Hobbies

This has been a year of uncharted waters for me. Weaving my way through my relentless grief, writing a novel, and... you guessed it. I'm learning how to throw pottery! My time on the pottery wheel has been most therapeutic! Who knew that throwing a lump of clay on a potter's wheel and fiddling with it could be soooo relaxing!

This was not my first attempt at throwing pottery on the wheel. I went to an arts/crafts workshop in Berea Kentucky with my dear friend, Marsha about five years ago. Truly wonderful experience. With one exception, my pottery throwing class. I was BAD at it. I am not a natural at this at all, and the instructor I had in Berea wasted no time in letting me know just how much I sucked. It was a three-day class and a bailed on the last class because the instructor was so negative and made me feel like a worthless human because I was incapable of centering that lump of clay and forming it into anything remotely useful.

Last summer, my friend Deena suggested we take a pottery class together. I thought, umm, no thanks. According to my Berea teacher, I'm a hopeless case. But I decided to give it another try and signed up with her for wheel throwing at the Riverside Pottery studio in downtown Cape Girardeau. Remember that little building next to Old St. Vincent's? The old synagogue? It's in there! Very cool building! The owner/instructor, Rob Lorenz, has a whole different teaching method. He makes you feel like every little weird-shaped bowl or cup you throw is a work of art.

I have found that sitting at the potter's wheel, wet clay whirling around my clasped hands, takes over my brain and allows me function without grief for a couple of hours. And bonus, I've actually made bowls and cups that I use every day! I love them!

I'm halfway through my third class now. I'm starting to be able to get a little bit of height on my mugs, but dude, I can flat out make me a bowl!!

Big thanks to Deena for getting me started and big thanks to Rob and Riverside for showing me the way!

Hope you all have a lovely day and thanks for taking time to read my little musings!