in the mornings

Recently, I've fallen in love with early mornings again.

When I was living in New Hampshire, and firing twice a year at my friend Jody's wood kiln in Maine, my preferred shift started at 4 am.  It meant an early bedtime, and a groggy start, but I was so fond of tending that fire while the rest of the world slept.  The morning light would slowly brighten, the birds would start to chirp, and I'd feel so productive so early in the day.  (Admittedly, this last bit is a big part of why I love mornings!)

In the past four months, as we've been adjusting to parenthood, we've been trying to find ways to continue making pottery - and get sleep, and have quality family time.

And so we've both taken on "parents" hours, as we like to call them, with me up before dawn and Nathan in the studio after baby's (and mama's, ahem) bedtime.  Nothing too extreme - sunrise isn't all that early in the winter - and baby's bedtime isn't all that late!) but enough to give us some quiet time by ourselves to collect our thoughts and prepare for, or close out, the day.

Also new for me is having regular studio time most days.

It sounds odd to say that - wouldn't a potter naturally have this?! - but our last five years were largely dedicated to building our kiln and studio.  Pottery, in many ways, became something we squeezed in between the flow of more pressing projects.  Now, thankfully, our pace with all that building has largely come to a halt, and studio time is once again the priority.  (There's a BIG kiln to fill before spring!)

And I must say that there is nothing like regular studio time to enhance a feeling of flow and creativity.  I've also chosen to focus on making one thing - mugs - for several weeks.  It's been surprisingly pleasant to continue with one train of thought, so to speak, and watch my rhythms with throwing and handles get smoother and more streamlined.

{A bit of springtime while the snow falls - Nathan brought in a broken crab apple branch - and we had pink blossoms in an otherwise black and white landscape.}

Sticking with one type of piece for a while has also allowed me to develop new ideas more fully.  Before this, I made maybe ten or twenty of one thing, and moved on to the next shape.  Maybe I've become more patient, or perhaps this style of working makes somewhat choppy hours that I have between meals and baby feedings feel more contiguous.

And there's the fact that I personally have found myself enjoying my morning mug of tea all that much more.  A mug can be a really personal, intimate thing.  A quiet moment with a favorite mug can really set the tone for the day.

It's been anything but boring.  In some ways, I feel as though I could keep making mugs for a while longer, although my hands have more recently begun twitching for a different form.  Soon.

I've been enjoying the new bird-shaped stamps that I made. . . and figuring out fun ways to store the stamps so I can see 'which bird is which.' :)

Oh, and there have been bikes, too.  New designs, or shall I say, 'new-old' ones.

And of course there's my trusty studio buddy, who, in the mornings, isn't up to his usual trouble-making tricks yet.  He sits quietly on my wedging table, 'protecting' me. :)

I must say, it's been quite peaceful in these early mornings.

~Becca