This year it has been a struggle to get into the studio.  Or to get muddy at all.

That is starting to change.

I spent the entire weekend in the studio watching master potter Lorna Meaden make her exquisite pots. For me, Lorna is one of those potter’s whose pots make me wonder “how did she do that?”  I love that. I love the element of mystery and surprise in her pots. So finally getting to watch her in action was a great treat.

As with most workshops I attend, I had several aha moments.  My favorite was a handle she made, that she doesn’t even make any more, but which switched some lights on for me as how I might resolve some issues in my own pots that I have been struggling with.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

This is why I love workshops.  I have no desire to make someone else’s pots.  But I love learning.  And those aha moments are priceless.

Speaking of workshops, tomorrow I get on a plane and travel to Mississippi. I am super excited about it.  I love teaching, but I so rarely demonstrate my own work. This will be a treat to reveal some of my own “secrets.”  I know many people think my pots are entirely handmade.  Ah, the surprises they are in for.

Of course, I have some nerves.  There are 60 participants in all, split evenly between Randy Brodnax and myself.  That’s a big crowd for me.  Watching Lorna struggle with her own pots while trying to talk and throw this weekend, made me feel so much better.  I only hope that I can be the pro she was and save them so gracefully.

See you down South,

About the Author: Laurie Erdman has been making pots since 2003.  She discovered the joy of mud when seeking a stress release from her day job as an attorney.  Over the years she knew it helped ground her, but not more so than when she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.  It was then that she realized how pottery had taught her some powerful spiritual and life lessons. In addition to designing a line of nature-inspired pottery, she teaches pottery and meditation, and helps others learn the healing powers of clay. Laurie lives in Arlington, Virginia, makes pots at the Art League of Alexandria, fires her pots at Baltimore Clayworks, and enjoys spending time with her husband, her Italian Greyhound Skippy and helping people with chronic illness thrive.