Hi everyone, I have not been active on this platform at all sorry, I am finding social media so overwhelming. In fact I am finding life a little overwhelming at the moment. I haven't been able to talk myself into my studio for the last three days, and I have to get back i to it. I have medieval events coming up that I really have to get things done for. I love pottery and feel extremely privileged that it is my full-time, but lately I walk in to my studio look around and just don't know where to go next and end up walking out again. I also have several videos waiting to be edited to go up on my Shoebox Studio Ceramics YT channel, but I can't seem to talk myself into completing them either. It's so frustrating, having so much to do, but feeling unable to do any of it. Do you fellow potters ever get like this, especially those that are full-time potters? How do you get yourselves out of the darkness and back into the joy of pottery? I didn't know you have to select a category for your post, couldn't decide what this should of gone under, Fails, General, Question? I went with Question, I hope that is ok? Much love to you all x

Since I know many potters have tested this wheel... The last time I used it the splash pan seems to leak and rub against the wheel head. Am I putting it on wrong ? Do others have this issue or a solution? Maybe I should just dress all students in garbage bags, then let the clay fly. 😂

Following on from our Skool call last night, I promised I would share the little video clip my hubby captured on his drive home last night. We live in a tiny place called Far Forest here in the UK. Our home is tucked away at the end of a single track lane which only leads to 4 properties, and we’re incredibly lucky to have around 4 acres of land — about 3 acres of that being woodland/forest. One of the things we absolutely love about living here is the wildlife. We regularly hear muntjac deer calling to each other (if you’ve never heard them before… they honestly sound slightly terrifying 😂 like a strange screaming bark in the woods!). We often spot them on our security cameras, especially at night, but yesterday evening Mark was incredibly lucky. Just as the light was fading after a rain shower, a mother muntjac crossed in front of the car… and then her tiny baby followed behind 🥹 Honestly, we have NEVER seen one so young before. It looked the size of a little rabbit. Absolutely precious. It made me think again about our conversation on the call about wildlife and how “normal” animals for one country can sound so exotic and fascinating to someone else. Yes majority of us were freaked out at Nat from @Mudmagics spider bite and would not be able to sleep at night! So now I’m curious…What animals, birds, insects or reptiles do you regularly see where you live that feel completely normal to you — but might seem unusual or exotic to the rest of us? 😊

Derp, having trouble uploading photos. Newbie, here! Picked up a kiln load today. So happy with results!!!

If you have been quietly reading along so far, feel free to jump in anytime. We would truly love to get to know you and hear your thoughts. You can start simple and just say hi in the comments below. That is always the easiest first step. Take your time to scroll, read, and get a feel for everything. It can feel a bit overwhelming at first when many people already know each other, but do not be shy. We have all been there.🫶 It only takes a small moment of courage, and suddenly you are part of the conversation. So happy to have you here ✨