Sometimes, life gives you lemons. Other times, life gives you a leaking ceiling for multiple days as well as a multi-day migraine! We love to see it!

But on the plus side, both of the birds of paradise plants I mentioned dying before? They're both growing new leaves. Rise from the ashes, my dear plant babies. RISE. 

So if you don't know, I'm taking a pottery class! I am not good at it! But it's like three hours a week for seven weeks with the ability to pop in another workshop session whenever you want. And if you know me, I am a perfectionist. Ho-boy, if I'm doing something it better be perfect or why even do it at all?

So during one of the workshop classes, as I was messing up another cup but surrounded by people who have been doing this for at least six months, the teacher came over and was just like, "Oh, you need to cut the top because the clay is about to fall" and life has been stressful and I was ready to drop kick this clay off a roof and so I said something along the lines of "I can't even get it right why am I even trying."

And then this lady dropped some knowledge that most people know but apparently I don't, and said, "You're just learning. You have to fail to get better."

And then like WALKED AWAY like my world hadn't been completely been shook. 

As much as I joke with my classmates that I'm trying to sell my ugly pottery on Etsy, I'm not trying to make this a side hustle. I'm just trying a new thing and the real fact is that I don't have to be good at it after *checks calendar* 15 hours of practice. Because making pottery on a wheel is really hard! You have to balance your foot movements with the movements of the wheel's speed, engage your core in order to move the clay in the way you want, sit correctly to keep things moving, keep an eye on the wetness of the clay, and so many more things. The sheer fact that I made multiple things that haven't fallen apart (yet) is really impressive, but I was over here pissed that my clay cup wasn't as nice as the teacher's who has been doing this for over 20 years. 

Which is mind boggling when I lay it out like that. 

There was also this cute instagram I stumbled across where it just says "You don't need to be good at your hobbies" and like! What a one-two punch of this advice! I'm not sure when I mentally absorbed the fact that in order for me to do something, I have to be the best person at it as soon as I start, because this weird perfectionist thinking is really holding me back in enjoying things that I didn't know I could enjoy. 

Alls this to say - if there's a thing you've always wanted to try and you keep holding yourself back thinking maybe you'll suck at it - maybe you will! But it's important to at least TRY. Also in this week's class, I made a cup so badly it cracked under the teacher's hands and as she was giving me advice about sometimes we have to fail to understand the pressure of the clay in order to mold it, someone's WHEEL DISCONNECTED AND FLEW OFF. Oh gosh, she was like "well sometimes we fail even worse" and the whole class laughed. But then we also learned to not attempt to manipulate dry clay (me) or to double check in attaching the clay holder (the other woman) and we continued trying to learn. 

But learning to laugh at yourself is clearly something I need to do more often!

(I don't know why it's sideways and I'm too tired to care BUT just look at this bowl I accidentally made! It was supposed to be a cup! We hadn't even learned to make bowls yet, that's how weirdly I failed!)

Recs!