In the time since I last posted here, very shortly after it, I think, I made a decision to give up jewelry making in order to focus entirely on pottery making which has always been my first and closest to my heart creative love. I will still bead and make necklaces and earrings for myself, friends and family occasionally, but the endeavor will be relegated strictly to hobby, like my knitting. Whereas with pinching ceramics, pottery and clay it is my aim for it to become the larger focus of my life, and hopefully the productive activity that will pay my bills when I'm old. For years I've envisioned myself a cooky old wild-eyed, grey-haired, bohemian, dog mom and obsessed potter living in the remote reaches of some rural community.But instead of moving closer to this envisioning, I've moved farther from it--my energies over time becoming increasingly scattered and dispersed. I feel like I have less time for everything. I'm not sure if it's aging, or Facebook, or technology in general--too much computer, not enough reading, too much doing. Not enough being. The world and my life just seem to be swirling about me like a storm, with no center. I can barely keep my head above the waterline of my own life. Certainly playing its part in my life storm is the tragic family mayhem playing out behind closed doors and now in the courtroom.
So I consciously move toward something simpler, take steps to cut back, to shed and purge, to slow down, to bring more meaning to my days and plans, to act with more consciousness. I'd like to get rid of our television just for the symbolism, but we watch so little and enjoy it so much when we do, that I dont' think it's a valid place to cut. In many ways I wish I'd never given in to facebook. I held off for so long. I try to become more disciplined with it, perhaps log on to it once per week, or only when I have something about Ms. Green-Clean or my pottery to share.
Our Spring term of pottery classes is finished at Cornerstone Pottery Studio and I'm starting a 7-week early Summer class that has 12 students signed up this coming Tuesday. I've grown to enjoy the teaching more over time and I look forward to the community and camaraderie that all the talented women (men never sign up for my class) offer weekly.
I'd hoped to do a summer ceramics workshop, but think I've waited too long to sign up, so am thinking I will create a personal workshop for myself, an intensive pottery-making schedule for at least one week later on. I will push my own limits in place of someone else doing it. I think it's possible.
