Have you ever taken a pottery class? I’ve been feeling pulled to teach my craft in my community and slowly started reaching out to studios around the city this past week. I was thrilled to talk with the owners of the studio around the corner from my old desk job on 25th street. The last few days, memories of my time there began trickling in: the lunch hours spent tucked in the basement glazing wonky bowls as a short daily respite from my nine to five; standing at the tall wooden tables for hours after work, pinching clay into vases and jugs; the glow of the twinkle lights threaded between the mugs displayed in the front windows at the holidays, shiny cheer during cold winter months.
But the real delight was always found down the stairs, where shelves were bursting with finished pottery. The pieces danced among each other as everyone searched for their own, moving a mug here and a bowl there, peeking into a planter to see if a small dish may have slipped inside. I’ll never forget the pure enchantment of spotting my first mug, hidden behind a speckled vase. It wasn’t pretty - the glazes mixed and dripped making an unpleasant yellow color, the handle clunky, the body warped, the base crooked and wobbly. But it was mine!! My hands had formed a mound of clay into this goofy little object. I was so proud, I drank my coffee out of that mug every day in the office around the corner until I finally quit a year later.
It never gets old, finding my finished piece on the shelf or opening a kiln after a firing. It’s always pure delight to see how the underglaze shines, how the drips of glaze slip down the edge of a mug, how the speckles of a new clay body feel like sun-kissed freckles on a newsletter subscriber jug. Pottery is a process of continuous uncertainty with so many factors at play, but the delight that unpredictability brings makes every curve along the way well worth it.
May the pottery in your home remind you to find delight in your days, even when nearly everything feels out of your control.
I’m offering 30% off my three month mindful pottery subscription to newsletter subscribers this week so if you’ve been thinking of joining, now is the time!!! Use code: CLAYCLUBDELIGHT
I scored some acrylic paints at a stoop sale this weekend and am feeling inspired by this stunning painting. I can’t wait to create colorful art that maybe looks blobby but it doesn’t matter because it’s just for me!!
This little community donated $200 to Midwest Access Coalition on Sunday! Grateful to have the support of so many in making little bits of difference during a scary time.