Elin Hughes

MEET THE MAKER

I’m Elin Hughes, a potter and ceramic artist currently based in Dolgellau, North Wales. Piecing together fragments from a range of eclectic and historical influences, I create mischievous ceramic vessels which explore personal and Welsh identity. Following on from a BA Ceramics at Cardiff School of Art and Design I have been selling my thrown sculptural vessels through galleries since graduating in 2019.

WHAT ARE YOUR FEEDBACKS?

Over the past months the Crafting Business programme has helped me amass a huge resource of knowledge and awareness. I have been privileged to work with experts as well as a hugely supportive cohort of peers to improve my skills in so many areas from writing and speaking about my work, to putting together grant applications and business modelling. Prior to this programme financial terminology such as ‘margins’ and ‘gross profit’ were blind spots in my lexicon. Understanding the finer nuances of my finances though means that I now have the tools to create holistic cash flow forecasts and consequently much more control over how my time is spent. This newfound knowledge will I hope now help me achieve a lifestyle which gives me the financial independence to pursue my interest in ceramics. Through supporting myself with selling pieces, teaching, writing and other clay related activities I hope to continually evolve my work in response to the never-ending process of learning. Short term objectives for my business include finding ways to live more communally with like minded people, for example sharing a studio and firing larger atmospheric kilns that require working with others. Perhaps my greatest takeaway from the programme has been learning to identify my core values and motivations which has given me greater confidence in my decision making.

FIVE THINGS YOU’LL BRING WITH YOU FROM THE EXPERIENCE:

• Remember that happiness breeds success, not the other way around. Focus on what you want your day-to-day activities to be in the long run since after all, in the words of Philip Larkin ‘Days are where we live’.
• Dissect your artist statement and take time to consider the connotations of each individual word. Are you making any assumptions or clichés?
• Practice filming yourself speaking before a presentation to become aware of what you might be communicating unconsciously
• Set payment terms for galleries and stockists to ensure you get paid on time
• It can be really valuable to get feedback from others about pieces you think haven’t worked well – you may be surprised by suggestions and be inspired to pursue new avenues of investigation