Last night I went to the Liverpool Playhouse for the first time. I did not go to watch a play though. Instead, I went to see Keith Bruner Jones.
Who on Earth is that, you may ask. Well if I say Channel 4, judging, crying, or pottery, you may have a better idea.
Keith is the main judge on Channel 4's The Great Pottery Throwdown, and is a British potter and ceramic designer, known for his homeware Word Range with retro lettering and punk motifs.
With his wife, he spent two hours talking about his life, from growing up in Finchley, being fascinated by clay from his local stream as a young boy, to being a ballet dancer and doing Highland dancing, before becoming the singer with punk band The Wigs, and gaining an apprenticeship near Watford.
He told his story on how he became one of Britain's most successful ceramics manufacturers, making around 500,000 items a year, all in the traditional way - on a potter's wheel.
He is immensely proud of his trade, of what he does, and how he produces his ceramics. He added that pottery is very personable, very intimate, and a way of communicating that shows a lot of feeling - that communication is an important skill for us all.
Potters communicate their feelings through their manufactured products, but by just complementing someone on a nice coat or similar can really make their day. If you have ever watched a potter when in action at a wheel, the love and feeling put into the making of a ceramic item you will know what I mean.
Health and safety practitioners may not have a physical item like a pot to be proud of, but I guarantee you that we are still extremely proud of what we do in a very similar way. To us, knowledge, education and experience allow us to do what we do with pride.
The difference we make to people's lives when we help them implement something tangible is something to be incredibly proud of. I love my job. I love making a difference, educating and communicating with clients.
Whatever your passion is in life, whatever your skill, how you utilise it to your own successes is simply what makes us tick. Whether that passion is turned into a profession or trade doesn't matter. It improves our wellbeing, our self esteem.
So follow your heart, your skills, and your hobby can become an opportunity .
Make use of your talents and skills.
Work with your authentic self (values, ethics, morals) you cannot go wrong.
You won’t regret it.