I am living in Cape Town by the sea again, temporarily (I know I’m so fortunate) and I’m working hard on my new day job which I love.
Working remotely for a company as a project and partnerships manager means a lot of screen time.
Numerous projects all held in teetering piles on the edge of my brain.
After spending a lot of time on screens, I can feel my brain’s hardwiring being rewritten.
We are rewiring human brains and a huge shift in our evolution is happening right now.
In 500 years they will make more sense of it than I can right now;
I do know that all of this code – you reading this – me writing this – this screen displaying this – is going to be a pinprick of history in 1,000 oceans. Absolutely insignificant and meaningless.
A depressing thought that inspires me to hand make even more.
To create things that will outlive me, books, images, handwriting on paper, letters, notes.
I finally joined a pottery class and I am kicking myself for leaving it so long.
I’m a teacher of creativity, so going to a class to learn something from scratch, that I know very little about, has been a major revelation for me in the areas of teaching, learning, skills and techniques.
This is all very good for my personal development and for those of you that I teach in the future.
I am smitten with all things clay.
My first finished item was this tiny little pestle and mortar.
Big enough to grind 5 cumin seeds in which is perfect for my needs living on my own in Africa!
It started as a teeny pinch pot that I made in two minutes but then spent two hours just tweaking and sculpting and perfecting.
Holding the clay in my hand made me as old as the mountains and as curious as a child.
Sheer happy sparkles popped in my brain and I realised it was the perfect antidote for my screen life.
Here’s what I have been making so far. Everything is being fired again and might be ready by tomorrow morning.
It’s so exciting. It’s also a slow process which I am really enjoying. There’s lovely ladies, tea, bread and jam and I am complete.
Here’s my vase before firing, it’s a coil pot that has been painted with underglaze.
This is my personal brainwave of genius proportions. I use plastic paint trays for my glue in the studio and I’m fed up with flimsy plastic trays. I’m really excited how this turns out. It will be so much nicer to use. I’m going to go into production if it works out.
Side by side comparison. Everything shrinks 10-15% so I may have to make another if my roller doesn’t fit. Fingers crossed.
A soap dish, rinsing cup and toothbrush holder made in porcelain. I think the holes may fill up with glaze. I am a newbie!
When I leave Cape Town and head back to Essex, I need to find a ceramics studio or buy a kiln or something.
I never want to stop.
Here’s the link to my Pinterest board for Ceramics. Totally. Obsessed. I want to make everything.
