A few months ago, I submitted an application for a residency at The Gardiner Museum. My application included pages of sketches for future pieces many of which are much larger and more elaborate than anything I’ve made to date. The prospect of a large studio with built in equipment within a working ceramics gallery unleashed possibilities in me that my current set-up doesn’t allow for. When I wasn’t selected for the residency –– it was a long-shot –– I was equal parts disappointed and relieved. But there was great value in having applied, not least because it invited me to imagine what I might be capable of if I were to stretch myself. It was something to think about; released from my limitations –– many of which are perceived –– what would I be making? The sketches I submitted were emblematic of an obstacle free mind. The only way we move forward is by moving forward. And what the application process showed me is that there is a large leap between where I am and where I would like to get to. And that I won’t make that leap at my kitchen table.