a year of clay

I am always humbled by the wheel. Centering, opening, pulling are all moments when things can go terribly wrong. But even if they don't, even if you manage to throw a vessel that comes off the wheel resembling something that might be adequate, there are so many more opportunities to fuck it up. The drying, the trimming, the glazing. But in each of these harrowing and seductive processes, there is also room for magic. Something surprising, delightful can always occur. 

As you can imagine, the metaphors abound. 

So take each moment carefully. Don't rush, don't let the clay boss you around, don't try to take any shortcuts. Or, if you're lucky you might do one or all of these things I've warned against and still turn out with something quite useful. Beautiful, even.