Overtime at the paper factory, heat, and thunderstorms were the themes of July 2024. It was a busy month of writing and learning new things. I had bricks delivered, read some good books, raised some money from overtime at the paper factory, and made plans for the wood kiln rebuild. In this newsletter, there are updates about what I am thinking about and working on currently. Fall is on the way and time is passing quickly. Time once spent is something we never get back. I am trying to keep that in mind with all I do here, even if it appears that I am moving slowly.
The Wood Kiln Rebuild:
I wasn’t able to make many pots due to my work at the paper factory. However, the overtime I worked was more than paid for the kiln pad and all the bricks. The bricks, as I may have mentioned before, were purchased from the Facebook Marketplace for a great deal. Now, I can put a lot of new bricks into the kiln at little cost. I now need to have a meeting with those who wish to help put this kiln back together and schedule a meet-up to organize a few work days.
My parents stopped by, and my father brought his Wheel Horse Tractor. My dad is a big John Deere and Wheel Horse guy. He had four Wheel Horse tractors at his place, two that ran and, I think, two for parts to make them run. He brought the tractor down for me to use as a pottery tractor here to haul bricks and wood for the kiln. I plan to buy the tractor from him at some point. Family has been a great help, and even my Uncle Will is saving a log splitter for me to buy from him when I’m ready. So, the kiln project is coming together.
Another large load of bricks is on its way to the studio. Three pallets containing 480 bricks should be delivered within the next week. Additionally, I need to spread gravel on the lawn to prevent guests from getting stuck during shows. I intend to distribute several loads of small driveway rock in the lower areas prone to getting muddy during rainfall.
The Shows:
I’m starting to think about themes and concepts for the Fall shows. Soaring Gardens Artists Retreat in Laceyville, PA, for the Artist Open House weekend tour. This event runs from October 12th to the 14th and the Pumpkin Trail 2024. October 18th -20th 2024. Both October shows will be here before I know it.
The Pots:
I’ve been writing in the pottery diary every day. It’s been a great way to stay connected with clay and work out ideas, even though I wasn’t able to make or fire much. Both the kiln and the clay are long-term projects that need to be worked on slowly for everything to come together.
I need to sit down and work out a theme and concept for the pots, asking some important questions about who they are for, what they are for, and what change I’m trying to make. Once all of those things are worked out I’ll make up the forms and get the pots started.
I now have three Olympic updraft kilns, which makes it much easier to fire pots without having to wait for the kilns to cool down and firework back to back. I need to buy an orifice for one kiln, but I’m waiting to find it on Amazon because sometimes there is a huge markup on parts from manufacturers. With the extra kilns, I am able to glaze and fire without worrying about filling up the kilns and waiting for them to cool. I also have another large kiln that is electric, which I need to convert to gas by cutting a hole in the bottom and top of the lid.
Long Term Goals:
I need to build a long kiln shed to shelter all the gas kilns. Currently, I’ve been using large grill covers to protect them from the elements, but it’s a lot of work and requires constant monitoring. It would be much better to have a dedicated metal kiln shed.
Additionally, I plan to work on constructing the wood kiln over the next three months, starting with the firebox, then the wear chamber, and finally the large 20-foot stack. After a large building, a wood shed will need to cover the wood kiln.
Collaborations with other artists are in the works, as I still plan to work with ideas and items from my sketchbook. Making more candles, centerpiece bowls, and other forms with other artists contributing their skills is still very much part of the work.
Besides the pottery tractor above, I may also need a pottery truck. Even though my car gets great gas mileage, I need a truck to haul potter equipment, kiln brick, and wood, so I will be looking for one.
The writing of the Pottery Dailies will continue, and I am proud to say that I have written over 200 posts every day since the beginning of January 2024. Writing has been a great way to connect with readers, and I do the work here at the pottery.
The Pin Tool Podcast has been so much fun, and I hope to keep posting episodes twice a month, every Sunday. A fun time is had making the episodes, and a few folks have enjoyed them. I would make them if only one person listened, but when I took a peek last night, I had over 12000 downloads, and I am on the third season. A lot of topics were covered that hopefully a few people found helpful. A series on The Business Model Canvas was just finished.
The use of A.I.
I use A.I. for grammar and spelling correction, but I write all the ideas, topics, and writing by myself. I have found that allowing A.I. to write has sanitized the process too much, and like the pots, I enjoy leaving my fingerprints on things to show it’s handmade. So, while I use Grammarly for certain things, 90% of the content creation and writing is mine. You can tell as I talk like I write. So if you get grammar and spelling errors, that’s my “fingerprint on the pot.”
I do use an A.I. chatbot as an assistant and project planning, and also to bounce ideas off from and help with the podcast. AI is here to stay, and no matter how we feel about the topic, I believe it should be used, if not just to understand it and how it can work, so we are not blindsided and tossed into conspiracy and apocalypticism.
The Pottery Pen Pal Club is still going strong, and I have a whole new basket to put your letters in. I do have a few to write back to, and I will definitely make time, as I enjoy the slower old-time interactions.
Closing Words:
You may need to listen to yourself more. Others you look up to are helpful, but they are not you. Only you can decide what’s best for you. It is fine to say, “No, thank you. That is not more me. I do not wish to wear that glaze color. I prefer this one.” Others may be disappointed and upset that you listened to yourself and not them. They may try to cause you to feel fear for being you and not them. They may be upset they were not able to consume you completely, but that was them and not you.
Stick up for yourself today. Love yourself today. Be kind to yourself today. The self you have is the only self you have, and you may believe it to be your eternal self. That self within knows what is best for you. So listen to yourself and try not to be afraid. It may feel strange listening and caring for yourself after listening and caring for others for so long. Take some time to spend with yourself today. You may find you enjoy being around you. After a time, you may even be ready to make changes to yourself to make being you better.
Written By,
Alford Wayman
Artist/Owner
Below is a much younger me from 1998 working on some raku pots as an apprentice at Wild Flower Pottery.
