Handling

There are many steps when creating a ceramic object, and it's in between the major steps that the handling of the objects takes place. Handling refers to the smaller steps, like moving the pieces on wooden boards to places where they can rest until you're able to continue working on them, cleaning them up and smoothing them, removing glaze where it's not supposed to be, and many other movements.

To me, handling is as big a part of pottery as recycling clay or throwing on the wheel. It's part of the whole process and needs as much care as the other steps. I might not have lost as many pieces in my pottery career to the handling process as to other steps, but it takes just a moment — hitting an edge, dropping a piece while giving it a final wash, or distorting a rim while covering the pieces in plastic.