Follow the Leaders: The Search for 1,000 True Fans

Enter the Inspirational Pottery and Book Pairings Giveaway (active until January 27th, 2017) and you could win one of 5 Random Cosmic Mugs paired with one of 5 copies of “Tools of Titans” by Tim Ferriss totally free. Tools of Titans is a compilation of nearly 200 interviews that I had already heard before reading the book. This story tells how the lessons and strategies from “Tools Of Titans” have helped the Cherrico Pottery Team and I during our search for 1,000 True Fans.

The reason we are giving away five copies of “Tools of Titans” is because the real world stories in this book have helped me and maybe they can help you. They’re incredible.

“The Tim Ferriss Show” podcast was the precursor to Tools of Titans. I’ve listened to almost every episode. Here is what I learned:

“Don’t take advice from anyone who has not been able to implement the same advice successfully themselves.”

– Tim Ferriss, quoted in his Podcast Episode #144

The reason we’re giving away five free Random Cosmic Mugs is because we simply want to spread more cosmic love here on our Pale Blue Dot. Over 100 Cosmic Mugs have already entered the world for free through our blog giveaways, by giving them out to my friends and by shipping free pots to important people.

You could call giveaways a “marketing strategy” but in some ways they are totally inappropriate and irresponsible.

“Money is to a business what oxygen is to the human body. Cash flow is the lifeblood of business. The bank pumps cash in and out like the heart pumps blood. Sales bring in money like the lungs bring in oxygen. In 2013 I experienced the terror of running out of money, which was akin to feeling suffocated.”

Quoted in my American Craft Council authorship: A Potter’s Journey: Launching a Pottery Business Venture and Fighting to Keep it Alive”

Businesses need revenue. Plain and simple. I’ve felt the suffocating pain of running out of money before. Why should we spend so much time, effort and money giving away free pottery when we need pottery sales to survive?

Since 2014, we have been shipping free Cosmic Mugs to people you might refer to as “celebrity influencers.” Our goal was to get our best pots into the hands of people who are already impacting millions of people in powerful, positive ways.

Here are just a few replies from folks who received Cosmic Mugs as gifts:

Many of these replies brought me to tears. Giving away free Cosmic Mugs let me directly connect with my heroes. If you own a Cosmic Mug, you are in the company of all of these people.

Giveaways are expensive, but they create incredible connections that impact the world in powerful, positive ways. Even with the high expenses, that seems like a worthy goal.

“You are the average of the five people you most associate with.”

– Tim Ferriss, quoted in Business Insider

P.s. Thanks for reading this far! I’m curious…who are people who have impacted your life positively? Scroll down to leave a reply here on our website and we will give you 3 more entries to the Inspirational Pottery and Book Pairings Giveaway (active until January 27th, 2017).

Image sources:

Neil deGrasse Tyson, Chris Hadfield, Seth Godin, Ryan Holiday, Bryan Callen, Tim Ferriss

The “Wow Factor”

Seth Godin describes a “Purple Cow” as an example of something truly remarkable. Any person on the planet who happened to pass by a purple cow would exclaim, “Wow!” It would be worthy of remarking on.

The “wow factor” was how I described my art during college, before I ever heard of Seth Godin. It needed to help people feel a sense of awe. College professors urged me to explore abstract, sculptural art and the result was Mindscape: an art installation with over 1,000 abstract sculptures.


Sculpture doesn’t currently pay the bills. During college, I discovered that pottery could, but needed to change my path. One of the biggest challenges since has been trying to craft truly remarkable pottery that is capable of communicating a comparable, “WOAH!” as stepping inside 1,000+ sculptures.

Purple Cow helped me filter this energy into an original, gorgeous coffee mug, which evolved into the “Cosmic Mug” over years spent finding my artistic voice. Communicating the “wow factor” through photography was another obstacle we had to tackle, while switching from local pottery sales to online sales all over the world.

This photo has the “wow factor” thanks to talented photographer Nicole Pederson.

“If a narrative isn’t working, well then, really, why are you using it? The narrative isn’t done to you; the narrative is something that you choose. Once we can dig deep and find a different narrative, then we ought to be able to change the game.”

– Seth Godin, qtd in “Tools of Titans” by Tim Ferriss, Page 239.


P.s. Seth Godin is also featured at length in “Tools of Titans” starting on page 237. Enter the Inspirational Pottery and Book Pairings Giveaway (active until January 27th, 2017) and you could win one of 5 Random Cosmic Mugs paired with one of 5 copies of “Tools of Titans” totally free.

Have you caught any of our Facebook Live videos?

In just a few months, over 100,000 people from all over the world have tuned in to see the inner workings of my pottery process. Subscribe to our Facebook page here if you want a sneak peak into my studio, where you can ask questions in real time, all from your Facebook.

The next video will be tonight at 7pm CST. Hope to see you tonight! I’ll be unloading a fresh load of Cosmic Mugs and Lunar Mugs from the kiln, as well as some glaze tests of random cups. You get to see them before anyone else on the planet.

cherrico-pottery-facebook-live
Guinness World Record Pot #1 is also available on eBay, now with the lowest possible reserve price ($160). It might sell for less than the value that the pot needs and deserves ($500 retail) but it’s more important to get it out into the world and into the home of a happy pottery collector. Plus, 20% of all profits are going to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. I would rather give them even a small donation than none at all.

Just to sweeten the deal, I’m throwing in one of my best Lunar/Moon Mugs included absolutely free to the highest bidder.

World Record Planter #1 / 159 and Certificate of Authenticity 

+ One FREE Moon Mug

pottery-world-record-handmade-ceramic-pottery-moon-mug

With your purchase of this World Record Planter, you will be directly supporting St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in their clear cut mission: “Finding Cures. Saving Children. Families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food – because all family should worry about is helping their child live.”

That is a worthy cause. If you were considering buying a GWR planter, please consider placing a bid on this planter so your money has a bigger, better impact on our world.

$15 “Grab Bag” Pottery Cups: 100 Available

handmade-ceramic-pottery-cherrico-pottery-cups-edited

If you’re interested in getting a great deal on a pottery cup, you’ll love this deal. You might get a Nuka Iron Cup or a porcelain cup with green or blue. You might even get a Cosmic Cup! If you’re okay with being totally surprised by a completely random cup, letting us bypass individual photography to give you whatever cups I happen to have fresh from the kiln, then we can give you this great $15 deal:

$15 “Grab Bag” Pottery Cups: 100 Available

Here’s my favorite Instagram series, with a painting by Clyfford Still that I’ve been pondering:

cherrico-pottery-instagram-handmade-pottery

95% of Clyfford Still’s artwork is currently stored and displayed at the Clyfford Still Museum in Denver, Colorado. After working alongside Jackson Pollock in New York City, he retreated from the public spotlight and kept the vast majority of his artwork hidden from the world. The fact that he produced such an astounding body of artwork in private gives valuable insights to what can come from a life devoted to following your own artistic voice.

“If your goal is to be universally liked and respected and understood, then, it must mean your goal is to not do something that matters.”

– Seth Godin, Author, from The Paradox of the flawless record

Seth_Godin_in_2009

Cosmic Friday: Ten Free Mugs, Studio Shot and One Cool Quote

Thank you to everyone who entered last week’s Cosmic Mug Giveaway! Five lucky winners have an email in their inbox, ready for a Cosmic Mug shipped almost anywhere in the world, totally free! Didn’t win? Don’t be sad…because I made more Cosmic Mugs and launched an even better giveaway!

Ten Free Cosmic Mugs

These mugs are very difficult to create, but I successfully made a bit batch! I can afford to give them away for just a couple more weeks, before having a HUGE batch available at HUGE price discounts. This giveaway runs for two weeks, so you have an even better chance to win by referrals to friends and family who might get a kick out of getting their own chance to win a Cosmic Mug. Good luck!

Cosmic Mug in front of Galaxy Collision, Cherrico Pottery

If you’re dying to get your hands on a Cosmic Mug, I was able to save just three more jewels available in my online store here. Feel free to use this 30% off coupon code as a thanks for subscribing to my email newsletter: COSMIC30

Otherwise, stay tuned for a HUGE body of cosmic pottery available at discounted prices soon and ready in time for Christmas delivery.

Studio Shot: Cosmic Serving Bowl

Cosmic Serving Bowl Studio Shot

“This is the aspect of the art that interests me…the audience. 

…much more so than the fact that people call it art. Call it craft, I don’t care what they call it….long after I’m dead somebody will figure out what it was and how important it was. In the meantime, I get my kicks out of people seeing the work.”

Dale Chihuly

Dale_Chihuly_2009

Cosmic Friday: Free Mug Giveaway, Studio Shot and One Cool Quote

As a thanks for subscribing to my email list, one of you gets a cosmic mug every week, chosen randomly, totally free! I hope to give more people the experience of using this new, valuable type of art. This week’s winner has an email waiting in your inbox, ready to receive this free mug anywhere in the US or Canada!

9.25.15 Cosmic Mug, Cherrico Pottery

Stay tuned for a huge body of cosmic pottery available at discounted prices soon, ready in time for Christmas delivery.

Studio Shot

Photo by Steve Diamond Elements, HAnds on the wheel

“There’s something about the physicality of clay…a worthless material to most people. Contractors can’t build in it, farmers can’t grow in it. The only worth it has is what you and I give it.”

Don Reitz, qtd. in “A Beachside Chat with Don Reitz and John Balistreri”

Don Reitz, Flagstaff, AZ