One of the things that make us distinctively blessed is that we have an outlet for one of our hobbies. We are (for lack of a better word) amateur ceramics workers. Many hobbyist ceramics folks end up with piles of bowls and cups filling their cupboards, basements, attics, etc. The only outlet most have is to give away their work to the often unappreciative. The recipients closet their gifts and only get to see the light of day when the giver shows up. I was inspired by a combination of the classic Japanese joss stick burners, tea ceremony bowls and incense ceremony (Kodo) bowls. The evolution of the process to create these was so much more involved than I could have imagined.
The types of flaws I was getting (and still sometimes get) baffled every ceramicist I could find. I found a way to prevent those flaws (most of the time) over years of trial. My new way is a bit of a pain in the keister to execute, but it works. Even more tweaking of design has undone other little issues of their use. All of these steps have added up to become quite the process, but here is why we are blessed. Since we couldn’t ever hope to profit from these incense burners, we have no reason to sacrifice on any efforts, time, or material. In fact, we sold a couple of these last week, so what do we do? We run out and buy $300 worth of more ceramics supplies. What madness is this? It’s our kind, and I wouldn’t post this if I felt you wouldn’t understand.