A lump of clay
and a wonky pot. So my first experiences with clay since primary school weren’t exactly successful, but it was fun, entertaining, and interesting. The kind of interest that a year working mostly from home and limiting social exposure due to the COVID-19 pandemic had demonstrated that I needed in my life more than ever. Ultimately a hobby!
My interest in pottery started in December 2020. After 9 months of isolating myself, watching our social lives wither, and working from home, I managed to fill my time watching competitive reality craft shows. I’d started with various baking programs from Netflix’s “Nailed It” to the “Great British Bakeoff” and while impressive (especially the sugar creations, and cake making) they just didn’t keep my attention. Next, I switched between glass blowing from “Blown Away” to weapon smiting in “Forged in Fire.” Both are incredibly cool pastimes, and both are considerably dangerous not to mention expensive. I finally started watching “The Great Pottery Throw Down” and I was hooked. I watched all the available episodes and felt an overwhelming desire to get my hands muddy. After all, it didn’t look that hard… Geez was I wrong!
When I ran out of seasons of “The Great Pottery Throw Down” I quickly turned to YouTube finding a mix of educational and inspirational content on Ceramics from a variety of creators. My biggest problem, however, I didn’t have a wheel, clay or any of the tools to try my hand at the craft. I’d tried raiding my son’s Crayola Air Dry Clay, but it just wasn’t the same. Without a wheel or any creative sculpting talents myself, I knew the only way to satisfy my curiosity for the art form was to find a wheel, some real clay, and a space to start throwing things.