The older I get, the more I notice how uncomfortable we have become with being beginners.

We live in a world where we are constantly encouraged to be efficient, productive and good at things straight away. We watch tutorials, compare ourselves online, and often expect a perfect result before we have even started.

I see this all the time when people come to a ceramics class for the first time.

They sit down with a piece of clay and immediately apologise. They tell me they are “not creative”, that they have no artistic ability, or they compare their first attempt to something made by someone who has spent years developing their craft.

Somehow, we have learned to expect perfection from ourselves — even when we are doing something completely new.

But clay has a funny way of challenging that.

Working with clay teaches humility very quickly.

The sooner we learn not to become too attached to the outcome, the more we can enjoy the process. And ceramics gives us plenty of opportunities to practise this.

A piece might crack while drying. It might not survive the kiln. A glaze that looked beautiful on a test tile might run onto the kiln shelf, or come out looking completely different from what you imagined. Sometimes a colour you were excited about turns out beautifully. Sometimes it looks more like mud.

You learn that not everything can be controlled.

You learn to adapt.

You learn to accept that the unexpected is part of the process.

And perhaps most importantly, you learn that the value is not only in the finished object. It is also in the time spent making it, the concentration, the curiosity and the simple pleasure of working with your hands.

The most beautiful thing to watch in a ceramics class is not someone making the perfect piece.

It is the moment when they stop trying to.

For some people, that happens after five minutes. For others, it takes five different sessions before they allow themselves to experiment without fear of getting it wrong.

There is no right timeline.

This is one of the reasons I am creating my new ceramics studio in Balbriggan.

I don’t want it to be just a place where people come to learn a technique or make an object to take home. I want it to be a space where people can slow down, try something new, make mistakes, and enjoy the process of creating without the pressure to be perfect.

After five years working from my studio at Ardgillan Castle, I am now beginning this next chapter in my new space in Balbriggan. The doors will officially open in September 2026, and I cannot wait to welcome people into a place built around creativity, curiosity and the simple joy of making.

Because sometimes the most valuable thing we can create is not the object itself.

It is the time, attention and presence we give ourselves while making it.