expounding

i just read the previous post and it sounded a bit too chipper for that particular unloading.

sunday was a pretty awful day. i think that every potter can appreciate the feeling of losing pots in a kiln. but with wood firing....i don't know, it just seems to sting so much deeper. the hours and hours of labor that go into a single firing, its not just flipping a switch or turning a gas valve.
unloading that kiln was a downer. i just can't adequately explain the feeling, working so hard to bring these pieces into existence...i had a bit of a temper tantrum while unloading. the first couple of bad pieces emerged and i just scowled but after that i couldn't contain it and began throwing them across the barn and turning the air blue. all i needed to see was a crack or a flake of slip and that baby was gone.

of course i knew what i was getting myself into, trying to make a living this way is not for the faint of heart. and i should be greatful that i've had three firings that have all reached temperature and some great pots out of all of them. i kept myself busy today to clear my mind and went out late this afternoon to really have a good look at what came out of the kiln. i was so pleased to see today what i didn't see yesterday. i was so blinded with frustration that i couldn't appreciate the good things that happened to even the bad pots. i tried some new things and fired the kiln in a slightly different way and what happened was fantastic! i spent a good amount of time looking through shards trying to remember where those pots were in the kiln so i can try to recreate some of the magic. its amazing how energized i feel now, ready to get back in the studio and get some more pots out. every firing is a learning experience, and i need to remember that.

but please kiln gods, not the teapots anymore, okay?