I never wonder too much about older pots. If we are artists who sell work, we may never see older pieces again. We might even hope to never see them again. If we do see our work again, it is when visiting those who might own the pieces. We also may see them in images when there may be a defect, or if they cracked up in the mail. We might be disappointed with how the work is being used or appreciated when we visit. Or feel disappointment when we cross paths with older work. It might be time to let all of that go.
It not only applies to pots but maybe to all types of creators. It might be important to let the past go, and wherever we see our work again, it might be fitting to smile that we had the ability and experience to create it at all. No matter how we find it. I am not sure if it is the same for writers. I am not sure how many writers reread the old books they wrote. But they may smile to themselves when they cross paths with their novel if it’s on some shelf in the home of a dear friend. I am not sure, but it may hurt the same writer some if they find the exact book a year later at the same friend’s yard sale.
We might not be prepared for what we find. It might be a blow to our ego. “How could they!” you may think. You may feel underappreciated at times. That handmade baby blanket might not have gotten the reaction you thought it would by the new mother to me at the baby shower. “I’ll never hand-make anything for them again.” you think. You may even go home and cry about it all.
I have found my old pots at yard sales. I expect to find them at thrift shops someday. It’s almost unavoidable. I have found my mentor's old work at antique shops. I have a little collection. Not thinking, I smiled and sent an image of the old wood-fired pouring pitcher to validate my find. “Hey Bill, is this yours? I just found it at the antique shop. If so I’m performing a rescue here. Nice job way back!”. The text back to my phone was calm. “Yeah, it’s mine. What did you pay for it? Back then, I sold them for $50.00 each.” I smile and type back. “I rescued the pot for $15.00. But thanks for getting me into pottery way back. It was nice finding you here.”
It might be time to let go of old work. The load starts to get too heavy to carry around with you. Plus, you need to make room in your mind for the new work back home in the studio. It’s fine to reflect, interact, and work through feelings if you need to. But don’t hold grudges or negativity about how you find things later. I hope you are able to work with gratitude, generosity, and empathy today. We can’t control what happened yesterday, only our attitudes towards it. At times, how we react might be the only choice we are left with.
This post resulted in a massive and valuable process for me this morning. It was right on time. Thank you for publishing this.