Testing Grace
On being late, farm rules, cry piles, and the freedom to mess up enough.
On being late, farm rules, cry piles, and the freedom to mess up enough.
Maybe I am late a little at times. Maybe I wait too long to get things done. A few times I have missed the ride being late or maybe held others up a little. I am not sure why I do such things, but thinking about it, maybe I am testing grace. You need to be brave testing grace, and it needs to be done on your own time, where you are not getting paid. I show up early for work, and when I do I am ready to work. Testing grace might mean testing a system to see just how robust it might be and hopefully point out the parts that need fixing should the stress test cause things to buckle and cave a little. If you test grace you should also have grace when others might do the same.
I was taught at a young age working summers on the farm to be on time for work. Those who I lived with during the summer from the year going into seventh grade all the way to my senior year had very high expectations on how the farm should be run. In many ways, working all those summers on the farm and living with the owners prepared me for manufacturing and all of the standards and expectations that came with it. For the most part I had to only do four things. I have done those four things for almost thirty-five years now. One, be on time. Two, follow directions. Three, don’t get hurt. Four, don’t ask too many questions. When working for myself and making art and pots I might break all of those things. I have gotten hurt in ways that were not physical, but with money, time, and effort. When it comes to art and making pots I can be late, I do not follow directions, and I ask loads of questions. All the while giving myself grace and empathy.
Having grace for myself and others when making art can allow me the freedom to try new things and run tests. It also means doing things that may not work. The more grace I test the larger my cry pile gets. At times I wonder if we mess up enough as makers and artists. We should always be testing and working things out as we move forward with grace to bring about the change we seek to make. Asking who our work is for and what our work is for are very brave questions to ask. That means while we are testing and giving ourselves grace we are extending it to others almost naturally. One of the best things we can say is, “This took some time to get correct, but look what I made. I was able to get one, and now I think I can repeat it to make more.”
Testing grace and giving yourself grace also tests grace periods. Even filing taxes, which on the surface is a hard deadline that we all know is April 14th, has built-in ways to go past that deadline for quite some time by filing an extension. When we give grace to ourselves it is like we are giving ourselves and those around us an extension. The hard part is extending that to others. It sure can be annoying when you have that one friend who is late, holding things up. For sure it can be done incorrectly. Testing grace can be selfish. However, if used as a tool it can also free you up a little once things get underway. Hard deadlines are very important as they push you to start. For me personally, I am a huge procrastinator. While that can cause me stress, it also allows me to practice grace and grace periods.
If I were living yesterday a second time: I would have given myself a little more grace about being late instead of beating myself up about it. The farm taught me to be on time. The pottery is teaching me that some things arrive when they arrive.
Things I am grateful for: The farmers who taught me four rules I have carried for thirty-five years. The freedom to break all four of those rules when making art. A cry pile that is proof I have been testing enough. The grace that others have given me when I was late and the reminder to extend the same. Hard deadlines that push me to start, even when I procrastinate.
If I get to live to be 86, I might only have: 12,644 days left. A few of them were spent being late. Most of them were spent being grateful for the grace that let me catch up.
Originally published at Creek Road Pottery
Connect with Creek Road Pottery LLC:
Website | Shop | Collectors Club | The Pin Tool Podcast | Instagram | Bluesky