Making has been a little slower than usual this month. Instead we have been tackling some of the trickier, complex and daunting aspects of our studio. Planning our making, setting targets, completing the GPSR paperwork mountain and being able to resume shipping to the EU, dealing with finances and tax ‘stuff’. The relationship between money and creative satisfaction should not, I feel, be too interwoven, but of course in reality it is unless you are of the fortunate few who can work in a creative field without the need to also make a living.

Whilst the radiator ‘purrs’ all day in Updike’s poem about January, in our studio it is all about the kilns. They have been ‘clicking’ and ‘groaning’ away all month long, the electricity meter clocking up the kilowatts at pace. Our lofty workspace is tricky to heat in a cosy way and so our two top loaders have become the focal point. They have gained the office photocopier status as a place beside which to have discussions, sip coffee near, for our dog Nella to sleep beneath (!). Also a perfect place to dry soggy running trainers and endless amounts of reclaim and saturated plaster bats. Perhaps our productivity has been so high this month because taking a break from throwing and trimming means a break from warmth.