Pottery and Creating

My greatest creative love and favourite outlet for the stresses and strains of life is most defiantly Pottery. The raw, tactile nature of getting hands into clay and generally getting a bit messy (!) appeals to me hugely. Also the process and uncertainty of the firing and glazing processes gives different results time and time again – even when you're sure you've just done exactly the same thing! Ceramics is an age old process, that we've adapted and used for such practical needs, advances to make our wonderful world great and also simply and sometimes most wondrously for beautiful creations. The fact that the basic essence of the processes have never changed gives it a lovely connection to a world long lost.

I started to realise the joy I gained for working with clay and also the intrigue of how to overcome challenges the process throes up while at university at Carlisle. I've later been able to pick up classes in London with two very lovely teachers. Squashing up some clay, with a glass of red, in the company of a great mix of people was a wonderful outlet in the craziness of London Town.

In my last six months of being a Londoner I signed up to Turning Earth, a fantastic Open Studio set up in the depths of East London. This is an inspirational environment as well as a beautiful place to settle down and work.

The first part of this year was extremely mixed for me, sometimes it felt like I'd been put on a roller-coaster, but having the option to grab a few hours after work or a lovely leisurely weekend easily spending 6 or 7 hours at Turning Earth was a perfect remedy. The healing feeling and great release I get from working through the ceramic process is invaluable to me and has now become a key focus in the changes that I'm making to my lifestyle …

with thanks to amazing teachers, mentors and the space and time Turning Earth offers .. x