Thursday, January 1

It was colder than a witch's you know what today

I think I'm moving. It's a little overwhelming. The circumstances surrounding the move are emotionally difficult, and the prospect of moving my pottery shit into storage is an incredibly physically daunting task. I guess I am really preaching to the choir. Many of you are potters of course. Everything is just so heavy and space consuming. I'm thinking I should get heated storage because my kilns and pugmill and wheel will be in there. I am worried about subzero temperatures and the electronics. Part of me just wants to sell everything. I can certainly use the money, and am aware that with prolonged storage eventually I will cross a financial line where I have spent more storing my things than they are worth. But I know that if I sell I will never buy again, and that will be that. I honestly don't see myself being able to set up a studio again for several years. What to do. I've got to give everything some thought.

10 comments:

Linda Starr said...

Hi Deborah, just got back in town and read your posts. I am wishing you the best with all you are facing right now. Can you lease to - or store your pottery equipment with another potter, so you won't have to give them up - or team up with another potter who has space but not as much equipment - just a thought?

I hope you can still blog from time to time, I sure have enjoyed your blog. I've found my blog has turned out to be so much more than ceramics and it's been helpful to me just writing things down.

cookingwithgas said...

are there any pottery co-ops in your area? Is it possible like Linda says- to team up with another potter or a group.
It breaks my heart to think you even have to make these decisions.
I'll be sending you some positive thoughts during your transition.
Best- for you in 2009
M

Judy Shreve said...

Deborah - I'm so sorry you are facing these challenges. & when you are in the middle of it all - it's hard to see any outcome -- let alone a good one. All I know is the times the universe has spun me around & spit me out some place else -- going through it was a nightmare - but it usually ended up being exactly what I needed.

I think the suggestion of 'loaning' it to another potter/co-op is a good one. You take a chance of something getting broken - but at least you won't lose all your equipment. And maybe you can get a studio set up sooner than you think.

I truly am hoping for the best for you. Keep us posted.

Sister Creek Potter said...

So sorry to hear what you are going through. But don't let the beasts beat you down--honor that wee small voice inside. Good fortune in the new year. Gay

Anonymous said...

I have a good potter friend who went through a divorce last year and she had to move and find a full time job. She did a thorough cleaning of her studio and gave a lot away - but kept her major pieces of equipment like kilns, wheel, wedging tables, custom shelves etc. I think she did put those into storage temporarily - I'm not sure she did a heated one or not. I would have to ask her.

6 months later and as luck would have it, there was an opening at a communal studio (space she once occupied before getting married) - she now has new studio space for a reasonable monthly fee and she is making work again albeit part time and is very glad that she didn't sell her equipment which she considered when she was cash strapped.

You are certainly facing some challenges with the new year. I am hoping that the answers will become clearer for you and please know that you have people sending good wishes your way.

Tracey Broome said...

Hey girl:
I have no words of wisdom, but here is a poem I drag out when I have disappointments. I've moved four times in five years so I know what you are facing!

After A While

“After a while you learn the subtle difference
between holding a hand and chaining a soul.
And you learn that love doesn’t mean leaning
and company isn’t security.
(Kisses aren’t contracts and presents aren’t promises.)
After awhile you begin to accept your defeats
with your head up and your eyes open,
with the grace of a woman, not the grief of a child.
And you learn to build your roads on today
because tomorrow’s ground is too uncertain
and the inevitable has a way of crumbling in mid-flight.
After a while you learn that even sunshine burns
if you stand too long in one place.
So, you plant your own garden and decorate your own soul
instead of waiting for someone else to bring you flowers.
And you learn you really can endure,
that you really do have worth.
You learn that with every good-bye comes the dawn.”

By
Judith B. Evans

Anonymous said...

I checked with my beau, who deals with electronics a lot, and he said cold is no problem, that it makes most work more efficiently. Humidity is a problem, though he felt Vermont is not a place to worry about that. I check on your blog every few days, and enjoy your thoughtfulness. I hope this time is not too bad, and that as this year progresses, you may look back and see things getting better. I've been through some hard times, alone and with others - the worst perhaps until this past Fall here in New Orleans - it's hard watching friends suffer, and through your writing you create a warmth. I wish you a wonderful year to follow. May the worst be now, leading into gentle, good times.

Anonymous said...

I'm really enjoying your blog! I saw a link to it from Barbara Edwards blog(claygarden.wordpress.com). I hope you can keep warm and keep on with your pottery. I used to be a potter and thought I always would be. Then I got married and moved to a house where I was no longer able to have a kiln and after working in shared studios eventually left ceramics behind and became a painter. Your work is beautiful!

Deb said...

Thanks everyone. I really appreciate you all reading and your continued interest even when I have kinda walked away. Tracey I really love that poem. I'm going to print it out, put it somewhere close and read it every day for a while. Thank you. Good to know about the cold and electronics. One less thing to stress about. Thanks again for all of your thoughtfulness.

Anonymous said...

I don't think you need heated storage, after all, cars have all kinds of electronics these days, and are left outside in Canada and Alaska and still function. It would be a good idea to let any equipment warm up to above freezing before operating it however.