01 November 2026
Finding a New Rhythm
I can’t quite believe how difficult I have found it to begin making again. My head and sketchbook are full of ideas I want to explore — the contours, colours and textures of the landscape, and how I might capture those fleeting moments and emotional connections which ultimately shape our sense of belonging to place. Yet somehow, getting from thinking about making to actually making has taken longer than I expected.
A few weeks ago, I finally made a start.
The surrounding countryside is full of warm orange, red and golden yellow hues at the moment, but I know all too quickly these will disappear, to be replaced by the cold embrace of winter, with its blues and rich earthy tones. I want to explore how to capture these fleeting moments within my vessels, and how the colours of one season might overlap and mingle with another, just as they do in the landscape itself.
Working on my own from home brings a different pace to the work. I can’t maintain the long ten-hour days I spent at university, as life happens around me at home. I am also discovering that I can’t simply push a few test tiles through into the kiln room and have them magically appear the following week, courtesy of the technician (Thanks Cath).
But there are advantages to this new way of working, too. I am beginning to discover a more mindful pace, one that probably won’t produce huge quantities of work, but somehow feels more me — a more thoughtful process, with time to consider what I am doing and where I want to take it next.
I have now finished building three small vessels, whose forms have been informed by the contour along a country lane near home. They are now drying, ready for their first firing very soon. My next dilemma is deciding which season to explore with them. Autumn is all around me, but winter is just around the corner, and spring is already beginning to occupy my thoughts. Always another problem to solve!
On another note, I was delighted to be invited once again to exhibit some of my work at the Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair (GNCCF), held in Manchester at the wonderful Victoria Baths. My work was included on the University of Lancashire stand, helping to promote the MA Ceramics course.
Unfortunately, at the last minute I was unable to attend the event, but to my absolute delight, I discovered that one of my pieces had sold — even though this wasn’t primarily a selling exhibition. A lovely and unexpected piece of news!
Thank you once again to the course leader, Rob Parr, for the opportunity to take part and for continuing to support the work of the university’s ceramics graduates.
And finally, something else arrived in the post today — my MA certificate, confirming that I had been awarded a Distinction.
I have to admit, it feels rather special to see it in print. There were plenty of moments during the two years when I questioned what I was doing, wondered whether I was getting anywhere, and struggled to make sense of where my work was heading. There were also plenty of experiments that didn’t quite go to plan!
Looking back, I can see just how much I have learnt, not only about working with clay, but about my own practice and the direction I want to take it. Receiving a Distinction feels like a lovely acknowledgement of all that work, the persistence and the many hours spent trying to make sense of it all.
I am very proud of what I achieved, and I think it is important to allow myself a moment to enjoy that feeling before moving on to the next challenge.
Because there is always another challenge, isn't there?
For now, I am slowly finding my way back into the studio, getting to know my work again and beginning to explore some of the ideas that have been gathering in my sketchbook. I suspect the pace will be different from the one I became accustomed to at university, and perhaps that is no bad thing.
There is no rush to make all the work, or to answer all the questions, at once. I need to give myself time to experiment, to follow an idea and see where it leads, and to allow the work to develop at its own pace.
Perhaps this next chapter is less about how much I make, and more about what I discover along the way.
