Just Getting it done – Life of a Potter. Do you ever really know how your day is going to play out? I try so hard to make a list at the end of each day for the next day’s tasks. Wake up, check the list, and get to work on checking the items off.
Last night, my list had these items on it:
Fire Gas Kiln, while doing this, do these things:
Clean studio.
Call a couple of artists
Payroll
Newsletter for Designers
Newsletter for Loyalty customers
Empty electric glaze firing
Work out
Make yogurt
A fairly reasonable list. Instead, the day has run like this:
Kiln stopped firing 5 times last night. Had to re-light it, of course.
Did payroll.
Completed Social Media posts
REALLY Cleaned the studio. That means wiping down every surface. Moving every bucket.
Emptied Electric Kiln.
Read a couple of emails.
Gas Kiln now has a fire coming out of a location it shouldn’t have flames. Yikes!
Call Jim Bailey at Bailey Pottery Company.
He was wonderful. Patient with me. He gave me a vocabulary lesson in kiln parts, looked at the pictures I sent him, and calmly reassured me that we would get this fixed. No, I was not going to have a serious problem. Read between the lines here.
With the kiln firing on one burner and at 1793 degrees, I put on my Kevlar gloves so that I don’t burn myself, a pair of pliers, I listen to Jim tell me what to do. I won’t go into the details but we did get the problem corrected so that I can finish the firing. Yes, I am checking this baby every half hour or more, just to make sure. Learning to fire a gas kiln teaches you respect for fire and you do lose your fear of fire. Not sure how this is possible. Plus, if you are a potter, you can see that the paint has burned off the blower. I learned from Jim, that I haven’t had the correct balance between air and gas. Another lesson. It’s been an interesting day. Thank you Jim, for your help.
Finished cleaning the studio.
Made yogurt.
Yes, life goes on. How has your day been going? If nothing else, I hope you have done something creative. Take care, C2
