how inspiration flows

diving into the magic behind my creative process

I’m at the beginning stage of gently, slowly pulling an idea from my mindscape and forming into the physical world. That makes me sound like a magician, which I suppose I sort of am. Do you want to hear how the magic unfolds, in real-time?

It begins with a slow seep of inspiration - sometimes it’s in a dream, remembered hazily as early morning light filters in through leaves of the tree out back; sometimes it’s in a gentle curve of a brownstone stoop or an angular form of a fire escape railing. This time, it began at dinner with friends a couple weeks ago, as Meagan poured me a glass of wine in the sweetest amber cup.

I wish it were so easy: an idea is handed to me with chilled red wine, I run with it, voila! But my creative process has its own way. The inspiration insists on soaking, sometimes for a week or two, sometimes for years. It marinates with other ideas and thoughts and dreams and conversations. It’s immersed with small daily moments as I go about the living of a life. I never quite know when it’s ready, it rarely announces itself. I may think it’s time and give a gentle nudge, only to find it falling flat. Maybe next year. 

I hope the sweet cup I played with this week is ready, but all I can do is anticipate and be there, ready to usher it into life, should it choose. I spent an afternoon last week throwing a similar form again, again, again, again, again. Each form was never quite right - until it was. I wish I could capture the glorious feeling sliding the one off the wheel. I wish I could bottle it up and share it with you. That feeling of knowing the inspired idea just might be shifting from my mindscape and settling into reality.
If this sweet cup is ready for it’s debut in the earthly world, I’ll share more of it’s journey in the coming weeks, so you can follow along with the creation of a piece in real-time: from swirly ideation to physical formation to finding it’s way home. 

May this sweet cup be ready to enter the world and may my hands guide it with ease.
May we all have the space to let our inspirations marinate, and the courage to bring them into the world when they’re ready.

• I’m out on Governor’s Island chatting about and selling my pottery today! If you have a free Sunday in NYC, stop by this afternoon! x

• I’ve been thinking so much about the vases I made on retreat in the desert last winter. They have this dreamy, earthly energy to them. See?

• A vibe collaged from Pinterest images this week:

• My messy studio photo this week: a sneak peek at the sweet cup forms before I got to the one.

Thank you, thank you for being here and reading my words.