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Tim Kowalczyck | Episode 398
Tim Kowalcyck makes another appearance on The Potters Cast. Tim’s last guest appearance was way back in October of 2016 in episode 254. Back then Tim was working multiple jobs and making his “cardboard” cups as a side hustle. Now Tim is full time as a maker of his ceramic creations. In this episode Tim talks about what it took for him to make the transition.
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You are going out on your own. What is the one thing a person has to consider before quitting their day job?
I don’t know. Make sure that you have the income to keep that stable. I think that was the biggest step for me, making sure I didn’t lose anything by going on my own. I had to make sure I had the same amount coming in that I currently had.
When you go out on your own you have to put money aside for taxes. How do you make sure you do your taxes correctly?
I have been really trying to do my due diligence by keeping all the receipts and making sure we are claiming the right things for the business as far as space goes and electric bills and things like that. The tax end of it is going to be kind of weird going into it full time this next year because we haven’t been uber concerned about that until now so this next year I will kind of flush out some of those issues.
Do you rent your space from yourself or from your family?
Well there is a certain portion of tax right off for that but I don’t actually pay myself. The art money that comes in goes into a fund to pay for supplies, travel, materials, and equipment and the overage gets reintroduced into the family account, I guess. So there is a method of paying but I don’t think it has to be a certain amount.
Once a place wants to hire you for a workshop do you charge room and board and travel costs also or do you just charge a flat rate?
So when those opportunities started coming I just did what I normally do and I did my research. I called my friends who had been doing it. So I just kind of followed what seems to be the industry standard. There is a rate per day that you should charge and beyond that it shouldn’t cost anything. So they are paying for travel at some expense. They are usually putting you up somewhere or they are giving you a place to stay. I think I might be a little more flexible. I don’t know because I am not concerned as long as I have some place to sleep.
What kind of tools do you use to keep track of bookkeeping and expenses?
A file folder? Old school. I just print things out when I get paid through PayPal and I save receipts when I buy equipment strictly for the studio. There probably is a better way. This is a new step for me so I am learning as I go.
Is it worth it?
I like it. I get to come out here and visit with a lot of people that I only met on the internet. I get a lot of creative opportunities and I get to do a lot of work that far surpasses it. The only trade off is I am only here for a week and I miss my family desperately. It’s sad but they understand that I am only out here for 18 days and after 18 days I get to go home. When I get home I get to be at home with my kids and they want me to be there.
How important is it to have friends that you can ask any business question?
It’s huge. I wouldn’t be where I am at now if I didn’t have…even if you look back you ask all these little tiny questions like, How did you manage this situation? and they explain it. I just think it is super smart to have that network of friends. Plus by networking with people you keep in contact and you are able to go back to them again and ask several questions.
You and Mitchell Spain had a bit of a rivalry going on a while back. Tell me what your thoughts are of Mitchell Spain?
He’s awesome. I don’t know how else to explain him. We parallel each other in a lot of ways but we are also completely different. He is way more meticulous than I am. I only know from the one workshop that I co-taught with him and some other things where we have hung out either on the internet or had conversations back and forth. I just think I am messier than he would like. He is all pristine with his clean apron and I am covered in mud. I think it is funny that we parallel each other but we are completely different at the same time.
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Cups were all photographed by Eric Botbyl