"Some people sketch their ideas out, but mine are already fully formed in my mind before I even start. I visually see it finished before I've even begun. The next step is to just get my hands to collaborate with my visuals and let them dance together. Intuition then comes into play to let my hands create a tangible piece. Then I take a look at the final piece and refine and revise it over a few months until I really love every inch of it. But then there are other times when I'll jump on the wheel with no plan and let my hands do whatever they want to do. This creative process is a combination of a strong sense of direction with an openness to exploration."
"It's exactly that. It's meditation with your eyes open and your hands moving. The outside world no longer exists and you find yourself lost for hours. You're fully in the moment lost in the rhythms of your hands shaping clay. When you're working with the earth's elements, you feel centered, humbled, and grounded. The versatility of clay allows you to create right then and there, and you feel really accomplished when you take a step back and witness your progress."
"After a few years, you build a lot of muscle in places you didn't know you could. I've developed that ‘old man strength’ just in my fingers. Throwing 10 pounds of clay will do that. You use every single ounce of strength you have from your back to your fingertip. That's what's required to make big things. It's important to take time off and let your body recover through rest or massage, but it's just as important not to stop moving your body. This type of trade is like a language, you need to use a little bit of it every day to keep your skills sharp. I've also always enjoyed working out a few days a week."
"The best way for me to stay motivated is to keep it fun and new. From the treadmill to a spin class, yoga, or jump rope, I mix it up a few days a week. Going to the gym is another place we use to escape from the outside world to find peace and gather our thoughts."