People often ask me how I became a potter and my response varies depending on how I feel and who I am speaking to. Here’s one of them.

 

When Rukmini my daughter was 5, I was driving her home – from Manor farm on a Saturday morning when I saw a sign, which said: ‘Pottery’.

I’m not exactly sure why, but something made me follow that sign.

It was there I met Ken.  Master Potter.

I asked him if he could teach Rukmini pottery.

He thought for a while.  Then he took a piece of clay, handed it to her and said: ‘See what you can do with this.  Bring it back to me.  Then we’ll see if I think she’s ready to begin.’

 

So that is what we did.

Rukmini made a blue snail and a colourful butterfly held together with match sticks and a week later we took it back to show Ken.

He looked at it carefully for a long time.

‘Did you make this by yourself?’ he asked.  Rukmini nodded.  ‘In that case, then, I think you are ready.’

 

And so it was, he began to teach my daughter pottery.

Watching him teach her made me want to take it up too.

Which I did.

 

I became a potter because of my daughter.

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Many years since then,this is where I am today, in my relationship with clay.

Here is the link to a Potters Openday conversation with Psychologist Prof Vasu Reddy, Ceramicist Ester Beck and myself , on ' Being-Centred' across  the worlds of  clay, dance and life.

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