The Clay Pot of 1997

I haven't made anything
Since the clay pot of 1997

Granted, it was a...

I mean, it was a stellar pot

It was featured in the "Up and Coming" section
Of Artists & Clay magazine

I was sooo intensely proud
Of that piece

And, you know
That was fifteen years ago

Okay, so--yeah
I admit
I haven't exactly been
What some people would call

'Productive'

But you know
When did the goal of art
Become all about
You know, pumping out piece after piece

I mean, I'm not--

My goal
When I set out
When I first set out
Was just to, you know
Do the best work possible

So, it was 1996
December
And I started working on this pot
This clay pot
And in, like, a month
It's finished

Done

Bang

Just like that

And I was--

I mean, I was shocked
At how quickly it all came together

But I wasn't about to say--

'Okay, that's my process

That's how quickly I'm going to work
Forever and ever'

Because it doesn't really work that way
And it turns out I don't work that way

Maybe I'm just one of those artists
Who creates something
Once every few decades
And when they do
It's this ground-breaking piece of progress
That pushes everything forward
In a new direction

And if that's the case
I have at least five more years
Until anybody should be expecting anything from me

So why would I even bother
Sitting down
Trying to force something out of myself?

I could still be in the germ phase
I could be percolating
I could be on the verge of something
And if I push
Forget it

You know?

Just--forget it

So I'm not pushing it

1997 was a great year
And I'm sure that probably
Two or seven years from now
Will be a great year

But what's the rush, you know?

I just don't see the need to rush