Stuck



A few weeks ago I received a copy of Tony Clennell's new book STUCK IN THE MUD in the mailbox. Tony is still standing by his mailbox looking for a check he thinks I sent him. SHHHH ! For a $24 investment you get the life story of someone who has been in this business since , well before most of you were born. Back when man was busy trying to climb out of that primordial ooze, Tony dove in head first. As a small boy on the great plains of the frozen Hell called Canada he had to trudge through waist deep snow and make his way up the buffalo trace to get to school. There were hungry bear and roving bands of Sioux on both sides. Were it not for his trusty wolf pup Shep he may never have survived. Even so, little Tony made it through school and learned to make pots from his uncle Jimmie. With a business school degree in hand he did the only logical thing, he hung out a shingle and started selling pots to passers by. I think they were mostly French trappers but trading mugs for beaver pelts enabled him to eke out a meager living (meager= great for a potter) . Life and years intervened and many adventures and moves later, Tony and wife Sheila are still at it.
I'm not going to spoil it by telling you about the pirates, the storms at sea, or his time in the Queen's service as 006 1/2 .

I can tell you he knows a good hat, a good whiskey, and a good joke. He knows how to do what he has loved to do for all his adult life and manage to earn a living from it. And especially, he knows how to weave a good story. This is not a book about how to make pottery, it is a book about making the choices that allow you to stay in the game. It is a book about the past and future of the craft and Tonys' struggles and choices that got him where he is.

Since I started reading the book, my sales are up, I have lost 10 pounds, I've been sleeping like a baby and I think my hair is thicker. Women stare at me as I walk through the market and yesterday I made $10 singing and playing guitar. Usually people pay me to not sing but apparently the times are a changin' . I won't guarantee that you will have the same results if you buy the book but I will guarantee that it will be $24 well spent. Find out how to get yours at http://smokieclennell.blogspot.com. Thanks for stopping by.