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Dear Reader,
The utter joy of getting splattered in muck and making pots in my studio didn't really happen until my second child was a toddler. By then, kneading a ball of clay was all it took to bring me down to earth when life would begin to overwhelm. When those dark thunder clouds would hover over me, then I was off - my feet grounded, my hands firmly on the clay, but my head rising above the storm.
Some of those first pots I made on the wheel made me so happy and proud. The "whoosh" effect of holding something you've made with your own hands is so powerful. The way art makes us feel is such an important concept for me, and I am very much in touch with this when I'm commissioned to make something for someone. Just being in the studio and throwing or hand building with clay is therapy enough, but if my work makes other people happy, then I get a visceral swoosh of delight too.
Pottery has transformed my life, and with World Mental Health Day having just passed I wanted to share this idea with you. I'm a huge advocate for all crafts. Perhaps scrapbooking is your jam? Or maybe you're into crotchet, like Sutton Foster - see below in Flea Bites. How about baking, stamp collecting or even needlework? Whatever it is that you choose to do, I firmly believe that the simple act of creating and making things with our hands has the ability to heal and soothe the heart.
Good luck, and please share your crafting stories with me.
With Love,
Flea x
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