We are trained by Western culture to think that “failure” is bad and “success” is good. But neither is inherently one nor the other. I have found that we must learn to let go of both failure and success in order to learn.

Right now, I am doing a ceramics “boot camp”, essentially throwing vessels at a variety of heights over and over again and cutting all of them in half. This process is helping me let go of both the “good” and the “bad” equally. It doesn’t matter if the vessel comes out weak or strong, neither physical object holds more inherent value. If I am willing to listen, Each vessel leaves equal lessons within their walls.

On the wheel and in life, you have to open up to see what lies beneath the exterior and to learn where you can improve. You need to try over and over and over again without attachment, remaining equally open to “success” and “failure”, in order to grow and to learn.