work through it.

That uncomfortable thing I talked about in my previous post. Yes, I don't like it. But after sharing the link to that post in the IoM Creative Industries Facebook group, it dawned on me that growing as an artist is supposed is be uncomfortable. This is probably an embarrassingly overdue realisation. 

At home, I've been concerned that I will become too comfortable and complacent in my practice. The Isle of Man has many perks and life can be relatively easy, but creatives run the risk of developing low expectations of themselves. It's a frequent occurrence - not just on the island, though I do believe it's more prevalent in small places - talented individuals don't fulfil their potential because their lifestyle has become very sheltered and safe, so they don't take the risks to push their boundaries or expectations. I don't want to do that. I want to be ambitious, I want to improve my skills, I want to exceed my goals. 

So, dear Present Katy, pipe down and work through this discomfort, Future Katy will thank you for it. 

[On a side note, yesterday I tried out a Xiem Tools Batmate and I'm pretty impressed! They claim that it's 'the perfect solution for annoying bat jitter and warping. Place Batmate™ below your problem bats on the wheel and instantly your warped bats become stable. It is also great for trimming bowls and plates.' - so far I've tried bats of 3 different materials, even a warped one and they all held perfectly. This is an exciting development for me as I've never been good at keeping a clay pad in good shape and probably waste heaps of time getting my throwing bats level. Yay!]