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Ben Landau | Episode 441
Alterfact is an experimental design studio created by Lucile Sciallano and Ben Landau in 2014. Since graduating from the Design Academy Eindhoven in 2013, Lucile and Ben have worked in tandem on various issues in different mediums. They explore current and future issues and translate them into installations and objects. In this episode Ben tells us a bit of their story.
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Selling. I think people liking my work. Seeing that I can perform, I was a perfectionist at the time so I wanted to see that I know what I am doing, that I am making the right way. An of course, sales. Also, I started teaching, and teaching made me on my toes. Which means if I had to teach somebody how to make a teapot, I had to know how to make a teapot and all these things. So it put me into heavy production\. I was in the studio many, many hours and I saw really nice results so I understood this is a good place to be.
How did you know you were ready to start selling?
Because I was selling not at the beginning of the year, I was working throughout the year and then there was a fair around Easter time so I said, Okay I am going to bring my stuff to the fair. And I saw the people loved the stuff , it is stoking the fire, you know. It makes you feel like, It’s talking to the people, it’s good.
How important is setting goals for testing your dream?
I think it is very important because first of all you have to account for it. If you don’t set goals and have what to wake up for in the morning, it is sort of a limbo. You can sort of get your mind distracted but if you have a map then you know you have to do something. For me it was very important because I couldn’t take off more than a year. I wanted to know that this is a really substantial way of living.
Did you write down goals?
Well, when I have a lot I write them down. Nowadays I write everything down. But, yeah, I do.
How important is it to actually physically write down goals as opposed to saying it in your head?
For me it is like telling someone, Remind me to do this and that. So the words remind me to do this and that. It is the same with writing. The fact that I am writing is making me more aware.
What was the deciding factor to sell your pieces?
The first time I sold my work I was like, Ah, let’s see what goes. Then when a lot of it was sold that gave me the okay to go for it. So the next time, say you made a thousand dollars, So the next time the goal is at least a thousand dollars maybe even fifteen-hundred. So when you set your goals you have to have some kind of gauge. In the beginning I didn’t have a gauge. So slowly, slowly. Also I love teaching. I am learning from them so much that I don’t see myself going without it.
If you had a moment with a young or aspiring potter and they asked you, How should I test my dream? What advice would you give them?
I would say first of all, go and learn it. Study and find a teacher. That is first of all. Second, there are days that you don’t feel like going to the studio. It can happen. You have to make yourself go in, even if it is just for cleaning it. Because it is very easy to be distracted and having a commitment is very important. And failure, it is like Bob Dylan was saying, There is no success like a failure, and that’s failure’s no success at all. A lot of times I find, what we call failure, actually brings us to a lot of discovery.
If you could lead a group anywhere on the planet for a pottery trip, where would it be?
I don’t know because the planet is so beautiful, so many places. Well the one I am familiar with is Europe and Europe has a lot of places. It really depends what makes a person decide, because there are potter’s everywhere. It will be to connect with someone that we can come to and learn so I think it more depends on that then the physical space.
Book
Finding One’s Way with Clay by Paulus Berensohn
Contact:
Instagram: @alterfactstudio