It took me a long time to give serious thought to functional work, pottery was something I did to occopy the time between sculptures.  I rarely finished or glazed my pots, and I much more enjoyed the early steps of forming something out of nothing.  It helped to clear my head while keeping my skills sharp.

An invitation to do a woodfiring with a small group gave me the push I needed to work through the trends I saw developing in my pottery (I would sneak a few pots into the firings of the classes I taught).  A few craft shows and pop-up shops followed, each one helped me dedicate longer sessions to just making pots.

Pottery is largely still a "cleansing" activity for me, I have no aspirations of becoming a full-time functional potter. But after making larger bodies of work, and seeing some of those objects at friends' homes of watching my wife pick out one of my mugs from the cabinet, I understand the satisfaction many serious potters must feel.