Simplifying Production

Over the last couple of weeks, my new corner of the studio has evolved into such an efficient work area.
I have actual files for everything. Bottom drawer = personal stuff, including my long lost college transcripts. Top drawer = everything Museware. It's a much improved collection of design, marketing, licensing, web site and showroom stuff. I've relocated my stamp making equipment from next to the sink to next to my computer, cutting miles off of my stamp-making-machine commute.

This is the view from my new area. I love it over here! The light is great and I don't have my back turned to everyone all day. Most of the 8' length of my desk is taken up by my technology, but this giant 5x8 table is completely free. Everything that once lived here is now on Nicole's Mobil Painting Unit, seen here in action.

We spent last week implementing the seriously awesome idea I discovered while researching block printing: Mounting our stamps on Plexiglas. Our 2nd most popular wedding platter takes forever to paint. It includes 14 individual painted and placed design elements. We've reduced that to five. The simple change cut labor on almost half our our designs by more than 1/2. Whoo hoo! We're all starry eyed over here! Shorter production time reduces costs, which is really good for the bottom line. It also reduces lead time, which is really good for business.

I do need to put some bragging on that stainless shelf on the production table. This is half of one of our glaze racks. It's strong enough to hold stock, tall enough to see through, stores everything we need and perfectly holds and displays our work orders. Work orders used to sit underneath each piece, forcing us to pick up the item in order to read the instructions and again to check accuracy. Every minute we save on production goes right to the bottom line. We're feeling kinda brilliant.

Necessity. The Mother of Invention

See this junk covered table? It's the smaller of two production tables and is supposed to be where we personalize our completed designs. I say supposed to because it's been months since it's been used that way. This table is a quick chair roll away from my desk, giving me easy access to it. Which means this is where I pile all manner of junk. My production manager, Nicole, is very gracious about this. She has reconciled herself to working in a fraction of the necessary space and not once has complained about it.

Nicole has been with me for more than 5 years. She literally runs the show. I could die tomorrow and unless you'd read about it in the paper, you'd never know. She'd just keep on cranking out pottery without blinking a teary eye. She's fricken awesome.

This incredible woman has helped me grow Museware Pottery from a one woman show to a leader in the hand painted, personalized pottery industry. Over the years, Nicole has watched me revel in great delight as we've grown & collapse in despair when we nearly closed back in 2008. Every step of the way, she's been right by my side - my biggest fan and supporter.

The point is that no matter what I do, good or bad, on task or so totally off that anyone else would be searching for an ice pick, Nicole is right behind me. So back in January, when I started getting that starry look in my eyes and decided we were opening a showroom & gift shop - she didn't flinch. She ran around cleaning up behind me, bringing me coffee and feeding me lunch while I ran around like Chicken Little. Renovating the studio to make room for this big dream was expensive and time consuming. I was a little bit psycho and a lot stressed out, which means I was not always on my best behavior. Our new showroom opened April 19th, nine days after my 57th birthday. I felt more like 87. The 80+ smiling people who came to our opening loved our new place. Completely worn out, I found a chair and watched it all unfold.

Because I become so possessed, the completion of any big project always leaves me slightly adrift. I wander around listlessly, lost for purpose and feeling deflated. Without direction, I came in late and left early for an entire week. Sigh. I'd rendered myself redundant.

I started this blog on April 26th - a week after our opening. All it took was a single image of a Galbraith & Paul fabric stamp. Once I'd seen it, my new purpose & product line was determined. Once again, I was a woman on a mission.

Painting fabric takes a lot of space. And if there is anything we are short of around here, it's space. Every corner of every room is stacked with stuff. Stuff we need. In a way that only The Boss can, I started eyeballing Nicole's table. Because she's my loyal rock, she began colluding with me.

See this cart? We call this fabulous little invention the EMPU (em-pew.) Our new Emergency Painting Unit houses our fonts, our most commonly used stamps, paint, cleaning stuff - everything needed to personalize every item in our line. It is one of the biggest improvements we've made to our process since we automated ordering last November (totally eliminating Leslie's job.)  Because the personalization table was so cluttered with {my} junk, there was no room to actually paint on it. Nicole would stamp out the main design on the big table then stack everything on a cart, roll it over to personalization, do the damn thing, stack it back on the cart then roll it back over for glazing.  Huge. Waste. Of. Labor.

Now, instead of juggling and potentially damaging plates, Nicole drags EMPU around the main table. She is practically giddy with pride and smiles every time she walks past it. And I smile each time I walk past my new, 5 x 8' block printing table. It's still heaped with junk and will be until I'm ready to wrap carpet padding with muslin and start printing me some fabric.

Why Blog?

Starting a blog is a lot like starting a family. It's never what you think. It takes on a life of its own and you either care for it or it dies. I have three such casualties. While none are actually dead and still get traffic, they are starved for content and are sadly neglected.

As a businesswoman in a creative field, I've had to train my la-la creative brain to be businesslike. I'm a classic right brainer and business logic does not come naturally. I've had help. In this poker face business world, I've been lucky enough to know four generous people who shared both their creative & business knowledge whenever I ask. They've helped me develop a design aesthetic & business sense that's kept Museware Pottery growing & thriving, even in a tough economy. (Thank you Gayle & Lorrie, John & Don - you're awesome.) So I'm passing it along. 

Block Print Me - I'll talk about business, mine & yours. Creatives in business face special challenges including how to price & sell without giving it all away and how promote & thrive without burning yourself out. I've learned a lot in the past 10 years. I'll share what I learn about the craft & business of block printing and introduce you to some of the leaders in the printed textile world. I'll practice a little self expression, self promotion & mentor-ship and go where I'm lead.

You'll find me a real fan of designer & blogger Jenny Nelson of HomeSweet. Her well written blog begins with a declaration:  This is who I am and this is what I'm going to do. She did it and shared her revelations along the way. Yesterday, I read her blog from start to finish, followed her links and found the coolest people doing the coolest stuff. Her generosity inspired me to share my process. I'm excited about it. It's kind of like starting a new relationship - all promise and possibility.

Hello Me

I’m Sheree Burlington, owner and designer of Museware Pottery. I design hand painted personalized pottery which we create and sell through gift shops and catalogs nationwide. We also maintain an online store. I started Museware in September 2005 after three years co-owning a trio of Paint Your Own Pottery studios called You’re Fired. I left an 18 year kitchen design career for self employment. My life has never been the same.

When I left my kitchen design job, people thought I was crazy. My career was established and growing. I made great money. I loved my work. Why would I leave all this to enter an arena where the majority failed in the first 5 years? The warnings were the same when I sold YF to start Museware Pottery.

Deluded by images of personal freedom & more family time, I picked the 2 most misguided reasons in the world to quit a perfectly good job. Self employment gives you neither. True, I can walk out the door to deal with family matters any time I want. But I can’t punch out at the end of the day. Or ever.

Would I trade my shiny, self-made handcuffs for the relative security of a job? No. I’ve been the boss of everything for so long, I’d make a crappy employee. And when I look back on what I’ve created in the last 10 years, I’m proud but I’m also not finished. I've evolved from an artsy gal painting a few platters a week to a full fledged production studio shipping thousands of pieces a year to gift shops across the country. It’s been a long and winding road.

Now that Museware Pottery is acting like a real company, complete with an awesome, loyal, hardworking staff (OMG. Finally!) I’m free to look around, re-evaluate, consider the possibilities. That’s what I’m going to do here. Figure things out. And I’ll share what I learn with you. I’ll start tomorrow.