there is nothing small, or easily contained about clay. i thought it was bad when it was acrylic and canvas. paper is nice, paper is light and friendly and easy to store. Ah well. I have to get the glazes down once a month and check the moisture content, same for stored clay. So much gets wasted because people get side tracked and then reach for a container of glaze and ohuh...it's a rock. This is a little apt so doing this here is dumb, but i am dumb so be it. It is me, I am it and that is all there is. i am as careful as i can be. I sweep up with a shop vac with a special bag in it so we don't breathe the dust, and I keep a clean sort of work area. The fact that I can contain what I do to 4 feet 7 ft long is doing pretty darn good for what does get finished. My son at one time hated it, he thought our home should look like his girlfriend's. They had one of those Macy's decor showroom kind of houses. He was just a teen, but it hurt. I would like to think what hapens on my desk is a little bit magical. At least it is to me, birds and owls and dogs are born here...doesn't that count for something? If I don't get back to the paint by Feb I am going to put it away for good. It's been a year, I am tired of staring at it. I need a studio, well let, with lots of windows, and space, and time. Tons of time, and energy but with what I know now, so going back in time would not work. I wouldn't sacrifice one for the other.