And for those who REALLY like photos…
Click on the QSR code to go straight to my INSTAGRAM page!
The click FOLLOW. Now you can enjoy your quick-fix of fun photos!!!

So now that I’m on Instagram, and yet still not quite sure what I’m doing
I’ve been wondering to myself what the difference is for me?!

How should I treat Instagram different from blogging or Facebook?
So I think I’ve come up with a plan.

Since Instagram is really all about pictures, that’s what you’ll get.
Altered pictures. Vintage-aged pictures. Filtered pictures. Pictures!!!

However, I’m thinking that the blog & Facebook will continue to get stories & real photos. While my Instagram feed will be photos with filters!!! I figure since they offer them up, I might as well be using them, right? So if you like “altered” photos go to my Instagram page. If you want clearer, truer & straight-forward photos & stories, stay here! Or what the heck, do both!!!

So there it is… a little something for everyone!
Unfiltered or Filtered. You choose…

Okay, so I’ve been resisting it for awhile now…
Several people have told me that I really need to get started on Instagram.
I’ve been avoiding it for quite awhile. Not sure  “why” I really need to do it.
I’m already so busy with blogging & Facebook.

But when I got to Minneapolis, and went to dinner with friends… Emily Murphy “spearheaded the campaign” and got me set-up on my iPhone right there at the diner table. For those who remember, she’s ALSO the one who “spearheaded” by blogging adventure too! So now I’m on Instagram?!… and need to start posting some photos!!! Maybe tomorrow…

So when you get a chance, do a quick search for me and/or Fire When Ready Pottery and start following on Instagram too!! I’m not really sure yet what this new adventure will become, but I’m onboard and ready to give it a try!

Somehow I missed this?…
but at some point over the weekend we surpassed 2,400 Facebook Fans!!!

Thanks to everyone who continues to follow my foibles & follies on Facebook!
Remember, the more you click Like (or leave Comments) the more of my posts
you’ll see in your News Feed!!!

Click here to go directly to my pottery page on Facebook.
www.facebook.com/firewhenreadypottery… and then click LIKE!!!

Who would’a guessed that five years ago today I first joined on Facebook?!
Since then, I’ve gathered a bunch of great Facebook Friends & Fans… and shared a lot of photos, stories & some pottery fun along the way. Thanks for “indulging” me and my biking sunrise addiction! And here’s to (at least) another five of Facebook Fun!!! Thanks for playing!

Click here to go to Fire When Ready Pottery on Facebook… and click LIKE.

And remember, the more you click LIKE or Comment on the postings, the more of my postings will show up in your News Feed. You don’t want to miss a good one along the way!
There’s always more going on than what the folks at Facebook
“allow” you to see from the business pages you’ve chosen to follow.

Here’s a quick five-year flashback….
and my very first biking sunrise posted on Facebook just five short years ago!
Some things never change…

If you respect the Original, the Personal, the Authentic – You are a CITIZEN too.
Declare yourself… and tell everyone “I AM NOT A LEMMING.”

Click here for more information about “Citizens of Craft.”
A website & group, both under construction…. growing, evolving & becoming
a community of Citizens! Are YOU a lemming or a Citizen of Craft?!

For those who want a quick glimpse, here is their simple 10-point manifesto…
of course their website if more fun & visually-inspiring, so go there. But if not…

#1 – YOU ARE NOT A LEMMING.
You’re not a follower; you trust your own tastes and live by them.\

#2 – WE VALUE THE UNIQUE & ENDURING.
As an authentic human being, you appreciate things that don’t scream assembly line.

#3 – OBJECTS SHOULD INHABIT, NOT INTRUDE.
You believe objects with personal, tactile histories engage with your world better than the anonymously mass-produced.

#4 – YOU ARE NOT AUTOMATED, MANUFACTURED, OR CLONED.
You weren’t made in a factory, so you prefer not to bury your life with things that are.

#5 – YOU BELIEVE IN 10-DIGIT TECHNOLOGY.
You connect more strongly with things made by a pair of hands – the original 10-digit machine.

#6 – ONE SIZE SHOULD NOT FIT ALL.
You prefer objects that mirror your individual taste, rather than fit some monster demographic.

#7 – NOTHING IS NEWER THAN TRADITION.
You are as much a fan of time-honored techniques as you are of their contemporary interpretations.

#8 – COOKIE CUTTER DOESN’T CUT IT.
In a me-too world, you appreciate that Craft brings different cultures and perspectives into your space.

#9 – VASES ARE PEOPLE TOO.
Craft objects evoke their makers, letting you surround yourself with not just things, but personalities.

#10 – WHILE WE ALL MARCH TO DIFFERENT DRUMS, WE MOVE TOGETHER.
You value how each maker’s unique expression bonds us as a richer community.

Please click here for their website. Declare yourself a Citizen.
Appreciate, engage & encourage the Arts. Whether making art yourself,
patronizing the Arts or encouraging your favorite Artists to follow their passion.
Be Original. Be Personal. Be Authentic.

Be a Citizen of Craft.

So I got an e-mail yesterday from the folks over at Pinterest…

Hi there,
Pat yourself on the back: You got 13,356 clicks
to www.firewhenreadypottery.com from Pinterest in the past 30 days!

That sounds pretty overwhelming to me?!
And I don’t quite know what to do with that news, that number.
How do I process that information? What does it really mean?!
I’m not well-versed in the world of Pinterest, but it sounds pretty cool to me!!!

Click here for finished Fire When Ready Pottery pieces on Pinterest.
Click here for Fire When Ready Pottery TEXTURES on Pinterest.
Click here for Fire When Ready Pottery STAMPING on Pinterest.
Click here for Fire When Ready Pottery MUGS on Pinterest.
Click here for Fire When Ready Pottery TILES on Pinterest.
Click here for some of my BIKING SUNRISES on Pinterest.

And then start pinning to your heart’s content!!!

Remember… for a quick fix of Fire When Ready Pottery…
you can always Follow me on Facebook as well.
Click here for Fire When Ready Pottery on Facebook!!!

We’ve been hearing rumors of Facebook making it even tougher for small business in 2015. They’re trying to get us to pay money to “promote” our postings so that they will show up in your News Feed. So even though thousands of people all around the world have clicked “Like” and ASKED to be included, Facebook is randomly deciding who will get me posts and who won’t. There’s talk of even more changes coming in the New Year, so we’ll just have to hang on and see what comes of it.

Until then, please go to my pottery page on Facebook, and click the LIKE button. That way, you should get “some” of the postings in your News Feed. The more you “Comment” or “Like” a posting or photo, the more of my postings will show up in your News Feed… allegedly.

And please remember, you can always “Search” for Fire When Ready Pottery in Facebook, or click on the blue header in your News Feed to see all of my Facebook postings. And if that doesn’t work… know that this blog will always be available for you pottery diversions & inspirations. Thanks for following me any way you can!

Have a wonderful New Year – and good luck to us all with the ever-changing Facebook!!!

According to Pottery Making Info online…
What were the best pottery blogs in 2014?
If you have asked yourself this question or you just enjoy reading pottery blogs… Welcome! Below you will find the best pottery blogs of the past year. Does your favorite pottery blog make the list?

Click here to see the complete list of the Top 10 Pottery Blogs of 2014.

Apparently I’ve made the list… at NUMBER ONE!!! Yeah me!!!
Listed as The Best Pottery Blog of 2014. Wh0o-hoo!!!

More from Pottery Making Info online…
Gary is like a blogging machine. He is also a fantastic potter, avid bike rider and expert sunrise photographer. Check out his blog for some great photos of his pottery making process, the sunrise over Chicago and much more. Congratulations Gary, and thanks for sharing so much with us!

Thanks to everyone who has followed along with my blog over the years. I hope that I have somehow, at some times, either inspired, motivated or at least brought a smile to your face. Thanks for “putting up with” my obsession with stamping & addiction to biking. There are always times when you wonder if anyone is even reading my endless drivel… but apparently so. Who knew?

Special thanks also to my friend and fellow-potter (and former studio neighbor) Emily Murphy who got me started on this blogging adventure several years ago. At the time she was already blogging and I was very reluctant. I didn’t see the purpose. I doubted that blogging, or any social networking for that matter, would ever catch on. Who has time to sit down and read blogs?… I need to make pots!!! It just sounded like “one more hassle” that I would have to keep up with. Well, Emily was very persuasive AND persistent… and even help set-up & build the beginning of this blog. Thank you again Emily & Ian. Without you guys, I doubt I would have ever started this blog… and would never have become so addicted to sharing my stories, photos & sunrises!!!

So, thank you again to everyone who follows along with Fire When Ready Pottery.
I will try my best to make sure that 2015 is filled with more blog posts about pottery, techniques, My Talented Friends, sunrise bike rides, and anything else that I find intriguing and worth sharing. Keep following and I’ll keep posting!!!

Thanks Again.
And thanks to Pottery Making Info online for following, sharing my stories through their website… and for promoting & championing the world of Pottery for all of us who love it so dearly.

I just noticed that we passed the TWO THOUSAND mark.
Over two thousand Fans on Facebook!!!

Thank you so much to all of the Facebook Fans of Fire When Ready Pottery.
It’s wonderful knowing that there is such a supportive group out there keeping the love of handmade pottery alive… and enjoying a few biking sunrises along the way too!