4 Comments

1. 

   carter gillies on September 14, 2012 at 2:33 pm

   Of course, it should also be noted that if you think your booth will be visited by simpletons, you might actually already be one yourself….

   Th judgment that others have of our craft being simple is no less skewed and dangerous than dissing an audience's lack of comprehension. If our failure to communicate the wonders of our wares is an obstacle, then it seems important to recognize where these other people are coming from and to form some common ground with them. How else do we hope to educate others?

   Its easy to blame the shortcomings of others. Its not so easy to see them in ourselves….

   Reply
2. 

   Carole Epp on September 14, 2012 at 6:44 pm

   I completely agree with you Carter regarding our role as educators and the need to be open and understanding of all of the backgrounds and knowledge, and sometimes baggage that our audiences bring with them to our table.

   I apologize that you took this post as been so critical and definite a stance rather than a wink and a smile sort of approach. I've removed the tag line before the quote, but have left the quote as I'm still quite interested in the potential for dialogue it creates in it's relation to a variety of life's situations.

   Thanks Carter!

   Reply
3. 

   carter gillies on September 15, 2012 at 4:39 pm

   Thanks Carole!

   I just reread my comment and was appalled at how accusatory it sounded! I too had to think twice about yanking it. And if this little interchange hasn't been a microcosm of the exact sort of miscommunication the original motto seeks to point out, I don't know what…..

   So let me apologize myself for sounding so strident (and coming off as a compete moron in the bargain!) and agree with you that the idea of how what we do communicates something valuable needs to be looked at closer. I'm all about dialogue and trying to keep an open mind, and I've found that provocative blog posts are a pretty darn good way to initiate some deep thinking and challenging assumptions.

   Thanks as always for bringing such cool stuff to the internet! Potters are so lucky to have you out there disseminating ideas and opportunities. We are a stronger community for your efforts.

   Keep up the good work!

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4. 

   Carole Epp on September 16, 2012 at 2:57 pm

   Thanks Carter, no need to apologize! I'm always craving good dialogue on the blog. I also need a good reminder once in a while that I really need to be concsiencious of what I post as I never know who my audience is and what might seem like an inside joke amongst makers can come across quite rude to a different audience.
   Thanks again!

   Reply