No, not that i've developed hairy hands & feet! ;) Shortly i'm to embark on an adventure the like of which i've never known in alien lands filled with new faces and experiences....otherwise known as Cornwall.
I thought this as good a place as any to start my Leven Pottery blog.
This will be the first time i have been away on my own since i left home at 16. By 18 I was a mum and i've had a growing amount of company ever since. I literally dont remember what it's like to not have to consider the needs of (now four) other people before my own. And soon, for 4 weeks, i will have no-one to look after but myself. The idea is blissful but the reality leaves my heart heavy.
There is only one resason i would leave the warm, safe, comforting nest of home for this lengthy a spell, and that's opportunity! I have surely been offered the opportunity of a lifetime with the chance to be taught (hopefully what i will one day make my trade) by some truly brilliant craftspeople in an amazingly historic place, The Leach Pottery St Ives! To have an intensive period of learning where i dont have to snatch brief sporadic sessions around work, family & sleep will be invaluable for improving as i know i really need to.
I'm not under any illusions, I have been potting for 8 months and while I have improved and learned a lot in this time I have now reached a stage where I don't know how to progress further without help. Thanks to the most unbelievably inspiring kindness and generosity of a few very special individuals who helped make it all possible I'm heading off into the unknown for my first adventure in 15 years and it's an emotional rollercoaster - from hyper highs of utter elation, to feeling like the most selfish horrible mummy in the world :'(
So, how do I justify it to myself? I have an amazingly supportive partner but if it wasn't right he'd tell me :) I truly believe and hope beyond hopes that I will eventually get good enough to make a living which may benefit all of us. Living where i do in the Highlands of Scotland, i find that opportunities to change your life don't come around too often and if I missed this incredible chance to make the dream happen I'd never forgive myself.
I'm not big on the fate idea usually, but the way that this has turned from a longtime whimsical fancy at the back of my mind, to a hobby, to a complete passion, to the potential for who knows where?!....in a year and a half.....is incredible. Not to mention the really lovely people i've met and communicated with along the way, how it has all slotted together is quite unbelievable. I really do consider myself to be incredibly fortunate and am determined to get the absolute most out of my time away. I'm humbled by the faith of others in me and only hope it is not misplaced :/
Watch this space! ;)
Mandy x
