Pumpkintime!

I think having a toddler is the best reminder to be in the moment. I tend to get stuck "in my head" worrying about everything I have to get done, worrying about whether my pottery is good enough, whether I will have enough work done for my shows, will I ever make any money or will I have to go back to a "real" job (although in this economy, what does that mean anyway?), etc. It's easy to forget to appreciate all the things that I should feel lucky about. I've got a healthy kid, a husband that puts up with my business/obsession, a cute (albeit tiny) house, and I get to go to the studio and do exactly what I really love. Eli constantly reminds me to be in the moment as he gets excited about the little things that happen every day. We recently went to the farm to pick pumpkins and he's been excited about it ever since. Every time he sees his pumpkin in the porch he yells "pumpkintime!" I'm going to try coming into the studio and everytime I look at my happy pots, yelling "potterytime!"

Finally...a day off!

Finally my art fair season is over and I can remember that I have another life outside the studio. It always seems that in about mid-August I come up to take a breath and wonder where the summer went and why I spent the whole thing in a hot studio firing a hot kiln. I also always hit a point in the summer when I start wondering why I live in the city...urban life starts to feel a bit grating. Enough of the screeching tires, firecrackers in the middle of the night, too much traffic and urban violence happening a little too close for comfort. There was a shooting only a few blocks from our house last week on a corner that Eli and I walk by on our way to the playground. A 5-month old girl was hit by a stray bullet. It's scary and it definitely makes you remember what's important. On a brighter note, my husband and I decided to take advantage of an opportunity for a day trip outside Minneapolis to the CSA farm that we're getting produce from this summer. It was nice to get out of the city and see where our food is being grown. It also reminds me why I make functional pottery...I love the connection of my work with preparing, eating and sharing food. Eli was thrilled to get up close and personal with some goats and to take a hay ride behind a big tractor. I'm trying to let go of my manic production schedule to enjoy my family and the remaining good weather before I get into the thick of preparations for fall events.