Some mornings I wake up and think of all the things on my “Want To Do” list. Every day I see another technique that I’d like to try, item I’d like to make, idea I want to expand on. I think it’s the gift and the curse for every artist – so many possibilities, so little time. With the opening of the studio, that has increased one hundred fold.

I have a kiln, wheel, several varieties of clay, handpicked glazes,  tools, space.

I have inspiration. (oh boy do I have inspiration!)

I have been focused on functional wheel-thrown works for as long as I’ve been working with this fabulous medium that is clay. Mugs, bowls, plates, teapots have been my repertoire and, although I didn’t know it, my limitation. Now with the studio ready, I see endless possibility. I’m not limited to one two hour class per week for the next three months doing specific skill building assignments come up in class. I’m no longer limited by the hours of the community studio, travel time, childcare to allow me to create. Suddenly, I can choose my own skill-building activities, my own timeline, my own experiments.  As long as I have time (which is a whole other post), I can do what I want.

And with that, I’ve been feeling almost overwhelmed. The urge to quit my other (equally loved) job and spend my days rolling, throwing, pulling clay is overwhelming some days.

For now, I’m going to try to define my focus to just a few things so that I’m not scattered – walking into the studio these days and deciding what to DO is taking too much time!

Next up: glaze testing!