Hope everyone is having a great summer! This weekend I’m showing pots in Duluth, MN for Art in Bayfront Park. If you’re in the area, come see my newest Cosmic Mugs! Can’t make it? Be sure to check out Facebook or Instagram as I’ll be posting gorgeous photos of the mugs outdoors all weekend- these mugs actually change color in the sun!
In the coming months, I will have a HUGE selection of Cosmic Mugs available at discounted prices. I also plan to run a few free giveaways…so be sure to stay tuned to your email for updates! Part of this upcoming project involves this new video, which shows the process of how the mugs are made on the pottery wheel. Enjoy!
“Why is Arnold Schwarzenegger holding a Cosmic Mug?” I’d say that’s a fair question. Stay tuned for details…
Tim Ferriss is the first celebrity to show me that he understands the value of handmade pottery as fine art. Last month, he let me mail him a couple mugs. As a thanks, he sent a tweet to his one million+ Twitter followers and 278,000+ Facebook fans. This led to 3,507 people going to my website in one day- WOAH!
If you haven’t heard of Tim Ferriss, he’s an amazing writer and entrepreneur. His book,“The Four Hour Workweek” changed my life. He inspired me to apply to break a Guinness World Record (which you’ll hear more about in the coming weeks!) and hooked me up with an order of over 2,000 Cosmic Mugs.
This week, Tim interviewed Arnold Schwarzenegger on his podcast. It’s hilarious and inspiring, you should listen to it here on iTunes. In fact, if you just go to his website and check it out, I’ll e-mail you a $20 gift certificate for free pottery. There’s no catch, I’m just doing this as a thanks to Tim, to hopefully turn some of you onto his work. It’s also a thanks to any of you who are interested enough to read about my work! Here’s what to do:
2.) Email me at joel@cherricopottery.com and tell me, “I checked out Tim Ferriss’ site!” That’s it! This is the honor system, but I hope you check it out. If you enjoy my story, I think you will enjoy spending a little more time seeing what Tim is all about.
3.) If done before Friday 2/6/15 at 6pm, I will reply to your email with a custom coupon code for $20 free pottery, good for anything in my online store, with no expiration date.
Thanks for reading! Check out my Instagram to stay updated with my newest pottery:
With the winter-threatening winds howling outside, can you believe this sunny photo was taken less than two weeks ago? On Sunday, September 29th, the weather was a summery 80 degrees for the Millstream Arts Festival. Sixty-four artists sweated it out on the streets of St. Joseph, bringing in sales not only for themselves, but also for local businesses.
Bold new signage at the Local Blend.
Joel’s unique symbiotic partnership with the Local Blend continues to cultivate this relationship between artist and business year-round. This was Joel’s fourth year participating in Millstream and his second year throwing pots in front of the Local Blend. This location and his kick-powered wheel have consistently shown to bring in more sales. If you weren’t looking closely as you strolled down Minnesota Street, you may have missed him because of the crowd that gathered to watch pots being made!
No pressure, Joel.
Many of you may have heard about (and maybe entered!) Joel’s recent Shark Tank Pottery Giveaway. We selected the winners the day after Millstream, and gave those who stopped by the booth one last reminder to enter.
Thanks again to all who took the time to enter!
As fun as this contest was, as much as Joel wants to bring his wheel to national TV – the local community remains paramount to his business model and poignant to him as an artist. This is where his pottery began. The local community is where Joel earns his livelihood, giving him the stability to pursue his bigger dreams and schemes.
The finicky process and the final product.
Joel participates in 3 weekly farmers’ markets in Sartell, St. Cloud, and St. Joseph, Minnesota. These farmers’ markets, along with art festivals such as Millstream and Art in Bayfront Park in Duluth, Minnesota, cultivate the local emphasis essential to Joel’s artistic philosophy. Here, customers can handle the pottery, watch it being made, and get to know the artist.
Throwing pots in Duluth at Art in Bayfront Park.
Then, when someone takes home a mug, its mysteries become more accessible and appreciated. That spiral in the clay, those finger marks in the glaze, they now have memory and meaning in them.
Blue pots, blue skies.Make pots while the sun shines!
This past weekend I set up over 100 pots to show at the 3rd annual Art Festival in Bayfront Park in Duluth, MN. My parents, a few of my aunts and uncles, and 4 good friends also joined me! Special thanks to everyone who helped make this a successful weekend.
I brought 100 pounds of clay and my pottery wheel for throwing demonstrations. 4 bricks, each 25 pounds of clay, were formed into about 300 shot glasses using my hump throwing process. Check out the photos below shot by my Aunt Dolly:
Also check out my store to see just a few that I have for sale online:
