Breakages And How It's All Part Of The Process

Yesterday I had a shop update -- I put the latest mugs, bowls and vases I've made up on my site. I scheduled it for noon EST, but that morning I realized I wanted to add a few cappuccino mugs because people keep asking for smaller mugs. So I took photos of a yellow one I had, and then I set it down the counter to measure it. And somehow, inexplicably, I knocked it off of my work bench and it shattered on the floor. 

Last week, when I was glazing, I dropped a different mug on the floor while it was in bisque phase. 

Each time this happens, I shake my head, swear a little bit quietly to myself and get back to work. It's part of the process working with fragile items. But each piece is quite the effort. Anyway, it got me thinking about how people always ask how long it takes to make a mug, and it's hard to quantify. Partly because you have to factor in that not every mug is going to make it. It's a long process -- from the throwing to the trimming and handling to the firing. And sometimes the glaze gets funky. And sometimes you drop the mug while you're trying to list it on your website. 

Ceramics is not a lucrative business. It's a labor of love. I'm just sorry that this baby broke along the way, but it happens... and it will happen again.