I’m two days away from my first craft fair. 100 potters will be exhibiting, many of whom will have trained for years, worked as apprentices across the globe and then built careers as potters. To say I feel like an upstart is putting it mildly.
In my “day job” I’m a professional actor. I used to be an amateur but retrained in mid-life for two years at a top drama school and have worked as a professional for 23 years. I’ve paid my dues – outdoor theatre, unpaid student films, Edinburgh Fringe and so on. So I have a sense of how the experienced professional potters may feel.
Nevertheless, I’ve paid for my table and I’m going! I have made around 200 pots. I’ve got the crates and bubble wrap ready. I’ve priced up my pots, and borrowed a mate’s campervan. I have even bought carrier bags!
So what can I apply from how I feel when I hear an amateur actor tell me their show is “good enough to transfer to the West End”. First or all, remember the “2 ears/1 mouth” rule. Listen more/speak less. Everybody has a story. Secondly, be realistic. That doesn’t mean you have to tell everyone how rubbish you are and how great they are. Let your pots speak for themselves. And thirdly, take every opportunity to learn. The thing I love about my pottery “journey” is every lump of clay is a chance to apply what I learned from the previous lump of clay. Every conversation is a chance to build on experience and leaning.
I’ll write another blog once the three days is done and tell you what I actually learnt and if I think I am good enough for the West End. In the meantime, I plan to have a bloody great time and Waterperry Gardens – HERE I COME!