Do you have a yearning for a new beginning and not sure how to start? This is a story of following your heart and finding new meaning.….
My friends have all noticed the difference in me. Telling me how lovely it is to see me look so happy. And it’s true…. I have fallen in love and I can’t hide it. This energy of excitement is like a runaway train that I can’t stop, as things change behind the scenes to support this love affair.
The last few years have been a time of change for many of us, and I’ve navigated my way through this by diversifying and discovering new ways to do what I love, from teaching and coaching online to rediscovering my lost creativity.
As some of you know, I was a potter many moons ago. I studied craft design at University to be a studio artist and I had a studio and taught ceramics for several years until I gave it up twenty years ago for various reasons.
I was very excited when I discovered a pottery club last September and had the opportunity to tentatively dip my toe back into the water. It happened to be a well-equipped studio with a wonderful encouraging teacher, who soothed my anxiety about sitting on the wheel again. Could I still do it? Had I forgotten the tricks of the trade? What if I was rubbish at it? All of these doubts were met with the same line, “You’ll be fine, it’s like riding a bike!'“
It’s been a curious rediscovery. Some things I had forgotten, yet to my surprise, my years of practising yoga have given me the steadiness that pottery requires. it is also, undoubtedly a spiritual practice that grounds you, both by the nature of the material and the presence required in concentration to stay in connection with each part of the process.
My younger potting self lacked this steadiness and understanding, often frustrated and disappointed as I was more focused on the finished piece than the creative process. Now I see the pleasure of how pottery holds you. There’s a structure to making in clay that requires daily attention that leads the way, and I always did and still do love the calm of making pots.
Just as we say in Yoga, ‘Practice and all is coming’….
I found myself daydreaming about creating a pottery studio at home and searched through Pinterest and YouTube to learn the lost techniques. Soon, I began to realise I needed to take more notice of this obsession, even though there was no obvious solution to fund the equipment.
Some voices around me heeded caution that now is not the right time, electricity bills are high, I already have a great set-up, why do I need more?…. yet despite their kind concern I never doubted my ability to make this happen. Creativity isn’t meant to be sensible, the very nature of it is to break down conceptions and limited beliefs to discover new frontiers. So, I kept on dreaming.
A breakthrough came when I discovered I could hire a wheel. With no idea how I would fund a kiln, I went ahead and signed the contract, and only when it was delivered did the solution come for the kiln. The same company offers space in their oven to fire your work. And so that was it. All lights turned green and everything became possible.
The wheel is now in situ with my clay on order, and help arrives this month to build the workbenches, move things around and turn two rooms downstairs into a pottery studio. The yoga room will become the living room and my retreats that have moved online will remain there for now, just to give me the physical space I need to explore my rediscovered passion.
I could not have foreseen in September last year that I would be turning my house upside down for a ‘feeling’. But the nature of practice has just kept things coming. And maybe it’s my experience of jumping off proverbial cliffs and the confidence I have to turn feelings into workable realities, or the trust in knowing everything I need will come.
So what have I discovered in following my heart?
Matters of the heart don’t need to make sense, they just have to lift you up and make you feel alive and excited.
Don’t let the details get in your way, where there’s a will there’s a way!
Your purpose in life can change, go with the flow and let things evolve.
Don’t think too far ahead, and forget the what-ifs. Take each step at a time. The support you need will come to you. It really is magic!
Life is to be enjoyed! Spend time doing the things you love and follow the energy of joy they provide….
COACHING
If you are seeking to follow your heart and begin a new project but don’t know where or how to start, join me online for a free coaching intro session and we can discuss the creative process and ways in which you can start moving forward!
Discover how I coach and support you to realise your passions www.tamsinjardinier.com
Until Next time,
Much love,
Tamsin x
What beautiful words, thank you Kaitlyn
Thank you for your lovely words, it really is joyful!