My two years as an apprentice at Mary Fox Pottery has come to a close and like a young fledgling, I am ready to fly the nest! The year 2024 marks the launch of my own pottery studio, just around the corner from Mary’s in Ladysmith. As I set out on my journey, and watch as Sabrina, Mary’s new apprentice, begins her first week, I can’t help but think back on the journey I’ve had from my first day to now. There were of course ups and downs, but overall, I can’t imagine where I would be had I not have had this experience.
The apprenticeship, born from the Mary Fox Legacy Project, afforded me the opportunity to focus on my craft without the distraction of needing to make a living outside of the program. As the apprenticeship is paid, and full-time, I was able to spend countless hours developing my skills as a potter. Other distractions are inescapable – relationships, money, the state of the world – but I often felt cocooned from it all. The apprenticeship required focus and problem-solving, meaning external troubles were often left at the door.
Throughout my time at the pottery, I encountered obstacles and learned lessons that I will carry through to my own practice in the “real world”. One of the most important being not to overwork myself and take breaks. Being a potter is a really physical job, a fact I really under-estimated. I quickly discovered that Injuries can happen in a moment but take months, even years to fully recover from.
I learned to pace myself and focus on a steady, consistent practice so as to reduce the need to overwork during busy seasons. I put a lot of pressure on myself early on in the apprenticeship to produce work as quickly as possible. But making quality work is more important! And speed comes in time with practice and skill. Life is not a race, and it’s just pottery!
Some lessons I learned and forgot, and learned again… such as pots can never dry too slowly! When in doubt, just cover them to dry slowly so you don’t arrive at the studio to a bunch of s-cracks and cracked handles.
Finally, I learned to make a pretty mean cappuccino! A skill I plan to continue to practice as I take advantage of Mary’s espresso machine, conveniently located not a block away from my new studio.
As I write this, I feel excitement and trepidation for my journey ahead, but above all, I feel gratitude. Gratitude for the experience I’ve gained over the past couple of years; for the support system I’ve been fortunate enough to build on this little island; for my family who have supported all my endeavors through the years and taught me I can do anything I set my mind to; and for Mary Fox. For taking me under her wing and helping this young potter learn to fly.
