The New Year has begun.  And although I am optimistic about all 2013 has to offer, 2013 feels different…larger.   Perhaps that is because while I am welcoming the new year, I am also welcoming a new decade of my life and as I am contemplating goals for 2013, I  am also thinking about where I want to go in this new stage of life.DSCN2900

Working in clay has enhanced my life and pushed me beyond who I thought I could be.  But now I am asking myself why I am making pots.  I think that is a question all potters ask themselves.  In fact, it is one I ask all my beginning students.  Answers vary, but basically most of us can’t fight the compulsion to make pots.

That was my initial answer but I think that has changed.  For a while, I made pots in order to make better pots.  Learning how to throw was a challenge.  But having accomplished the basics, it seems appropriate to ask the question again.  Why am I making pots?

I love making pots; and I love the process.   I like planning and investigating shapes and designs.  I love how handmade pots enhance eating a meal and drinking a coffee.  Now, I want to create pots that are beautiful and soulful and I think this is my next pottery quest.