For a year or so, I’ve been posting on Substack, but recently I feel it’s changing and becoming more like Facebook, with so many people posting notes. I’m beginning to wonder if it was a mistake to hand myself over to that platform instead of staying here, on my blog, with my faithful followers.

Here, you’re not asked to pay for anything or sign up to anyone else’s content — there’s a little less pressure, I think. Besides, as the title of this blog suggests, my creative journey is evolving. I’m still writing, but these days it’s mostly poetry, and my other great love now is pottery. Poetry and pottery roll off the tongue rather well, don’t you think? In fact, so much so that I often find myself saying one when I mean the other!

I also love to paint, and watercolour is my favourite medium. I do try with acrylics, but I’m not sure it’s really for me. I’ve also discovered a fondness for drawing. In fact, I think I’ve tried almost everything there is to try in art — pastels, watercolour pencils — and this week I’m having a go at collage painting. Who knows how that will turn out!

I’m inspired by the people I meet at the art and pottery sessions I attend. We’re a mixed bunch in experience, artistic style, and background — a wonderfully diverse community united by a shared love of art in all its forms. I find the sessions therapeutic, relaxing, and socially enjoyable. I also have to speak French quite a bit, which is good practice for me.

That said, I sometimes find I work better at home, alone, where I can give myself fully to the creative process without worrying about the brief, whether I’m doing it ‘right’, or what others might think. At home, I can simply let go and create.

Art, like all creative pursuits, is subjective. You can learn the techniques and understand your medium, your colours, your style — but eventually, perhaps after many years, you begin to create for yourself. Not everyone will like what you produce, and that’s perfectly fine. It’s just like writing: you have to learn not to ‘compare and despair’. So the fact that my pottery mouse apparently looks like a toffee apple with ears (according to one of my sons) is clearly subjective — and what does he know anyway? In my defence it was one of the very first things I made.

Perhaps he did look a little better before I painted him. . . 🤔

Below is probably my best piece so far. Hand built and painted.

I had a little taster of throwing on the wheel when I was back in England in September 2025 and I made this pot:

The little knob on the top is a stone we found on a driveway, we picked it up (with permission) and then glued it to the lid. I loved using the wheel so much that I’ve now found somewhere local to experiment and learn more about it and hopefully get better.

It’s not really possible for me to create pottery at home as there is nowhere for me to make a mess — and pottery is very messy — I’m working on it though. . . at least I’m working on The Man to do something about it. 😊😊

More on that subject later . . .