Shake it up!

Wow!  Already over a month since a posting. That's what can happen when you shake it all up. Along with the sweet and powerful promise of new beginnings and all that you hope for in the new year, it is necessary to change something.  Remember that saying about the wind chime.  If one piece moves then all the others are affected? I recently heard a friend say if you change a belief, your choices change. That is what has been happening. Changes are in the air everywhere.

 

It is blowing a gale this morning! Sadie & I went out for a walk and instead of avoiding the wind, we went to find it and see what was going on in the midst of it all. Sadie is a lover of the wind. Must be the great smells that it carries from far away besides the fact that she likes the way it feels going through her hair. The air is full of water from the crashing waves and the birds are playing in the wind. The gulls can stay in one place for ages but then with just the slightest shift go screaming with the wind effortlessly. Yeehah!

I started out the year changing teachers. In 8 years I have had 2 teachers, one for a very long time. There is nothing wrong with that but when the opportunity presented itself, it felt right to change for the moment so I did it. Check out Aaron Sober, known for his brushwork. He also gave a great workshop on brushwork in January at Portland Pottery.    In February there was a workshop by Patti Sandberg who is known for her earthenware coil built animals. It was a fun workshop and her easy going nature was delightful to be around. It reminded me that it is all supposed to be fun as well. New ideas and ways to incorporate into my own process. All of it stimulating in different ways.  Shakin' it up!

For those who are not familiar with The Studio Potter  , you should really become a member of the non profit which includes biannual issues of the magazine, sans advertisements and chocka block full of great articles and information on a theme. The winter spring 2009/2010 (Vol 38, No 1) is about money. It is an extraordinary issue with a miriad of approaches and issues around trying to make a living as a potter. Is more necessarily better? So much food for thought, so many angles and so many approaches to the issue. Treat yourself and join.

 

I love this shot from a market in Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia. She is shaking up something ordinary, small red onions, with great beauty and grace, just as she does every day. A picture is worth a thousand words.

That potential is there every day for each of us!