So I picked up pottery again when a friend suggested that as a way to stop living the Dean Martin lifestyle. That was back in 2019, and now – six years later, I’m at a point where I can still belt out Mambo Italiano, but I do it in the studio instead of at the bar.

I was fortunate to take ceramics while in college, but left it for over 20 years as I pursued a career and other endeavors. It took one session at the wheel for the old feelings to come back and realize that the muscle memory was still there, so many years later.

Life is messy and unkempt. It’s wobbly and careens away from our desired outcomes towards some ridiculous conclusion we never saw coming. A little bit of chaos in our lives should be celebrated and embraced rather than pushed away like a bad piece of fish.

Life is a journey in which we should end  battered and full of piss and vinegar, even if a bit tired.

And with all journeys, the adventure isn’t necessarily the destination – it’s how you get there.  The pots we make are a little wobbly, just like life. 

Humans are not solitary animals. We do better when we have interaction, community and closeness. Choosing handmade items, whether it’s pottery or anything else, helps maintain connection to humanity. It honors  thousands of years of human invention and creativity.  

Box stores sell convenience and anonymity. The products you take home from there have no real human connection and become easily disposable and worthless the moment we pay for them. Objects made by hand, from someone you know, bring far more than functionality to your daily life – it brings that sense of connection and interaction that has become so difficult to achieve in today’s world.