"If you are thinking of taking up pottery seriously as a flexi-time career, you need to be passionate about it. Also, you should remember that this is something that will not fetch you huge returns initially. It is very gradual," says, Anupama Pant, who, along with Archana Dabhoiwala, run a pottery studio called Earth and Fire.
Both have been potters for 15 years and together they started this studio a year ago, where they hold hand and wheel pottery workshops.
Getting Started
You can take a beginner's course that usually is twice a week and costs about Rs. 500 to Rs. 600 per class. Each class lasts for an hour and a half to two hours. You can go for a capsule of 10 classes at some places too. You would take six months to a year to learn the basics of pottery. Then, you can go for the advanced level that teaches you to do the firing.
Firing is the process of baking and glazing the clay so that it won't dissolve in water for even up to 2,000 years. Learning this process would cost you about Rs. 1,000 per class. You need to go through at least four to six firing sessions to get a good hang of it.
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Total Cost Involved
Investment
You would need a studio of at least 150 sq. feet to start on your own.
A potter's wheel can cost you anywhere from Rs. 15,500 to Rs. 18,000 and the smallest kiln can range anywhere from Rs. 50,000 to 2 lakhs.
The clay is priced at Rs. 25 per kg. The cost of firing varies on the number and size of pieces, as there is electricity involved.
Time Involved
This depends on you. You can put in a full eight-hour workday or even put in a few hours daily depending on your orders and your creations. It depends on how much you want to scale up your business.
Minimum Monthly Income
If you put in four to five hours a day, you can make about Rs. 10,000 per month. For this you will have to make at least 250 pieces and spend about Rs. 6000 for the material and the making process.
"Most importantly, you have to be very innovative in your creations. Also, the amount you make is subject to your marketing skills. So, at the end of the day, you have to make a good bargain," says Vanmala Jain who's been into pottery for 35 long years and has been teaching for the past 20 years.
Ways to Grow the Business
You can advertise by word of mouth, putting small advertisements in local newspapers, participating in exhibitions. You can also approach stores like Culture Shop, Abracadabra, Fabindia, Bombay Stores, Dhoop, etc. Also, some clothes boutiques stock ceramic creations.
You can also work on themes such as Mother's Day, Friendship Day and other such days as they are getting increasingly popular apart from the festivals. You can also branch out into teaching the art to others, if you are confident enough.
Author: Jayshree Mulherkar
(The author is a freelance writer)
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