It took a pandemic and home-sheltering to get me to do a blog post again. I am an online noob, compared to my potter peers who have a grasp of marketing themselves and sharing their journeys regularly. I think Instagram has been more immediate in sharing my progress.

My day-job is in flux, so I guess the attempt here is to do the right thing with the side-hustle or at least share with my family. I read an article about COVID influencing a “passion economy” whereby those of us who do have a side passion establish that hustle to where it helps in these economic times.

So here I am. Not sure how best to go about it (I know.. sit down and make a plan), but I have been busy making. My basement studio is still being developed slowly. I’ve built work tables and have divided the throwing area, storage and ware processing to their respective progress stages.

The basement studio in April

I have laid out an area to install a sink some time, but for now.. I still carry buckets up and down as-needed and chalk it up to staying active. 🙂

On a kiln/firing note, I’ve acquired a generous donation of another electric kiln in the garage – a Cress. It had the wrong plug configuration, but I was able to change the plug and fired it up for a test bisque! I currently have enough bisqued material for a glaze firing hopefully next week. I’ve also acquired a 35 gallon barrel to build my raku kiln, but that is a back-burner project.

I’ve also been doing the woodworking thing regularly. Anything to keep the mind and hands busy. And I guess that’s the rub against being too involved with the online stuff. Always tough to find a balance.

On a local note, because of COVID, the Guild had cancelled their Spring sale and AFAIK, the Fall show is still in planning stages. The Guild sales are the only places I had actively sold, but some more professional artists (@priscillacohanceramics and @tammylynnceramics) have organized a small sale that I can help promote below:

So family and friends… #staystrong. Looking forward to days ahead where we can see and greet each other openly and without the masks and elbow-bumps. Hope you are all well.