Leap of faith


I think I struck a chord with folks on my last post “ It Should Have Been Better.” Yesterday on the way to my clay suppliers I found myself driving along wondering how I was going to pay my bills when I was 80. I wondered if I would be able to carry the clay and materials up and down the stairs. I wondered if I would still love making pots. I wondered about my health. I wondered if I would find company with all the other old guys having morning Jo at McD’s.  Then I thought Holy Shit  Batman that is a long way off!  What the hell are you worrying about that today for? You are using up positive energy on a beautiful day creating a problem that doesn’t even exist yet. I think we do this far too often. If I had thought like that when I was 27 I’d never have taken the leap of faith to become a potter.  If you don’t take a leap of faith you never do anything. When you decide to become a potter it is a big leap of faith and it should be normal to be scared. I think the only thing scarier would be the regret of never trying out what you dreamed of. To stare out the window each day and wonder what kind of life you could be having.

I am reading a book on BC potter Tam Irving. A potter whose work I love! There is a quote by Bernard Leach- 1940 – The studio potter who essays to work single-handed undertakes an arduous and solitary existence. It is hard work but
we have this internet/phone thing that keeps us connected. I know so many of you and yet we have never had the pleasure of a hand shake or a hug. Someday soon!

Comments

Dennis Allen said…
I hope to share a handshake or a hug sometime this year. Spread your arms, hold your breath, and always trust your cape...... Guy Clark "The Cape" give it a listen.
November 17, 2015 at 5:31 PM
smartcat said…
Although we work at opposite ends of the clay spectrum I still look forward to doing a workshoo with you someday.
When I left my secure full time job, I asked myself, "How will I feel in thirty or forty years if I let this chance pass me by?" A life of security and regrets does not inspire any joy when looking back!












November 18, 2015 at 4:55 AM
smokieclennell said…
Hey Smart Cat: How do you feel today? Great, I bet! Be well! T
November 18, 2015 at 5:26 AM
John said…
"Put the idea out of your mind" said Bernard Leach when I said I was thinking of becoming a potter. It surprised me: he seemed to be contradicting his own convictions. Later I saw that he was right: if you can forget the idea it’s best to do so. Those who can’t will go ahead anyway and take the consequences.
- Alan Caiger-Smith
November 18, 2015 at 7:20 AM
Post a Comment

Popular Posts