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Rock Johnsen | Episode 973

Rock Johnsen is a sculptural surrealist ceramic artist focusing on functional work which integrates anatomy and Crystallines chemistry to address social issues and make science more accessible in a tangible manner.

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How do you keep perspective when you are going through all the emotions of trying to start a new gig?

For me, I mostly try to avoid disappointment. I think disappointment is the biggest hurdle that you can deal with. So giving yourself realistic expectations in the beginning is the best way to go about it. When you sign up for your first show and you are getting all of your stuff together and you don’t know how it’s going to go, set baseline expectations. At this show I just want to make my money back for the table.  You know, that’s the only goal. It’s not to do anything but make my money back this first time. And everything I do here, I am learning to talk about my work in a way that is interesting to people. The baseline is I get my money back and this is a great learning experience for how I am going to present myself in the future.

How do you know when it’s time to pull the trigger?

For moving on and making the transition?

Yes. Exactly. 

When your other job is preventing you from growing, that’s when you make the change and it’s going to feel like it’s too early. It’s always going to feel like it’s a little bit too early. And this is where the faith part comes in. You have to have a little bit of faith in your ability.

Do you see your sales spike during the Halloween season, leading up to it?

I absolutely don’t. (laughter) In all honesty Christmas is the best time. I get a lot of, This is not necessarily for me but my niece, or my nephew, or my brother. Everybody knows someone who likes what I do and that is sort of where I do best.

How do you price your work to not only honor the time spent making it but also honors the creativity of the work?

Pricing the work is always the most complicated part. So what I do is I take the cost of the materials that go into the pot. So a pound of clay, an eighth of a pound of stain or whatever it might be and I double to cost of whatever the expenses are of the object and I pay myself a reasonable hourly wage. I pay myself between twenty and thirty dollars an hour depending on how complicated the design work is. So that is sort of my baseline.

Do you schedule your time? Do you have a making calendar?

No. I do this all day long. I kind of have ADHD so I live my life in 30-45 minute increments. (laughter) So I do something for an hour and then I do something else for an hour and then I do something else for an hour.

 

Book

The Best of Me by David Sedaris

Contact

rockjohnsen.com

Instagram: @mixed_potter