Press Release: Kickstarter, here I come!

            I have some exciting news! In the next couple of days, I will be launching a Kickstarter project. What is Kickstarter, you ask? The people who created it explain it here.
            What is my project for? As those of you who have been following this blog will know, I am well on my way to having a functioning ceramics studio here in the barn at Riverdragon Ceramics. But I do not have a kiln. My goal is for this studio to be fully functioning and as self-sufficient as possible. I am an independent spirit, and I want to do everything myself - I want to take clay and work it into the shapes I want, I want to do my own bisque firings, my own glazing, possibly with glazes that I mix myself, and my own glaze firings in my own kiln, right here at home. I now have the capability to do all of that... except for the firing, which is arguably the most important, and the most expensive, part of the process.
            I am so excited for this project! I have been planning and preparing all summer for this. The rewards you will get for pledging to my project will all be hand made here in my barn-studio by me, and fired in the new kiln. I am offering a wide array of objects for pre-order, and if you like what you see but want something specific, like "I like the sgraffito bowls! But can you do a gryphon instead of mushrooms?" I will make you a custom piece. Since I am in charge of the whole process, it costs me little to nothing to make such changes, and I love to make special things that will be cherished by the recipient. (Also? If you're pledging to this project, you are helping me get my first kiln, and as such you have my eternal gratitude and I would make any adjustments you want, within reason, to the reward for the pledge level you chose.)
            I have a place in the studio all ready to go for the kiln. All it needs is fire proofing (it is, after all, an old wooden barn), which I will begin doing once the Kickstater project is launched. I have a nice strong fan for ventilation that I will install above the kiln. I have had an electrician who is experienced in installing kilns look things over and let me know what is feasible in the space. So I'm ready to go; all I need is the kiln!
            So now you know what I was doing in July rather than posting here. Never fear; with this post I am returning to the usual arrangement of several posts per week. My project is undergoing the approval process at Kickstarter as I type this, and I expect it to come out the other side with a big red "approved!" stamp in the next couple of days. Stay tuned for the web address of my project! I will announce it here as soon as it is available to me!
            I am planning a series of posts about the various rewards I'm offering, the particular kiln I'm planning to get and why, and other odds and ends that may come up. Check back often!