Pottery funsies

by Triona Allen

I do pottery as a hobby in a community club. I do this as 'play', I am not particularly interested in improving or getting good at it, I am sick of everything being goal orientated or if I say I'm a beginner people tell me I will improve. Nope, my goal is enjoyment. You don't need to be on the wheel of improving at everything all the time! What if I never improve? I am ok with that. People do not know how to react to that when I tell them that.

I made a middle age c u next Tuesday dish and other bits and pieces like buttons. Sometimes things don't work I am ok with that. I am a learn by doing person. I find it liberating to not try to improve. The arts space is also very liberating to me. My first session I made a large vulva. This might be ok in cities but I live in a homophobic rural town but no one battered an eyelid. 

I try to give my arts items away as I am a very creative participant- I am not that skilled that's ok. I like to give gifts of my arts to people who have no idea how to react like I made little pottery lizards for work mates with carpool crew written on them and plastic beads attached Taylor Swift style and told them the lizard is our spirit animal. Some colleagues are fully in others are polite but also wtf do I do with this very personal but amateur gift. My friends love cringe gifts in the end.

So this hobby feeds my spirit.