My summer has been shit so far. Being an adult working manual labor temp jobs to pay the bills is lame to say the least, but things have started to turn around. My clay partner and I have been grinding throwing as manhy pots as we can in his garage getting ready for an art festival we have July 1-4. If we would've been throwing efficiently from the beggining of the summer we wouldn't be in such a bind right now but it made for some interesting happenenings lately.

First off, both of us got our grooves back when it comes to throwing. I havent thrown this well in over a year. Second, we got a pit fire done with ferric chloride saggers and they turned out beautifully. It really re-energized us. Third, today was cool. I walked in to Steve Ayers pottery studio to buy a 50 pound block of clay so I can throw it. Steve Ayers has been throwing professionally for over 30 years and is the potter in Hannibal, MO. We have been competing against him when it comes to sales at local festivals. Well, he was there today (He has about 5 people that do most of his pottery) and when I asked for clay he asked me if I could throw well. I responded with "I can throw what ever I want" to which he went to the back and showed me his wheel and said "Well, put up or shut up." It was a stand up wheel whichI had never thrown on and with tools and clay I wasn't used to. I made one of the most beautiful bottles I have ever made all the while he was watching over my shoulder and scrutinizing everything I did. It was nerve racking but I did it. He cut the pot in half to look at the thickness of the walls and said "If your looking for work, you can throw pots in my studio doing my forms, and I'll pay you for each piece." So now I'm throwing pots professionally at my own wheel and i'm going to bring them in. My clay partner gets to do it too.

This shit is awesome. Shits finally turning around.