When it all comes crashing down!

I was at my home away from home in The Pottery Capital of USA making pots, enjoying friends and teaching my month long dream Intensive Course with a class of 9 awesome students and the help of some fabulous Seagrove potters at Starworks. Starworks complete with a clay company, awesome studio space, kilns, amazing employees, glass facility, kiln building enterprise,  gallery, cafe, pub, music. Energy, energy, energy!!!!!!!!!!!
Then in week #3 it all came crashing down. Believe me potters are the last ones to abandon ship. They are used to working to put a kiln to bed when hurricanes, blizzards, bad wood and all kinds of problems present themselves. So to give up and go home without putting the last cone down was heart breaking.

If a tree falls in the forest does anyone hear?

I've tried to keep busy and up since returning home on March 23rd. Yesterday I  crashed. I have been in and out of bed for 2 days. I realized it will be almost 2 months since I have physically touched someone other than myself and that has always been a bad habit of mine. Today in bed at noon I told myself I need to exercise to help with my mental health. I forced myself to White's Woods to put in 6 kilometres. I'm writing so that is a sign it worked. When I am silent I'm not feeling too shit hot.

Son of a beech

I've been feeling a sense of loss. Pandemic closing of just about everything I had on my dance card this year. I had to say good bye to my dream class.  Ash and Barrel in Toronto- cancelled. Next week I should be rolling down the road to NC to fire Ben Owen's gorgeous anagama/chamber kiln with legendary NC potter Cynthia Bringle and my prof John Neely. The week after presenting at the NC Potters Conference-  "Pots Only a Mudder Could Love " the wood fired pots of my buddy Ronnie the Rat Meyers.
Then home with a car full of gorgeous pots from Ben's 100 hour firing and his incredible expertise.

Following that a 2 week course at Pinecroft- cancelled.

 Then comes July and a week long course at Halliburton School of Fine Arts- cancelled.

Then comes August and the only province in Canada I have never visited- Newfoundland and Fogo Island.-cancelled.

So that is my work schedule- cancelled. Today as I lay in bed like Brian Wilson did they were talking on CBC about the 2nd wave coming and how it is going to be even more of a test. I pulled the covers over my head and tried to block it out. I 've barely survived the first wave. A second wave would be crushing. 

Tomorrow I glaze pots for another firing. The gas firing was awesome. I just don't have the heart to show them. Selling pots during these times just doesn't seem like the right thing to do. I know I need to get over this and sell some pots. I have a bigger conscience than most would know. I want my life back!!!!

Missing doing workshops with other awesome giggers. Jen Allen and Kenyon Hanson