Eating the Elephant

I don't know about you, but when I start something new, I can't stop thinking about it. Ideas are always running around my head and then I don't know where to begin. Today I decided to take the role of "the boss" and come up with "a plan" to give to my "employees". So tomorrow, I will be the employee and start to Eat the ELEPHANT!

How to EAT AN ELEPHANT.... one bite at a time. There are so many ideas - nothing more important than the other... just a jumble for now. Thanks boss lady!

Tallahassee Clay Arts IDEA LIST

Host a DESIGN OFF 1st 2nd and 3rd Design awards for an area business or area organization. Come up with 3 or 4 ideas in finished clay to market to potential clients. Designs must be able to read specific winner information and be reproducible. Partner with area businesses to see if they would be interested in judging or promoting

Host DESIGN OFF – Tree Tributes Design plaques for installation in area parks to memorialize those who have planted trees on behalf of love one.

Host a DESIGN OFF – Donor Boards You know you’ve seen them. It is a way for organizations to thank their donors. Come up with a few designs and let’s market them to area businesses.

THINGS FOR MEMBERS…

• Ask someone to PUG our dry clay. Reclaim 25# buckets of dry clay for $5? Perhaps?

• Have a day for PHOTOGRAPHING wares. Set up a photo booth and have folks come over to do a photo shoot. We can have 2 or 3 sets going on at once.

• Set up a way members can list items they would like to give away, need, or want help with on the website. A “Freecycle” for members. This could be an app on Tally Clay Arts.

• Have meeting or session where individual members learn to create their own webpage. Help each other learn how to use social media to best promote each other.

• Set up a way for members to send “shout outs” and news about events they are in, artists they have seen, awards they have won, call to artist people should notice. This would be an app on Tally Clay Arts???

• Go on a field trip to the North Florida Home Show in Tallahassee February 6-8th at the Tallahassee Civic Center. This show sells home related goods and products. This would be a see what it is and find connections locally. $7 Fun times?

• Have fun at our meetings. One meeting we could have a “Facebook” event. Each person makes self-portrait in clay! Make THAT our facebook image

• Arrange trips to clay workshops or points of interest outside of Tallahassee.

• HAve demos at meetings

• Promote member workshops

BUSINESS IDEAS AND EVENTS

• Share a booth at the Downtown Market for a year. Need to collect sales tax (have business license) must apply, $45 initial application with $30 per event fee??. Could do this under the “Tallahassee Clay Arts” banner – and have 2-3 artists come with their wares on specific dates.

• Partner with area businesses to have retail events. Lucky Goat + Mugs for Christmas?; Native Nursery + Mosaic tiles and/or Tallahassee Nursery + outdoor ornaments? Fermentation Lounge + Beer steins? Other businesses that we can create a win-win? Should be time limited "event" or "pop up" to use current lingo.

• Have an art gallery hop where we open our studios up to the public and publish a map (have flag/signs up). Each artist that has an open house can also have additional members to have a large inventory. Have about 5-6 homes open on a weekend before Christmas.

PROMOTING ARTISTS

• Get stories in the Tallahassee Democrat, the Chronicle, Tallahassee Magazine, Tallahassee Women Magazine, 850 Magazine.

• Write stories about members and the interesting things they do. Have members be able to submit their stories for inclusion in our “blog” This can be a resource as we approach an event and want coverage. We can have a bank of artists already written about and use this to start specific stories for coverage.

• TWEET all events and shout outs of individual artists. (learn how to do this)

• Promote Tallahassee Clay Arts at the Downtown Market

• Have a table at First Friday in Railroad Square to attract more members to TallyClayArts

BIGGER COMMUNITY IDEAS... Connect to Business

• Become a KCCI Catalyst – applications open October 1st (See if we qualify to be one of 15 causes backed by this group) (Knight Creative Community Institute www.kccitallahassee.com)

• Research if City and County has space to SUBSIDIZE. Find locations in down town Tallahassee for SUBSIDIZED space. Dream: Find an under-utilized space that the City or County are willing to lease us for a fraction of market value.

• Design and come up with ways to add public art to Cascade Park and other public areas in Tallahassee. Find out if there are backers for this.

• Connect with area architects and art specifiers to find commission work for artists

• Be connected on MoreThanYouThought, TallyConnection, COCA, Visit Tallahassee.com #Iharttally,

• Go to Chamber events.