another way to shop

growth.

I think 2026 will be remembered for the amount of growth I’ve achieved with my ceramic practice. These days I spend a lot of time thinking about what I want to be creating. While I've been refining my practice on the wheel and experimenting with surface decoration, I've also been spent a lot of time learning about the glaze process; how it works from start to finish, what each material adds to my glazes and how they will best perform on my work. It's interesting finding a balance between producing work to create an income stream and spending time working on things that are not necessarily part of the finished work but instead valuable experimental moments along the way. Lately my studio practice is feeling both grounded and expansive. I’m slowly creating a body of work while expanding my skills through continued experimentation and learning.

I've spent a lot of time considering who I am making my work for and that has begun to play into anything that I create lately. I've contemplated how my pieces can be used, if there's flexibility in the purpose of those pieces, and if I want to be creating work that's simply meant to sell or if I want to create pieces that resonate deeply with my own needs and aesthetic in hopes of finding people who are drawn to that work themselves. It's a delicate balance as an artist or craftsperson -do we make the work for ourselves or do we make the work for others. I believe each of us consider that question and somewhere along our process, find our answer. I’m trying to find that balance for my work.

As for the work itself I’m really excited by what’s coming out of the studio these days. After about 6 months of experimenting I’m narrowing down the aspects of all of those results that I really like. The many glaze experiments have provided me with some beautiful colours  that complement each other well. I’ve refined the surface techniques that most appeal to me and have added them to some of the new forms I’ve been creating. And most importantly I’m having such fun in my studio, endlessly losing track of time. I’ve been working hard to create a large inventory of work for a few upcoming markets this summer. The first one is the Salt Spring Island Guild Show which runs from May 12th - May 18th. I won’t be there but my work will and I’m so happy to be participating as a part of the SSI Pottery Guild.

One of the aspects of getting my work out there is how to share it. Up until now my main outlet for selling my work has been my online shop which I’ve always been grateful for. For years I’ve had the privilege of sending my work out all over North America, often times receiving photos of it living in your homes. (one lucky mug lives in France) It has always been a wonderful way of sharing what I’ve been making with you and that isn’t changing. However I’ve had some challenges with shipping lately. One issue has been regarding tariffs which thankfully has only come up a few times. The other is around calculating the cost of shipping. In my last sale two of my customers lived in more remote areas. And by remote I don't necessarily mean a small island like we do but just not in the metropolitan area of a city. When I went to ship their pieces, they were more than double what I had charged.  The cost of shipping is no joke my friends. It's shocking sometimes to see how expensive it can be. Ultimately I reached out to those customers and we decided that it wasn't worth the amount it would cost to ship and that is not something that I can afford to absorb. I struggle with shipping because I know how expensive it seems when you are in the process of purchasing my work. I also know how often I don't actually cover the shipping with what I charge and that isn't sustainable. I’m trying to figure it all out and it may just mean that occasionally something will be refunded due to excessive shipping costs. 

In the mean time I’ve been planning something that I've done a few times for people and that I'm really excited about ~ a private shopping opportunity. I have been blessed with some incredible customers over the years. Occasionally they reach out if they've seen something on my Instagram or something that I've made in the past that they've purchased and would like more of. I don't currently do custom work but occasionally if there's something that I've made I will make extra if someone's interested. There's something that feels wonderfully aligned with how I want my business to function and feel when I consider offering a curated shopping experience. It’s a bit like virtually welcoming you into my studios. If you are looking for a special gift or something for your own home, a piece you've seen that you haven't had the opportunity to purchase but would love to have, I welcome you to reach out. I'm happy to send you images of what is available and work with you on purchasing pieces that you love. That would enable me to accurately calculate shipping when sending work out. If that’s something you’d be interested in please let me know and I can send you a personal email which would include photos of pieces of work you may be interested in. You can reach me at kim@kimtaylor.co

There is a lot of work coming through the studios these days and while much of it is meant for my summer markets, I would love to share some of it with those of you who aren’t able to attend. Please reach out with any questions you may have~

Happy spring friends~

x