Five Ways To Welcome Spring (No Spring Cleaning Required!)

Where we live, Springtime temperatures are not cooperating with the calendar. It’s still chilly and snowflakes continue to fall from cloudy skies. I’m having to think like it’s Spring even if it does not feel that way. My usual energy burst to spend time outdoors and in the garden, this time of year is being rerouted to other activities. Here are a few suggestions to help you spring forward into the new season whether or not mother nature is cooperating with your Springtime expectations. 

Cook A New Recipe.

I tried a new risotto recipe this past week. It was so easy because all the ingredients were combined at once and then baked in the oven. If you've ever made risotto, you probably know it usually require constant stirring (and stirring) as it cooks on the top of the stove. The recipe shown above makes me think of baseball season! Let me know if you try it!

Take A Walk On An Unfamiliar Route.

Even if it's still a bit chilly, bundle up and get outside. If you often walk the same route, start off in the opposite direction, move to the other side of the street, just shake it up a bit. I'm always surprised at what I notice when I take a familiar walk from a different angle. 

Pull Out The Good Dishes and Utensils and Use Them for a Month!

Why not? Saving things we love and own for just the right occasion means they don't get used very often. Bring out the 'good china' and dust off the antique vase hiding at the back of the cabinet. Spring is about renewing life; this is one good way to honor that idea.

Spend An Hour Less Online.

This can be a hard habit to break. Screen time can be addictive. Put down the phone, tablet and walk away from the computer. Take that walk, call a friend (see suggestion below), go to your cookbooks and look up a new recipe to make instead!

Call Someone You’ve Been Meaning to Catch Up With.

Phone a friend. Especially, someone you think about often, but never really have time to call. Now that you're spending less time online, time constraints should not be a problem!

Springtime weather will get to where I live eventually. There'll be plenty of time to dig in the garden, clean out the closets and put away the winter clothes. In the meantime, I'll work on some of the suggestions I've outlined here to help me feel like Spring!

Repeating Myself

I know I repeat myself. I have family members to back me up on that and I freely admit my memory can be weak. Ideas for this blog often build and clarify throughout the week; sometimes Monday morning’s deadline is the trigger for an idea. Writing about what has happened in my life and how it impacts what I create in the studio helps connect me to people I know personally, others I’ve met casually, and those who simply own or are considering a ClayByLaura creation. I believe there is a direct correlation between what I make and who I am. 

In the aftermath of the Passover and Easter holidays, I thought about the idea of storytelling as a theme. The topic seemed a bit familiar and when I researched whether I’d already written about this, sure enough just about this time last year I wrote about this exact subject. It makes sense though. Both of these holidays are based on stories and history that are told and retold year after year. It’s what keeps the holidays alive from generation to generation. (Click photo above to see what I wrote last year!)

So what does this have to do with clay? I like to think of it this way. One of the things I like about creating pottery is developing a shape and then repeating it. Sometimes patterns or finishing details evolve over time, but the kernel of the idea remains the same. I also like to think that once my creations are purchased, they are used over and over on a daily or special occasion basis so they become part of the ritual and story for that family. 

If you celebrate either of these springtime holidays, I hope you enjoyed the time with your family over a traditional meal and good conversation to create repeatable memories for years to come. I’d love to know your favorite recipe for either of these holidays; click the photo above to tell me about it and I'll send you the recipe for the matzo brittle pictured above!

Put To Good Use

Functionality (aka FUNctionality) is important to me. Each time I create an item out of clay I think about how it can be utilized. Sure, I want it to look ‘mahvelous’, but how it will be used, where it will be used and reused over and over, is key. Sometimes I’ll tweak a design years later to increase its usefulness. 

Here's a sign that Spring is on its way. Look how beautiful these containers look with their colorful abundance of flowers!

As an artist, I’m often swayed by ideas from a purely visual standpoint. And then, the thought, “what can this be used for” will creep into my creative process. Because the medium I use is clay, my natural inclination is to create a vessel that has some sort of purpose. One of my longterm goals is to ditch this absolute requirement and explore more artistic ways to use clay to just create art. 

I’ve played a little with this concept from time to time; as I think about it more and more, I’ll be looking for new ways to express my creativity, using clay without any particular function in mind other than visual pleasure. I often buy art purely because it makes me feel good. Now, I’d like to make that kind of art too. What do you think? Do you have any ideas for me? I value your feedback. Click here or the photo above to send me a message!

When Is Integrity Important?

I purchased my North Star slab roller for my first home studio in 1988. It was one of the first brand new pieces of pottery equipment I ever bought. My kiln and wheel were second-hand purchases. I was just beginning to explore clay hand-building methods and decided this investment was important. Over the last 30 years, I’ve bought and replaced my electric wheel and kiln a few times. My North Star slab roller has travelled with me to each new studio space as we’ve moved. 

As the years have passed and my clay creations have evolved into mostly hand-building methods, my slab roller became the workhorse of my studio. If and when a part needed replacement, a quick call to the manufacturer resulted in immediate help, little or no cost to me and helpful handholding and guidance as I repaired and refurbished the equipment. 

Recently, I noticed the slab roller was not performing up to its usual standard. The rolled clay was not exactly uniform and it was hard to turn to wagon wheel to flatten out the clay. A call to North Star determined the slab roller might have to be refurbished by the manufacturer or replaced entirely. Because the company honors its LIFETIME WARRANTY, the cost to me was minimal. 

I packaged up and shipped the central slab roller section to North Star headquarters in Cheney, Washington. Soon after it arrived, I was notified it would be entirely replaced with a brand new set including an updated design of the wagon wheel. To me, that exemplifies the meaning of integrity. It reminds me to pay that value forward. When is integrity important? Always.

Making Choices

Time away from the clay studio is an opportunity to think about and plan for future projects and events. It’s good to take a step back, review some of the successes and failures, and dream about new possibilities. Daily walks on Hilton Head beaches, visits with local friends and disruption to my habitual daily routine have all contributed to a refreshed attitude and dedication to my clay-making passion. 

Click on this photo to learn more about Panoply.

When I get back to the studio next week, my focus will be an upcoming 3-day show in Huntsville, Alabama called Panoply. I plan to bring an array of serving dishes, decorative pieces, and garden accents. It’s impossible to bring and display everything I make, so I’ll do my best to choose a 'panoply' of shapes and colors for my customers there. 

Here are some of the ClayByLaura pieces I've chosen to bring with me to Panoply.

Making choices is not always easy. Decisions can be as simple as what to have for dinner or as complex as what job will make me happy and help pay the bills.  I’ve learned that bad decisions can be reversed and provide a learning experience for the future. Think about and choose the best option for you in the moment. You can always change your mind! 

Action

Following our passion can lead to action. I am always inspired by the energetic endeavors so many of my friends undertake to make the world and their communities a better place. They volunteer and work within their faith, take on a formidable cause and even run for political office. Knowing them is humbling and a reminder that all involvement large and small makes a big impact on the lives of people. Maybe the stories of these women I call friends will inspire you too.

Click on this photo to read Kari's impassioned blog.

When my friend Kari Gang hears about a natural disaster, she puts her busy life on hold and goes to that locale to help. Puerto Rico was her most recent trip. She writes beautifully about her motivation, her preparation, the long tiring days of physical labor and suggests small steps we can all take in our daily lives to help curb these catastrophic events. Kari inspires me to think about the larger world and how some of my own actions can impact the lives of other people facing trouble.

Click on this photo to learn more about Naomi.

Naomi Bechtold decided to run for State Senate in Indiana. “I realized I’d rather be the one making the laws to help us…” It is easy to see a problem, complain about it and let that be the end of it. It is harder to take the next step toward action.  Naomi inspires me to move beyond talk (and complaining about a situation) and take an active role in the community. 

Click on this photo to learn more about Moms Demand Action.

Susan Reuter Smith is active in a local chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense In America. Her passion turned activism is part of a national movement to promote sensible gun legislation. Susan has inspired me to create a special clay art project to help raise money for the local group in Frederick in the coming months. 

What is your passion? Have you taken any action to support it? Any step big or small has impact. To borrow an ad campaign from Nike, "Just Do It".

Adding and Subtracting

Although math and numbers are not my strong suit, addition and subtraction are skills I use regularly in my clay art and craft projects. A knitting project starts with one slip knot loop that develops into multiple stitches using various wraps of the yarn on two needles. As these factors add up, a garment is created. Subtraction in knitting is always a possibility; I’ve been known to ‘unknit’ or rip back hours of stitching if I’m not satisfied or find a mistake.

Clay creations develop in various added and subtracted layers too. I just installed this dog-themed totem at a South Carolina home. Several new pieces were added to an existing totem I'd created several years ago, replacing some that had taken a beating in a recent hurricane.  Clay-making requires addition and subtraction of clay to reach a desired look. Colors of underglaze and glaze are painted on and sometimes wiped away to achieve the desired surface. In some cases, I add other decorative materials after a piece has had its final kiln firing to make it complete. 

Adding and subtracting are useful life tools as well. Think about what you'd like to add to your life to make it better. More time with family? Additional career skills to help you move up the corporate ladder? On the flip side, subtracting is important too. Stripping away the negative life impediments will help all of us achieve some balance and make space for what's most important in our daily lives. If only this were as easy as 'frogging' (ripping back) a knitting project and knitting a garment one stitch at a time.

Take A Break

When I’m away from my studio I still like to create. I have a couple of projects I’ve been working on recently that use a variety of materials other than clay. These are more portable and utilize other creative skills. 

These special 'LUVBOTS' were developed for a Real Estate Agent to distribute to her own special client list on Valentines Day. Exploring other types of creative media helps me play with different elements that might one day end up in one of my finished clay creations. 

These felt ornaments will be embroidered and assembled for a special group of runners to commemorate the 2018 Raccoon Mountain Half Marathon in Chattanooga, TN. Each hang tag will be customized with the runner's name. When I can't work in clay, it's fun to figure out what else I can make and what materials I'll use.

Of course, knitting remains a daily creative habit. When I'm away from the studio, I make sure to have lots of stitching projects with me. I've finished this capelet project pictured above. Next, I and will start on a shawl by the designer Casapinka appropriately called "All Points South".