I made a lot of mud pies when I was a kid. I was lucky enough to spend my summers at my Grandparents ranch in Grover, Utah. There was a stream running behind the house that my cousins and I would spend all day playing in the red Wayne County mud.
Growing up pottery was something I always wanted to try but never got around to. My oldest daughter Sage is currently studying ceramics and art in collage. My brother felt the same desire and made himself a little pottery studio; I was crazy jealous of the two of them. Then it occurred to me that I didn’t need to be jealous, I needed to DO. So, I took my first lesson and was hooked.
With the support of my fantastic husband, it did not take long to go from my first lesson to getting my very own wheel. Then things escalated pretty quickly. I got my wheel for my birthday in Oct 2021 and took over a corner of the garage. Now have a kiln and use up at least 75% of the garage (much to my husband’s dismay, although he is still trying to be incredibly supportive).
Ceramics have taught me to let go of the outcome. Things break (a lot) somedays it’s hard to get something centered on the wheel for no good reason and somedays when I sit down at the wheel to make a bowl, it ends up being a ghost.
It’s taken over my life, I wake up in the morning and can’t wait to get out into the ‘studio’ to see what I end up creating that day. Being a mostly self-taught potter, I make a lot of mistakes and try my best to laugh about them.
When I’m extra lucky my other daughter Taj will join me in the studio. She has such a great eye for design and helps me glaze and figure out what a piece should look like. If you are lucky, you may just end up with a piece with her name on the bottom too.
Anyway, if you need me, I will be in my studio, singing along to my music, laughing at myself and loving every moment of it.
~ Leea