• 09 Dec, 2025 *

This season has been particularly reflective for me, and it started when my grandmother died earlier this year. She and her husband (died in 2021) ran a family HVAC company for 30-some years. The only person in my family still making a living with their hands is my uncle, who bought the business from them when they were ready to retire. Both of my parents chose professional services, and I chose creative knowledge work. But in thoughtfully reconsidering how I spend my free time outside of work, I’ve been wondering how I can use it to create with my hands. Maybe tap into some of that latent talent passed down genetically?

It wasn’t just my grandparents. I’m told that, as far as you can go in recorded history1, I come from generations of nomadic engineers, skilled trades people, fabricators, etc. It made me wonder: if I were to create with my hands, what other mediums can I explore, aside from painting? I’m acquainted enough with oils to have a whole set-up at home, though I’m not using it right now (the tradeoffs of having a preschooler at home). Is there something I can pick up and put down, something more physically demanding, to suit both my present lifestyle and my desire to get the hell away from computers? I poked around online, chatted with friends to get some ideas.

Silversmithing and thrown pottery both came up. After watching a few videos from Mitera Made, I’m very curious about lost wax casting, in particular. Unfortunately, the closest place I can take a class is still far enough that I have to plan for it, their communication isn’t the best, and the only one available to sign up for right now is smack in the middle of a weekday.

I’ve always wanted to try out turning pottery on a wheel, and there happens to be a great spot offering beginner classes nearby. Because of the convenience, I ended up going with pottery first and took a class last week. I found it both incredibly satisfying and intuitive. Almost as if my hands are the cutting tool on a lathe, and I can move it into whatever orientation I like. Bonus: getting messy!! I can get messy with paint at home with my kid, but this is different. Pottery feels like creatively productive messy, like I can feel myself learning. I haven’t felt that way about a medium since I focused on visual design much earlier in my career.

I enjoyed it so much, I signed up for a membership on the spot, which means I can go in anytime they’re open and use the equipment they have, get my work fired, and the only extra cost is paying for clay which they sell on-site. I haven’t been able to go in again just yet — I have a two week break coming up soon — but I’m really looking forward to doing more.

Silversmithing (jewelry making, whatever) is a bigger up front investment. Since there’s no easy way to just go take an intro class on an impulse, I’m slowly acquiring what I need to make basic rings when things are on sale. I don’t even wear jewelry, but I have some ideas in mind for the kind I’d like. The most elusive tool that I still need is a jeweler’s saw. Why the hell isn’t more equipment sold at the hardware store? You can find virtually any type of connector, bolt, nut, ring — but no saws for tiny metal work? And no silver solder either!

Someone on Bluesky posted recently about how you "need the grit if you want the pearl" and I’ve been thinking about that a lot. In the context of exploring new mediums: learning how to create. In work: good friction in the creative process shapes the solution, hones and imparts quality. In time and space: the slowness of gathering tools and laying plans to squeeze all the juice out of this end of year break, forget I have a job just for a little while, and live through my hands.

All of this comes from the family historian. I’m certain this was true going back at least four generations. Beyond that, I’ll just trust that there’s a kernel of truth to it.↩