long-Term

The American Craft Council and I created a relationship through a series of blog post and interviews, but now it’s time for us to keep doing whatever work is required to grow a strong, thriving craft community for all of us. That’s why I signed up to exhibit “Big Pots” and new sculptural art at their ACC St. Paul Show this year.

Giving Back

cherricopottery.com/awards was designed solely for this reason, also sponsored by the American Craft Council.

P.s…

Do you want to see Cherrico Pottery in person, alongside hundreds of professional artists? April 20-22nd we’re setting up at the ACC St. Paul Show in Minneapolis exhibiting a selection of Big Pots, Cosmic Mugs and performing Live demos. Hope to see you there!

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Momentous Pottery Giveaways Inspired by NASA

July 20th, 1969 was when humans first set foot on the Moon. Astronaut Buzz Aldrin (who owns a Cosmic Mug thanks to our friend Stacey at StarTalk) is 87 years young and he’s STILL active on Instagram, reminiscing about the experience:

Joel studies astronauts because it inspires him to filter ideas into is artwork, towards achieving greatness. Astronauts Buzz Aldrin and Col. Chris Hadfield both have Guinness World Records titles. Both directly inspired Joel to attempt and achieve the title for, ‘most pots thrown in one hour by an individual.’

Astronaut Col. Chris Hadfield also let us send him a Cosmic Mug. In his book, “An Astronauts Guide to Life on Earth” Hadfiled tells how his childhood dream was to walk on the moon. That goal wasn’t reached, but it put him on a path towards successfully becoming an astronaut and achieving his Guinness World Records title for ‘first music video filmed in space.’ Joel studied Hadfield’s work, sent him a Cosmic Mug and got an inspiring letter in return. He said:

We also send free pots to other astronauts occasionally, like Lt. Col. Mark Vande Hei who graduated from Joel’s alma mater CSB/SJU. He is in line for a trip to the International Space Station.

Not the best photo, but hey…that’s a NASA Astronaut enjoying a Cosmic Mug!

“Why climb the highest mountain? … We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills…”

– John F. Kennedy, September 12, 1962

Entrepreneurship is one skill that has many of the same core values that propelled the United States to the moon. Entrepreneurs are required to spend years overcoming failures and striving towards success. You can learn how Joel launched and sustained his pottery business immediately after college graduation in this eight part authorship series for American Craft Council:

A Potter’s Journey: The Beginning

🎉🌘🎁🌌☕🏔🎁🌒🎉

Momentous Pottery Giveaways

Houston, we have liftoff! Here’s what you need to know:

If they’re sold out or too expensive for you, don’t worry! Here is another awesome giveaway we just launched, totally free:

Free Giveaway: $680 in Free Cosmic Mugs

  • Cosmic Mug and Moon Mug Giveaway, totally free: $680 in free pottery.
  • Enter for free by simply entering your email.

Joel will also be releasing more pottery later this month: Cosmic Mugs, including $79 Random Cosmic Mugs and $49 Flawed Cosmic Mugs, before August. Stay tuned to the newsletter to get notified about availability first:

cherricopottery.com/newsletter

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Father’s Day, 2017: Reflection and Two Pottery Giveaways

*This is a guest blog post, edited by Joel Cherrico and written by John Fink: CSB/SJU Marketing Intern at Cherrico Pottery. 

Interesting facts about Father’s Day:

  • Father’s Day is the 4th largest card-sending occasion with 72 million sent annually.
  • The average person spends about $115.57 on presents for their father, which totals to about $12,700,000,000 a year.
  • Claude Monet is widely considered the father of Impressionism. Monet’s art represents nature abstractly, in ways that communicate far more beauty than what human eyes can see.

“Water-Lily Pond and Weeping Willow” by Claude Monet, next to a Cosmic Mug surrounded by a Star Cluster in the Large Magellanic Cloud, captured by NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope.

“A father is neither an anchor to hold us back, nor a sail to take us there, but a guiding light whose love shows us the way.” – Unknown

Joel Cherrico’s father, Gene Cherrico, played an important role during one of his most defining life moments.

Joel and his dad were on a road trip just before he launched “Cherrico Pottery” back in 2010. Joel was hesitant about taking on the risk of starting his own company, investing his $3,000 of savings and committing to a small business loan after graduation, instead of getting a job like all of his friends.

“Owning your own business is one of the best ways to personal wealth.” – Gene Cherrico

Without Papa Cherrico’s wise words of wisdom, and his love and support, Cosmic Mugs might never have existed.

“I can discover something in the Universe, but if I didn’t do it, somebody else after me will discover that exact same thing. Whereas in the Arts, what you create, no one who was ever born before you or will be born from your death onwards, will ever compose exactly the same thing you did.” – Neil deGrasse Tyson

You can learn more about the origins of Cosmic Mugs from Joel’s authorship for American Craft Council: “A Potter’s Journey.” Learn why Joel chose an art major, how he developed a business plan, launched a small business and has operated his pottery business for seven+ years in this American Craft Council “Web Exclusive” blog series:

A Potter’s Journey

Another person who Joel drew inspiration from while growing his business was Robert Herjavec.

Herjavec is an immigrant from Croatia who owns a world renowned computer security company in Canada. He is most known for being a “Shark” on the hit TV show “Shark Tank” (Joel has repeatedly submitted 1st and 2nd round applications to the show). In the video below, Robert shared his story of his father’s immense sacrifices to give him a better life.

Also in honor of Father’s Day, we’re launching two pottery giveaways:

  • Giveaway #1 is for new Cosmic Mug and Moon Mug customers.
  • Giveaway #2 is for everyone.

Giveaway #1 of 2: “Lunar Bowl” $325+ value

*(ENDED 11pm 6/19/2017. Winner: Sherry E.)

Today and tomorrow only, we are releasing all of our current stock of Cosmic Mugs and our current stock of Moon Mugs. Anyone who buys one or more of these new Cosmic Mugs or Moon Mugs released today and tomorrow will be entered into a drawing. One random customer will win this lunar bowl, included with their order at no extra charge.

If they’re sold out or too expensive for you, don’t worry! Joel will be releasing more Cosmic Mugs, including $79 Random Cosmic Mugs, $49 Flawed Cosmic Mugs and Moon Mugs before July. Stay tuned! For you pottery fans who are waiting for these great deals and on a budget, we’ve got something special for you too.

 Giveaway #2 of 2: Free World Record Pottery

You can win one of three pieces of art history from Joel’s epic achievement with the Guinness World Records™ title for ‘most pots thrown in one hour by an individual.’ Simply answer the questions below in our comments to enter:

What is the most valuable lesson your father taught you? How did it shape you into the person you are today? 

If you didn’t grow up with a father, please feel free to leave a comment about a lesson any other important person in your life taught you. Leave a comment below before this Friday telling us. We’ll pick the best 3 comments and give each winner a random World Record Pot and even more pottery ($767.00 value: $159 World Record Pottery + $20 packing and shipping average each, Spiral Bowl for $185 + $20 shipping, a copy of “A Potter’s Book” by Bernard Leach at $25 average value) given to 5 random winners, totally free!

To enter, you must leave one, genuine comment, or the moderator will not approve your comment or include you in the giveaway. Please use your PERSONAL name or initials and not your business name, as the latter comes off like spam. Please allow 24-48 hours for your comment to appear. You must also be on our email newsletter distribution list to qualify, so please make sure you are okay with receiving our email newsletter before you leave a comment. We will pick winners Friday around 2pm Central and you will receive the pottery shipped to you nearly anywhere globally, totally free. *ENDED: Congrats to our winners Carol, Jerry, Olivia, Ashlei and Steph. Thanks so much to everyone for participating!