Whynot Pottery Blog

Jen Mecca had a great post about being a potter and being a mother.
The balancing act of both.
In fact for most of us it is also about being a partner,a daughter, mother, son, brother, father and all those things.
We are potters, yet, our lives are so much more.
To be a potter it helps to be with someone who understands the following:
I can't because I have to, throw this order, trim bowls, put on handles, fire a kiln, unload a kiln, pack and ship and so on.
If you make pots or work in clay you know it is like a good comic.
It is all in the timing.
When it is time it is time. Or you just have to face losing the work.
For our families and love ones this is what we do.
If we are lucky they understand.
When Mark and I started this I was talking to a potters wife.
Her words to me were , "you understand this."
" Understand what?", I did not get it at first.
She went on to say, " you understand why he can't drop everything and just walk away."
"Oh, that - well yes."
It is hard, it does take time and timing.

I love the question of when do you do blank.
Well, you do it when the clay is ready.
So much of what we do we do by feel.
Is the clay too wet?
Too dry?
Or like Goldilocks is it just right.
So back to family.

One of the main reasons I chose to become a potter, beside the one of the love of clay, was the fact I could
A. work from the farm and not go work in a surrounding town at a mill, which I did do while we were getting the business started.
B. I would be home when my kids were home.
I did not want someone else to rear them.
The benefit was not only would I be here, but so would their father.
We were here to get them off to school, and pick them up.
We could rearrange to go on field trips, we brought clay into every class they had through middle school and then again in high school.
I worked from 8:30 until 2:30 for many years.
Pottery was my job and I took it as such, but when the kids were home, I was more in tune to them.
As they grew older I could work longer hours.
I don't regret this at all.

Christmas was especially taxing and hard on all of us.
We did all those things you do while you are rearing kids.
( someone one told me you raise pigs you rear children- it made me laugh)
There are times clay can wait.
There are times it just can not.
So as I look back on the past years I will never regret those years here with the kids and the madness of it all.
I am sure going through pictures has me reflecting on all of this- but
I still find my children are some of the finest people I know.
I enjoy their company and I know we are both happy that they have found great people to be with.
So for now let the clay rest and let the Holidays beginning.
Cheers!
M