Did You Hear What Nate Said? (and other stories)

I was surprised the other day when watching the Nate Berkus show by a segment featuring an Etsy Seller.  The show date was 3/22/11 and here's the link to the details.  The etsy seller was Todd Manring Designs.  The one bit of information that sticks out in my mind was the criticism of the sellers photos.  It was suggested to the seller the background should be less busy.  The reason given was that most people viewing the item are not able to place it in the setting in which they hope to use it if it's in a busy or "artsy fartsy" [my phrase] setting.  I've been toying with the possibility of using a few props in the background of my photos (mostly in the thinking stage).  But, I can also see how they may have a point about keeping the background simple so the viewer has an easier time placing the item in the setting (mentally) in which they intend to use it.  Now that I've resolved the issue (to my satisfaction) with my photos, I will probly stick with a grey background for a while.  I like the fabric background as it lends texture (if you will) to the image without getting busy.  I think my next move is to experiment with various fabric types and such to see which works best.  There doesn't seem to be a link to the video of the segment (I'm not finding it) which is too bad as it's better to view the source of my comments here in order to form your own opinion.

I think my plan of attack for upcoming glazing efforts is to stick with the glazes I know work well and glaze multiple items with those glazes as I work towards building my inventory.  There's really no reason to continue having disasterous results when a little common sense should rule.  I'm in the throws (no pun intended) of making mugs for those promised and for my shop.  I'm enjoying seeing the improvement in my technique each time I do a series in a specific form.  Also, my next projects are one, to learn to throw items that are similar in size and shape; second, to do some slip trailing; three, to make stacking jars.

Well, that's all for this post.  As always I hope to post more often, but, that is not always an option in view of my schedule.