Pottery is a hobby I’ve never considered. Sure, when I see the work of a skilled professional from time-to-time I think to myself “well done, pottery expert!” but I’ve never considered hopping on the ol’ spinning wheel and mustering up my own bowl, cup or vase. That is until Jo-Anne and Gerald of Amaranth Stoneware invited me to try one of their Drop in & Spin classes! I brought my husband for an afternoon of self-growth and bowl-making.

Jo-Anne and Gerald are offering one-off afternoon “spin classes” where rookies can get acquainted with the art of pottery in a safe environment. Over the course of about two hours, participants make two pieces each with Gerald’s guidance and leave them for Gerald and Jo-Anne to glaze and blaze.

I use the word “self growth” because pottery is pretty hard! I initially started with the goal of making a vase and it ended up resembling a bowl so Gerald encouraged me to go with it. Then I aimed for a bowl and made a vase (LOL) so again, Gerald said “well, that was clearly meant to be a vase.”

If you’re a perfectionist, this is a good space to practice patience and acceptance. Or if you’re not into philosophical reflection, this is just a fun thing to do on a Saturday afternoon with friends or your spouse. The act of working a blob of wet clay into something that you can potentially put on display or eat cereal out of is incredibly validating!

The best part — Jo-Anne and Gerald fix up your pieces for you so they don’t look like they’ve been created by a total rookie. A couple weeks later you can pick up your masterpiece! Woot! Our pieces are actually functional and nice to look at.