I often count on new things working out the first time I give them a try. Since this rarely happens, I'm not sure why I continue on with this mindset. Perhaps I am a slow learner...
I've been busy making large platters by draping slabs of clay over a plaster hump mold and then adding a coiled foot. As I was making them, it popped into my head that the narrow foot might lead to the platter slumping in the final firing. But they came out of the bisque standing proud and I thought, "Well maybe." This is where the magical thinking kicks in, the voice telling you that something is not going to work gets drowned out by the voice of optimism. I didn't completely ignore that nagging voice, and I did start making the feet wider and thicker.
Fast forward to the first glazed load of these pots. Guess what? Sure enough, the platters did slump and I ended up with a kiln load of lopsided platters. Not what I had envisioned... Have I also been making pots that I knew would work for the holidays? I don't even want to answer that question. Have I been enjoying experimenting with the new? The answer to that question is, Yes!
It's times like these that make me really appreciate Michael Kline's blog, Sawdust and Dirt. In moments of despair, I can come in, check out his blog roll and visit other potters without ever leaving home. It also clues me in that I am not the only one coming up empty handed...
Just last week, while visiting Michael's blog, I found Amy Sanders. I fired off an email to say hello, letting her know I liked her work. She then visited my blog, discovered that I had been on a recent road trip with Jen Gandee and wrote me back to say she had traveled with Jen to an NCECA. Jen's husband was Amy's ceramics professor. That brief connection with her made me feel more connected in general. There is a whole community of mad potters out there making things that are both glorious and down right wrong!
Anyway, these little breaks help me to keep things in perspective, allowing me to take a breath and get back to work, which is where I'm headed now, while chanting in my head, "There is still time, be productive."
I may not set the world on fire with my slumpy platters, but I can make a mean pepperoni roll in the pizza oven. In the end, all is well.
