My second pottery course came to an end just before Easter and, compared to when I started out I can see a marked progression … I have made things which would have felt like a distant dream when I started out. I am genuinely very proud of what I’ve made, especially my little elephant teapot which was a labour of love over several weeks. It may be far too small for the quantity of tea I like to drink but it is testament to my developing skills, control and confidence in what I am able to create.
I am proud of something else about this pottery journey too: that I have continued to commit to it, to invest this time and money, just for me. The last few weeks, or maybe months, have not always been easy. For those who know me well, it goes without saying that there has of course been much joy and that overall my life feels rich and fulfilled. But the world has been a lot, and many of the people who make up my communities have been subject to a relentless barrage of uncertainty, hostility or both. My workload, but more significantly the emotional load I carry with those I journey alongside, has taken its toll. The fact that there has been plenty of laughter does not negate the fact that there have also been tears. I have felt closer to burnout than has been healthy, and while I think I have stepped back from the brink, again, I am aware of an increased fragility that has become part of my reality. Hard though I find it to admit, I know that I need to take self-care more seriously.
And so, despite telling myself that I probably wouldn’t continue through the summer, I am back in the pottery studio. Partly it is because I am genuinely really enjoying it and am keen to continue building on my developing skills. But another reason is that I know myself well-enough to know that whatever I tell myself in theory, I won’t find it easy to set aside this very important ‘me time’, unless it is very firmly in the diary.
There may be a full-sized teapot to report on soon!
