Tea Time

©Cristina Kollet 2011

Writer for Hire

Life in over my head has gotten a bit deeper.

As of February 5, I am (for the first time in 15 years) without a "day" job. The contract I was working ended and was not renewed.

It's been nine years since I've been actively engaged in scouring the want ads. (My last job found me.) I know my skills are needed, though finding a job in the niche I am best experienced at may be a challenge.

Still, even the ads for jobs I'm not qualified for show that my skill set is needed. Take this one for instance. I don't have experience with HTML or "marketing automation skills" but I do have a well developed sense of irony.

My New Super Power

I've been taking pottery classes--a gift from my wonderful husband and well timed. The classes were to get me out of the house and to relieve stress. There is something about getting one's hands dirty that is very therapeutic. This is the one scheduled activity I have where I'm not shooting for perfection, as I do with the day job and the ceremonies I write for my clients, and when I'm teaching.

It's good to be a student for a change. When I'm at the wheel it's about fun and learning. When a piece collapses on the wheel it's all part of the fun.

This week I made a break through. I created three pieces and two actually came out more or less as I had intended. (My previous attempts can be best described with the words "let's see what happens this time.")

And so, my new super power is revealed. I can turn this

into this

and this

into this.

Of course sometimes things still go a bit wonky.  This

was headed towards becoming a nice cylinder when it collapsed.

But I still had clay to play with on the wheel and, while unstable and unpredictable, I was still happy with the results, so I kept it.