The Secret Is to Show Up

After my very first pottery course, my teacher took me aside and said, “Wheel throwing isn’t for everyone. But pottery is wonderful, and there are many ways to form clay.”

I’d love to say that I threw myself into practice to prove her wrong, but the truth is, I was discouraged. I took a break from clay for a while. And yet, later it pulled me back in. Slowly, painstakingly so, I returned to the wheel, working through frustration, disappointment, and hundreds of  imperfect pieces.

Over time, something shifted. My hands began to understand what my mind couldn’t explain. I started centering more easily, throwing more smoothly, and one day realized that I’d quietly gotten good, not perfect, not the best, but very good. That progress didn’t come from talent alone; it came from presence, repetition, and patience.

If there’s a moral to this story, it’s simple: keep an open mind, and just try again. Yes, some people take to it more naturally, and others need more time, but pottery truly is for everyone. Anyone can learn to throw on the wheel. The secret is to show up, every single time.