Obsession – Definition.

Obsession – Definition.

Hi there

Thanks for popping in. Today I want to discuss Obsession. What’s yours? Do you have one? Do you have more than one? Healthy or unhealthy? Let’s look up the dictionary definition of Obsession, shall we?

noun

  1. the state of being obsessed with someone or something.
    • an idea or thought that continually preoccupies or intrudes on a person’s mind.

My latest obsession – and possibly the greatest of all time – is surely Pottery! I say latest, because my life is just one long string of obsessions actually! Both healthy and unhealthy obsessions have underpinned my life all along. Do you get me? Having a very addictive personality, it’s quite normal to obsess about things, to get involved, get in deep – not just skim the surface.

At 5am this morning, when I was padding across the garden in my dressing gown and slippers, from the house to the garage, to see if the kiln was cool enough to open, it occurred to me that this was the physical manifestation of obsession – albeit a healthy one! I mean, I’m not climbing over the garden hedge or burrowing in the rockery, looking for the bottle of gin I hid a month ago! Different obsession. But I opened my eyes and immediately had to check. Couldn’t wait. Couldn’t get dressed and have a cuppa first. Nope. Dressing gown, slippers, out the back door.

And guess who was right behind me in his dressing gown ?!? Wonderful. A match made in heaven.

This was the experimental kiln firing, remember? Where I was testing different glazes and ideas to see whether they had worked or not. Mmmm… hardly a hit & hope attitude, hey?! She’s definitely obsessed!

Well, happy – VERY HAPPY – to report that most of the pieces and experiments worked really well. Lookie Lookie…

A couple bombed, but nothing terminal, and certainly nothing that can’t be reglazed and refired. Even if they were for the bin, that’s still okay, because I waved goodbye to them when I shut the door on the kiln 2 days ago. Detached with love, as it were.

Now. Check out the cataloguing, and then tell me I am not obsessed!

Thing is, if I don’t catalogue what I have done, if I don’t write down how I got (or didn’t get) a particular result, I will never remember later on, when I want to use that technique again. The glazing side of pottery is a real science! And it is a science which I really want to learn.

So, in a nutshell, this is my homespun Pottery University Course. If only I had been as invested and motivated the first time round, when I actually was lucky enough to attend University!

But it’s back to work now. I have loads to do, so pottery will have to wait till this evening. Have I got a favourite? No. I do like the stamped tiles…

…and I think the black iron oxide on the little plaques is pretty special too. Needs refining, but I love the feel of these.

Obsession is often defined as a negative emotion, a disorder. That depends. My obsession with art – and pottery in particular – is also a wonderful creative distraction, which has been very powerful therapy during this past year. I guess you have to sort the positive obsessive thinking from the negative, eh?

Have a great day!

Love and Hugs

Barb xxx

37 thoughts on “Obsession – Definition.

  1. Oh Barb I’m so happy for you I’m welling up reading your blog today. So excited that you share this with us and how it makes you feel. So amazing that Dave also shares your joy in this obsession. Oh to find your kindred soul and enjoy life together in business and at play. Happy Sunny Tuesday.
    Lots of love Tina.

  2. What a fabulous obsession to have though. It’s not obsessing to record everything, as you say, you need the information to repeat it to get the same effect.
    (Hmmm Katy, perhaps you need to take a leaf out of Barbara’s book?)
    I have a current obsession of mosaic crochet, my poor but growing GROOVI collection feels sadly neglected, but not for long.
    Love ALL your pottery results. xxx

  3. Barbara they are all class glad they came out so good for you love the plaques they are brilliant 👏 lots of love. Beth Norton

  4. Wow 👏 no, make that a double wow! Totally fantastic results 👏 and I am so pleased for you. I totally understand the need to write down what process you used. No doubt you will be adding further notes when you refine these techniques. All in all, a very healthy and mindful obsession! All of this made even better with your soul mate by your side ❤xxxx

  5. Hello Barbara
    Your pottery is lovely. Well done you.
    I have an addictive nature too, luckily never anything unhealthy. My obsession now is Clarity, especially stamping and Groovi. Love it.
    Love
    Roz.xxx

  6. I too was up at 5am but didn’t have as much fun as you. All are beautiful but I think my favourite are the blue bowls. But anything blue would do. Congratulations.

  7. Wow I am so pleased your experiments worked so well and also you have learned so much from these xx I would be like you I am in the can’t wait category and how lovely that you have someone who shares this passion lucky lady xx I love seeing your results and feel quite honoured to share this with you thank you xx

  8. Oh wow Barbara your pottery is gorgeous. I just love it. It is so good to write it all down so you can recreate the successes. I think you have a fantastic hobby. As a creative person the art will find its way out somehow. Think of all the people you will make happy with a gift of your pottery. Enjoy the rest of the day. Take care. Hugs xxx

  9. Whilst having breakfast this morning, I wondered if you had opened your kiln yet, as I too am obsessive and have an addictive personality, so I understood that you would have had that as a first thought on waking. The results are absolutely amazing and I am so thrilled for you.
    A big difference between you and me, apart from not having your talent, is that I have little patience. I would not have taken the trouble to make all those notes, as I forget to do it with most projects and even to take photographs. Something I must remedy.
    Anyway, congratulations on your wonderful collection. I am off to watch Paul and Linda. Hugs. Annette. X

  10. Oh Barbara your pottery is exquisite. I never ever thought my obsession would get to this. I remember watching Paul on TV with Groovi and thinking ‘that’s not for me’. However I continued to watch. Then you had the half price sale and I thought if I wanted to have a go, now is the time to dip my foot in the water. Then Roz suggested I join her Groovi group and I declined as I had too many other crafty things I wanted to do. Not the case, I started on the Groovi journey, joined Rez’s group and the rest is history. I live and breathe Groovi. I wake at 5am with designs going mad in my head – am I obsessed? You decide 🤣🤣🤣🤣

  11. Those are amazing! Not so much an obsession as a deep love for what you’re doing. Making notes is an obvious thing to do when you’re learning. Look forward to see what you do next. X

  12. Wow the pots look awesome, you sound very happy and relaxed too😊 xxx I have OCD so I totally understand an addictive personality, keeping positive is the game changer for me along with don’t sweat the small stuff . I’m sat in sunshine crocheting , off to do groovi later take care hugs julie xxx

  13. Glad the pottery turned out so well love the blue bowls. What a lovely obsession to have. I found that I wanted to finish a project as soon as I had started so everything was rushed but being in the Shac and hearing you repeat it takes as long as it takes has made me slow down. Thank you for helping to get rid of my obsession.xx

  14. Super pottery, good job you wrote down your methods, now it will be easy to repeat the successes and improve the others. Good job Dave supports you in this obsession as he will soon have to build you another shed to store the pots.

    I would not say I am obsessive, there are so many things I like to do and enjoy, but there are times when I am parching or reading I go into another world and it takes a few nudges from hubby or desperate hunger to bring me back. However I do like to be tidy. Hubby is content to live in chaos with piles of books and computer gear all round him. As soon as I clear a space on the floor he immediately spreads it all out again. IT DRIVES ME NUTS!!!!
    Hope everyone is keeping well and enjoying this glorious weather.
    Stay safe.
    The sun is shining, the birds are singing and at the moment all is right in my universe. I am a lucky lady. Now I need to think about lunch and get my crafting gear ready for this afternoon.

  15. What a great selection of pottery, so glad it all or almost all turned out as you hoped. The notes are a great idea as you will build an encyclopedia of pottery over time that you can refer back to as when needed.
    I can just picture you both crossing the lawn to the garage this morning !!

  16. Wow what fabulous results Barbara and I think all us arty crafty people are obsessed on one way or another enjoying and getting absorbed in what we enjoy doing. So pleased that Dave was excited to see the results of your work too, it’s good to have partners that understand our motivation. x

  17. Fantastic result and not obsessive at all to catalogue how you created each piece! It’s the only way to replicate the pieces you like!

  18. Fantastic work! I have health problems so I spend a lot of time sitting on my bed resting. But, if a crafty idea pops into my head, no matter what time it is, off I limp, down on the stairlift & into my craft room. Then, I must enter this idea into my project book, because I will probably have forgotten it by tomorrow! Ah, getting old has a lot to answer for!🤣🤣🤣

  19. What a fab collection ! Loving that little jewellery dish – zen tangle becoming one of my obsessions at the moment together with Groovi, x stitch and the Shac. Trouble is I do too much thinking about it than doing, although I’m often looking ! I have had a not so good one in the past and weaned myself from that. I’ve got a bit of an addictive personality – really must part with some old sandals ….. I’ve got them going back 40 years and can still wear them! anyway I think your haul is marvellous and good job you have catalogued it all as, like you, I’d never remember what I did with what!

  20. I noticed the porcelain bowls involved bisque and grog, so you must have a bottle stashed in the pottery shed somewhere 👍🏻

  21. Call it what you want – the pots look amazing (as I KNEW they would) and, if you don’t make notes, all the effort is forgotten and you’d have to start all over again. Now…if you start making Excel sheets about your progress, then, I might think you are a bit obsessive!! I prefer to think of you as a perfectionist.
    Love
    Maggie (Bendy Yorkite)

  22. Beautiful work beautiful results. My passion/obsession is my garden. Especially growing plants from seed. It’s the thrill of nature. Only ever write down what ive planted where in the vegetable plot.
    When are you opening the pottery shop. Would love a browse.

  23. So pleased everything turned out OK with no major disasters. It was nice to see your notes along side them all. I’ve only just started taking pictures of my cards and then writing down what colours, mediums and techniques I used as I could never remember exactly what I’d done if I wanted to repeat a design which I found really frustrating. I also write down how I could tweak it next time. All I need now is some kind of book/folder/journal to keep them all in. I don’t think it’s obsessive just sensible at my age as the memory isn’t what it used to be 😊xxx

  24. WOW!! I love your pottery. You are right to be pleased with your results. As for being an obsession there are worse ones to have!! X

  25. What a pair! 5 a.m.! Lol. Definitely well matched! Lol. What a fantastic selection of pots. My favourites are the striped pot, the ones above it to the left and the first vase with the green stripe but they are all amazing. My new obsession is photography! Just spent a fortune on not one but two cameras, a mirrorless and a bridge, and a super duper telephoto zoom lens! It’s just money! Lol. Need to rein myself in now!! Lol. Anyway, the plan is that it will get me out of the house for some exercise! Lol. Hxx

  26. Your pottery is amazing! I love the tiles and the white porcelain bowls especially. I must confess I’ve never been obsessed with anything to that extent -I might have had brief obsessions with some crafting technique but they soon die out and give way to other things – to brief to remember now. I was wondering if obsession and addiction are the same? They seem to have similar characteristics. I don’t have an addictive personality (other traits, but not addictive!) so haven’t really experienced anything like your love of pottery. I hope it keeps you happy enough to get up at 5am to check for many years to come! It’s lovely that Dave shares it with you.

  27. Oh these are all just fabulous! I love the bisque pots with the stripy tops – so lovely. Clearly you & Dave are a well-matched pair – it must be love 😍

  28. Beautiful results Barbara…you must be thrilled! Good to record the processes of course, nothing more annoying than racking your brain to remember how you made something you love! A very creative hobby. Enjoy, and make time for your obsession! Xx

  29. Wow fantastic results -worth being obsessed about and lovely that you and Save both share it. Understand where you are o I gotta from – I too am obsessed when it comes to crafting. Enjoy what you have made and make many more using your brilliant note making xx

  30. Hi Barbara
    Great to see things turned out well, I have mental image of you and Dave paddling across the lawn with Erik and Ragnor following. Jackie has been trying to make a glaze she had used at pottery class, fortunately her teacher wrote all the ingredients down before we moved. Managed to get the component parts just need to mix and then Bobs your uncle. I am obsessed with paper cutting at the moment used your stencils to amazing effect . Gardening is also high on the agenda as last year we didn’t have one I’m making the most this year.
    Enjoy your new obsession it seems to be doing you good.
    Love
    Ruth & Jackie xx

  31. Hi Barb,
    Your obsession is certainly producing some lovely pieces. The cataloguing is a great (& useful) idea – I think I should really do that when I do a mixed media piece, because half the time I can’t remember what I did! Well done and I’m so pleased that you have found something that you love doing that is separate from “work”. Love and hugs, Alison xx

  32. Hello Barb, I call your Pottery a blessed obsession, because it gives you joy and a sense of achievement and lets your creativity run wild. Those pieces are just lovely, thanks for sharing the pics. I wonder what the neighbours thought of the two of you padding across the garden in your dressing gowns? Take care and stay safe everyone. Bx

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