We Can Do Hard Things

So, 2020 ends and 2021 begins. It’s been very different than any other year we’ve experienced. There have been plenty of tragedies and disasters before but they always had an end and a chance to rebuild. This year has been unclear and we’ve wavered with uncertainty and fear. And although the new year is still unclear, there is hope. Vaccines are coming and with more immunity, this virus should gradually become more like a variation of the flu. We’re all looking forward to that and more ‘normal’ activities.

This pandemic has changed a lot of things in the world but maybe they’re not all for the worse. We’ve learned to adapt and stay flexible, to prioritize more strictly and we’ve learned that we can do hard things.
We’ve also learned that it’s really hard to stay away from people. I’ve never missed hugging so much in my life!

With ceramics this year, I’ve learned that small is beautiful. There weren’t the big regional or national shows to hustle for so I tried my local Farmers’ Market. And I found out that people love handmade things, especially when they know the person who made them! Those functional objects became a kind of bond between me and the people who bought them, a kind of mutual support.

My husband Sam and I, and our friend Michelle also hosted an open air/open studio to make up for the lack of holiday fair opportunities. It was a really wonderful and gratifying experience. There was so much community feeling and support for our work.

Overall, this weird and crazy year has made me really grateful. There are a lot of people in this world who have been devastated by the effects of this pandemic, and I count myself very fortunate–I have found tremendous support and appreciation for what I do. I also have a great bunch of loyal students who want to keep making ceramics in spite of the difficulties right now. Hang in there, I’ll start independent study again when possible.

So, thank you all, I really appreciate having you all in my life and part of my community. The new year holds promise and it won’t be worse than this year. We can do hard things, we can do this.