"I firmly believe that our thoughts have the power to become things. My thoughts are constantly in my work. At times, I feel that this endless attention is something to be ashamed of, something to apologize for. I even frequently find myself doing just that— apologizing for thinking about pottery, talking about pottery, working on pottery. I diminish my work through these apologetic phrases. I find myself slowly becoming convinced that I have an unhealthy obsession to my work, and I am sure that if I am able to convince myself, I am also able to at least suggest the thought to others. But then I remember how much I have changed my life in the last year, and suddenly I feel purposeful pride and confidence in my work. I have made this life. If our thoughts must always be somewhere, where better to assign my mental attention than on the very thing that makes my life what it is?"