a little back story:
(if you know me and read regularly, you may want to skip to the next paragraph so i dont put you to sleep). last august, we gave up our 14 acre farm, silly huge garden, one set of wonderful neighbors, my 1000 + square foot studio, my salt kiln and (gulp) my horse (ok so maybe i'm still not over that one yet). all that to live in a (seemingly but not really) questionable neighborhood right the middle of town on a .10 acre lot, where my front yard is actually made of concrete. my studio is now less than 500 square feet. i am relearning to fire in an electric kiln. WHY????? beside the fact that i rarely drive my car (YAY), the water is two blocks away (um super yay) , i love my neighbors and i love my friends (in that aspect i am just plain lucky). i am a fairly social person... living on the farm was amazing but also sometimes difficult for me. i was often lonely and probably spent a little too much time talking to our farm animals . i was excited to move to BFT for the chance of finding community. and that is exactly what i did.
anyway....WHY?
this is why:
these are my new friends melaya and syan!
tuesday morning seemed like any other day. i was fixin to start makin some pots when these two lovely ladies and their mom walked into my shop. the little girls were excited to be the studio and i soon heard whispers of "mom, i want to make a pot". i offered the girls a ball of clay each and said they could have it. they immediately were trying to figure out what they should make. i set them up with some randomn tools and a canvas board on the floor. i went back to making "big pots" at my wheel, occasionally chiming in on tips and ideas. they went to town making all kinds of fun things. i think they stayed for two hours! by the time they left they were begging me to join them for lunch. now, dont get me wrong, i do love me some beaufort grocery co....but i had to stay and get ready for the big show at the end of july. tthe ladies wrapped things up, snapped a few pics and even showed me a couple of their super-sweet dance moves and coreographed dance routines. mom graciously thanked me for my time (my pleasure!) and the girls and their mom piled in their car and drove away. what they left behind meant more to me than they could ever know. i have had a lot of wonderful, wonderful days here in BFT, but that one took the cake. people like syan and melaea and their mom....that to me is what making pottery is all about. enriching life and making a connection.
.... and that my friends is exactly WHY we moved to BFT.
