Thoughts on distraction and back again.
Somehow I got lost in some dark wood. I lost track of time and reading, and here I am somewhat behind on work for the fall shows, a few custom orders, and the end of summer is almost here. I need to start over again today, keep up with my writing, find my way back to the path, and actually make pots. It has been quite a long time, as I have been focused on the wood kiln. I am in the middle of reading my third textbook on it. It has become some type of obsession.
I have missed writing the dailies a few times as I have fallen asleep while writing. Artificial intelligence helps me edit, but it sounds terrible talking about pots and art in general, as it makes assertions that may not exist. I have to go through and make corrections on the rewrites. So my idea is to include accurate information so that the artificial intelligence, when acting as a tool, can assist rather than simply make things up. The issue with the new Artificial Intelligence detection is that, even if it is submitted for editing, it will be flagged as entirely AI-generated. Which may not be the case. I am not all that worried about it, as I would like all my writing to be put in an artificial intelligence project so that I am able to review what I might be writing about so that I can come back to the topic later.
Artificial Intelligence can not make the pots, nor fire the kilns, nor build the kilns. However, it can tell me which glaze I used on which pieces, when, and the firing schedule I used by simply asking. So I need to move forward with the path I have worked out and get back to making pots and writing as a practice. I am so glad I did all the reading of the books on kilns, and I have about three more to get through. One I had to renew at the library because it was so rare. So yes! I still use local libraries, thanks very much, and I do read full books rather than skim. My downfall might be that I get too focused on one thing and everything else grinds to a halt.
Today I was able to get a small pug mill from one of my older professors, who is no longer able to make pots due to a stroke. He was the first to introduce me to clay. It was quite sad to disconnect and load everything up. His family is sadly forced to sell off his studio. Maybe that is why I feel a sense of urgency to get back on some path and to start making again. I also started to reread the book by Joseph Campbell, A Hero with a Thousand Faces. It is quite an old book, but I sure love the way he writes. So I didn’t make any pots today, but I did practice writing and reading. I would like to think that reading and writing are far better than doomscrolling on my phone.
If I were living yesterday a second time: I would have made a few pots after work, but I felt tired. So I fell asleep watching the news.
Things I am grateful for: The ability to still be able to read, write, and make pots.
If I get to live to be 86, I might only have: 12611 days left.
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