The Messy Middle (Studio Update)

I’m in the messy middle of my latest project. Drywall, electrical wires, pink insulation rolls. Multiple trips to Home Depot for each stage of the process. Sound familiar? Then maybe you’ve converted a garage to a studio too!Late in 2022, I spoke the words aloud: I’m going to make my own ceramic studio in our garage. Maybe not these precise words, but you get the gist. Something about saying things out loud gives them heft. Would I back away, change my mind, let the words drift off in the wind? These are all honorable options. Course correction is valid. Looking at an idea in broad daylight shifts one’s perspective and perception. What felt energizing and bubbling with potential may lose its energetic force once set free in the world beyond your head. For any number of reasons it’s okay to let something go.

An idea whose time had come

But it was time to hold on and go to work. Stepping into action felt, and still feels, exhilarating and a little scary. I’m betting on my own passion. (Deep Breath) Putting time and money into a dream. (Deep Breath) And there are no guarantees around how “successful” this will be if measured by capitalistic market value metrics. (I’m not measuring.)Why my own garage studio? Right now I have access to a studio with excellent lighting, expansive workspace, lovely kiln, and all sorts of tools. So why my own space? I work alone. Want I long for is a place where I can invite folks to join me in the joy of creating with clay. Offer workshops, mentor beginners, play and explore any day and any time. I’m after something super sexy: freedom.Also sexy: collaboration!Click HERE to see a short reel of the process/progress/messy middle. Look for the "new to me" kiln in the reel. YES, I have a kiln!!!! It comes with all of the good juju of an 80-year-old ceramicist who used it long and well and is now moving across country. Look for her in the reel too. I’m on pause in the messy middle as I write. The heat of summer slows things down. Side-eye at Southern California in July. I’m on the schedule to prime and paint the textured walls, but whew! I have to get up very early to beat the heat of a several Sundays for that work. It will happen. I value process and hold space for the changing rhythm of progress unfolding at a human pace.

In the meantime

I can make ceramic spoons at home.

Spoons are a pivot for the conceptual project Empty that I introduced HERE. Instead of thousands of bowls, I envision thousands of spoons. More details on this ahead.This week I worked at the Goeske Center in air conditioned bliss until a class came in to use the space. I’m also hunting things for the studio: a sturdy counter-height sink and counter-height worktables. Once the space is complete, I’ll let you know. If you live in Riverside, California, I’ll be sharing my studio calendar and offerings. And one more thing: There will be Open Studio Sale days. All of the lovely dishes I’m making need to find good homes.Perhaps you too are in some kind of messy middle. Know that you are not alone.