One Potter's Story

Pottery collector to Potter - this is the story of my journey - one, that until not long ago, I would never have imagined I would take.

The journey began many years ago when I received a piece of hand-crafted pottery as a gift. It wasn’t shiny and pretty, it was raw, rough and earthy. I loved it then and I still have it and love it today. I started collecting hand-made pottery, searching for pieces that spoke to me whether it was through shape, function, texture or colour. I was drawn to pots that made me want to pick them up — hold them, cup them, caress them, drink and eat from them — and also pots whose function recalled long ago traditions of use.

As my collection grew, I began to think about the who, the what, and the how of hand built pottery — the alchemy that would see dirt transform into pots. The next leg of my journey lead me to our local Arts Centre where I began to take pottery classes. I was hooked! The fwump, fwump, fwump rhythm of the kick wheel, the ‘dug from the earth’ smell of the clay, the wonder of seeing the walls of a pot rise from the lump of clay, the Christmas morning excitement of seeking out my finished pieces, all resonated deeply within me.

A few years ago, life took one of those turns that gave me an opportunity to follow a dream - getting serious about being a potter. I began a year and a half of taking Ceramics and other Fine Arts classes at our local university college and attending as many ceramic related workshops as I could. At the end of my time at school, I came to realize that I still had much to learn and that my education as a potter and ceramicist would never end.

My first love is making wheel–thrown pottery, producing functional wares that can be used in all areas of the home. Occasionally I diverge into using hand–building and mold–making techniques, including molds for a line of tiles inspired by the nearby ocean and seashore. My wonder and enthusiasm for the making of handcrafted pottery and ceramic art has only grown stronger over time.

I am a POTTER!

Unemployed?

Officially I am now unemployed. Or at least unemployed from the perspective I will no longer get a regular paycheque. My continuance has ended and Feb 29th was my last official day with the big T. I was thinking it should somehow feel momentous - but it wasn't/isn't. I hardly thought about it. When I added occupation details to my blog profile I realized I could put in 'Arts' and 'Potter' without feeling like I was an imposter. You know - looking at it as something I was playing at while collecting a cheque from something else. It now really is what I do and what I have become.

So no, I am not 'unemployed'. I have no income as yet and no more safety net but I really am a potter! Time to get on with it and make it so!

The beginning.....

....my first ever blog. I had to start sometime. Me, the reluctant techy. Always facinated by technology, but never an early adopter. I understand it. It's not a mystery to me and I'm not intimidated by it but society's ever increasing engagement with technology somehow repels me so I drag my heels whenever something new comes along.

Briefly skimming through Wikipedia definitions on blogging, I see I am coming on board 10 years after blogging first started. Who knew?