The beginning!

I have always wanted to learn pottery.  One of the things that stopped me from learning besides the fact that I don't like to leave the house, was the cost of everything.  I knew that if I took the course I would want all my own stuff, wheel, kiln and everything else that goes with pottery, which is a lot.
 
Within in two weeks of lessons I was hooked and began trying to figure out how I could make pottery in my own home.  My husband was amazingly supportive and every time I said, "well that won't work", he had a solution.  For example my question was, "where would I clean my buckets" because I didn't want to plug up the drains.  So he put in a sink that drains right into the ground.  "Where would I throw" because it is Very messy, he said, "how about the storage room,  we could put all are storage stuff in the old cistern". 

I started looking for used equipment, without much success, so for my birthday my hubby said he would buy me a wheel, which is about $1200. new.  So I was then looking for a used kiln because new they are anywhere from $3000-$20,000.  Not even close to my realm of possibility.

During this time of looking we had a missions conference at our church.  This young man shared a powerful message of giving up everything for Jesus, material possession, home, everything, him and his wife were on their way to Turkey to live as missionaries.  I was so convicted that I just laid on the floor and told God that I lay down my desire for pottery if it wasn't his will for my life.  After the service My husband told me that during worship he saw a picture of a potter forming a jug.  I thought how funny is that, I was laying down my desire and God was showing my husband at the same time a picture of pottery.

So with renewed energy I started looking again.  I phoned a lady that I knew had a kiln for sale even though I knew it was sold.  I thought maybe I could be put on a list in case the other lady backed out.  While talking to her, she told me of a lady that lived close by, that was also selling her kiln.  I gave this lady a call and not only was she selling her kiln, she was selling everything.  2 kilns, wheel, clay, chemicals for mixing glazes, wedging table, lots and lots of wooden bats, seriously everything I needed and more for, drum roll please, $750..  So of course I said we would take it all!

That night we cleaned out the storage room and put everything from the storage room into the cistern.   My husband found two signs in the cistern from the previous owner, God is so funny and amazing, if there was any doubt I was suppose to do this, there wasn't after seeing these signs.

I was in disbelief, no way, this is crazy, who has sign's like that in storage!  There is so much peace when you know you are in the center of God's will.

The lady I bought everything from was so happy that it was going to someone as excited about pottery as she used to be.  She bought everything from a potter that was moving.  At the time she was very pregnant, so didn't get to use anything, turned out her baby had down syndrome so she never did get to use the supplies in the 8 years that she had it.

My husband is amazing!  While I am drinking coffee and writing this post he is painting my new gift store.  Might have a bit to do with the fact that the pottery is taking over the house.  This is my living room, seriously, no room to put the stuff I took out of the kiln last week.

I will post pictures of the gift store when he is finished.  My husband (Todd) is even making me crates out of old pallets to display pottery in.  He is very good to me!

Spiritual insight from a bowl!

I love how I can be making a bowl and at the same time learn something very deep spiritually.  One time in particular, I was making some large bowls out of my reclaimed clay.  I was making large bowls so that I could use up the clay faster.  I hate reclaimed clay, it is so much harder to work with but being a new potter I have a lot of it, it comes from the trimmed off pieces, stuff that doesn't turn out, etc.  Continuing with my story, I was making a large bowl and I could not get the clay centered.  I didn't want to give up, I just wanted to use the clay and be done with it.  So even though I couldn't center the clay I went ahead and made the bowl.  When it came time to raise the walls it was wobbly, so I slowed the speed way down and gradually brought the walls up.  I really didn't think that the bowl would be very pretty but when I trimmed it up I carved a design in it and was quite pleased.  To my surprises when I flipped the bowl over their was a speck of wood stuck in the side of it, no wonder I couldn't get it centered.  Let me back up a little.  I threw the bowl Monday night, Tuesday morning I went to ladies prayer at my church and we prayed about seeing people the way that God sees them, not judging the speck in them but overlooking that and just loving them.   When I flipped the bowl over and saw the speck of I immediately picked it out (oh how I wish I had left it, at the time I did not get the spiritual connection at all).  That night I was visiting with my pastor and he mentioned how someone can do one thing wrong and that's what people remember, they could of had years of good but people see that one bad thing and can't see beyond that.  So I shared with him that we had been praying about that in the morning, (pretty cool).  Still not getting the spiritual connection, I randomly told him about my bowl.  He immediately said, "I think there is a lesson in that", and I said, "NO I like my clay to be perfect, I don't like using reclaimed clay, I like fresh clay straight from the bag"!  I do a lot of thinking while driving and on the way home after saying that I started to put the pieces together, wow!
God delights in using reclaimed clay, that's all he uses, he takes our messed up lives and gently works us together and then starts to form a vessel for His purposes.  He is not concerned about our specks, He just slows the speed down and gently forms us.  I wish I hadn't picked out the speck because it would of just burned up in the fire.  I like people to be perfect and when they are not I quickly without even thinking about it, pick out their speck, in the process hurting them.
The scripture I have been referring to is Matthew 7:3, "Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?"
I need to be more gentle with people because none of us, are without specks or logs.  However it wasn't long after this revelation, that I tried picking out a speck, in someone, Again.  The good thing is I recognized it and hopefully in time, I  will not even see the specks!  Also I am learning to love reclaimed clay, okay maybe love is too strong of a word but like.  When you use reclaimed clay you are literally taking waste and making something useful and often beautiful.  When I use new clay I expect it to turn out, and when it doesn't I am very disappointed.  I get much more delight in a piece when it turns out if it was made from waste.  God picks us up out of the miry clay and sets our feet on a rock, also scripture.  We are the reclaimed clay, I was a mess without Jesus!  I love how he is molding me and shaping me.  I have even gone in the fire a few times and had some specks burned out but that is another story a very painful story, I am sure we could all insert some hard times in here.  Some times I even need to fire a piece of pottery up to 4 times I have heard of people firing 8 times.  The good thing is, we don't need to change other people, God does that and He is so gentle and patient.  We just need to encourage each other in this journey called life, look for the good, see the work in progress.   Each life is precious, which reminds me of a friend of mine.  I had some pottery that was my beginning  pieces and they were, ugly and heavy and destined for the dump.  My friend came over and rescued many pieces because she couldn't stand for them to be thrown away.  The interesting thing is she is a rescuer of people as well, she sees the best in everyone and hopes for them, believes in them, literally lays her life down for them. as does her husband; they are both such an inspiration to me.
Here is the bowl, can't even tell there was ever a speck.

Kiln opening!!

I love kiln opening days, it is just like Christmas!  I usually don't sleep much the night before and often dream about pottery.  Once you load the kiln it takes about 9 hours to fire, then you have to wait until it cools enough to open, usually a full 24 hours unless you are like me and I am usually in there 3-4 hours early.  I had some wonderful surprises, I tried something different for me and loved it!!!

This is the first time I have made a mug shaped like this but it won't be the last for sure.  I love how it feels in my hands.  I test drove it, and it delights all of the senses, feels nice, looks peaceful and relaxing and of course the coffee was awesome.  Of course I didn't hear anything but this mug made me so happy, that my spirit has been singing all day, not a lie.  My mind is exploding with new ideas and I can't wait to try them!!
Here are a few more things I took out of the kiln.

 

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New Blog

After a full day of loading my kiln, I went to go outside for a nice relaxing hot tub.  I usually wear my shoes, due to the snow but I looked and no snow.  So I took off my shoes and with a little excited hop, because of the lack of snow, I went outside.  Well my feet flew up and my butt/back came down.  My first thought and I am not lying was, "I hope I can sit at my potters wheel", a little addicted I think.
So this morning I thought why not make lemonade out of these lemons and start a blog.  I started pottery in September of last year, so 6 months ago.  I didn't think I would ever get the hang of it and then all the sudden after hours and hours and hours of throwing, I got it.  I am so addicted to the process I don't think I could stop even if I wanted to which I don't.  I love that you can take a lump of clay and make something useful and pretty.
The process of making pottery is healing to the body, not all the chemicals and silica dust which I have heard are quite harmful, but emotional healing.  I don't know if I can attribute it to one aspect, but sitting at the wheel with your hands in the clay while the wheel turns is very meditative.  The parallels with God and how he forms us has been a spiritual healing as well.  I have seen scripture in a new light since starting pottery; some of those things I believe need to be shared.  So I will be sharing as I go, on this blog some of the interesting things God teaches me, as I have my hands in the clay.  I don't know what I learned about my fall except maybe don't trust what you see (black ice) I should of trusted my first instinct which was putting shoes on. 
I hope to be a fairly regular blogger but we shall see.