Oh my!

When I started making pots over 4 decades ago you made your own clay, glazes and most likely built your own kiln. There were probably a dozen books on pottery. Man, how how things have changed. A six week night class at the local guild and you have a name for your pottery, an Etsy account selling your work, you're teaching lessons and you're a potter. This will no doubt get me in trouble but it is such a disservice to our craft. I took up knitting and I'm now taking orders for slippers.

Plumbers and electricians have much higher standards of professionalism than we do. I guess that's why they can charge more per hour. I just revisited a podcast with Paul Blais which was an interview I did some 8 years ago entitled "The Power of Relationships." http://thepotterscast.com/84 I listened to it tonight while preparing my Saturday night romantic dinner with myself. It was reaffirming to me how much I believe my friends and family have been the rock of my life. Without their love and friendship I don't think I could have endured the rough seas. Making good pots is not a hobby, It is a conviction. Being a good skiier, a good cyclist, a good pool player is not a weekend flirtation. It is a big commitment. It is a passion! It is a force that drives you.

I saw a sign today that said "Our firewood is organic!". WTF do you mean? The maple tree wasn't sprayed! My goodness! What has it all come down to?