As much as we try to hide the fact that we’re all very excited that The Great Pottery Throw Down is now on our screens, it’s impossible to keep our curiosity in check and our focus away from the exploits of the 12 potters that are now going to be put to task every Tuesday night. There’s great interest here at Turning Earth and secretly we’re all fired up, itching to see if our own pottery skills match up to what is being created on the show each week.

Everyone here knows exactly how daunting it is to get clay to do exactly what you want it to do, let alone under the eye of a judge; on a tight schedule, and to throw five – yes five – stacking bowls in 2.5 hours! I know that a lot of people here would have relished the chance, but still, it’s lucky that at our studio we have more collaboration than competition. As one of our members, Lydia, noted on our members page on Facebook – “20 handles in five hours. Go!” – the added pressure is a bit much, and thankfully, a normal potter wouldn’t be subject to it… unless of course she’d failed to negotiate the deadlines of those commissions properly.

We have all been inspired by the activities outlined in the first episode. In fact, even though not much ‘throwing off the hump’ takes place at our studio, I’ve definitely overheard comments recently about the need to get hands on humps again (although I don’t think anyone has actually had a request for 20 egg cups to be produced in a mere heartbeat). But Tessa Barrett, our very own teacher and one of our most experienced potters, has buckled under the temptation the show presents, and will be challenging some of our members to reproduce some of the tasks given to the TV contestants every week. It’s just too tempting I guess, and she’ll even be competing herself – watch out folks, she’s a fiery virtuoso on the wheel – and the challenge this week will be to make three cups with handles and five bowls. Mercifully, they don’t have to stack. Thanks for that Tessa!

So, naturally we’ll be eagerly looking forward to the rest of the series. Paying attention to all the little tips and ideas that can be pinched, pilfered and put to good use, whilst absorbing all the science extras. Trying not to get too involved as people inevitably get voted-off despite being fiercely talented, or when an unwelcome crack appears in a rim or a base or the glaze slips or the slip runs, as such things are bound to do from time to time. Even if you are Britain’s best.

–Lewis.

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We've noticed that handmade wooden spoons look beautiful with the ceramics we make. So we thought we'd invite expert spoon makers, Yoav Elkyam and Adam Hawker, in for a day of whittling.

They taught two courses and twenty of us got to try the craft. It's incredibly relaxing: no kilns, no glaze... just you and a piece of wood. But - as we soon learned - the knives do have to be very sharp. You can't relax too much! Still, we were pleased with the results.

The spoon in the picture is my first ever try, and I absolutely loved making it. We're looking forward to hosting more of these kinds of workshops in the future.

-- Tallie

Images: Sabrina Dallot-Seguro

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This week we were excited to receive a visit from ITV's Giovanna Fletcher, who has been exploring activities that people do for their 'me time' for the Lorraine Breakfast show.

We felt quite smug at finding ourselves ahead of the curve, after learning that Lena Dunham has been tweeting about "the indie ceramics renaissance that's happening now" and that David Beckham has been trying a bit of 'paint your own pottery'. Apparently everyone's into ceramics these days. But to hear it described as 'cool' gave us something to think about - it isn't the first word that springs to mind when thinking of our daily life in the studio. Still, we will celebrate finding ourselves in the right place at the right time. Hopefully it will get a few more people into the craft, which we reckon is truly good for the soul. And perhaps it will also bring more people to our studio sales and help our artists make their hobbies self-sustaining. At the moment, that's the dream.

Giovanna gave it a go with a little (no, actually a lot) of help from Ben Sutton, one of our resident throwers. In spite of the to-be-expected Ghost references, he got away without doing a Patrick Swayze impression. I was a bit disappointed, to be honest.

-- Tallie

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To say that Turning Earth teacher Tessa Barrett was excited when she heard that Anita and Gleb from the BBC's Strictly Come Dancing would be coming to the studio would be a bit of an understatement. Tessa, who is also a dancer in her other life, is a real fan of the show, and she had a great time taking the two stars for a spin.

As Tessa pointed out on the day, dancing and throwing are quite similar skills. You have to stay centred, have good coordination, know how to be focused and relaxed at the same time, etc etc. As a professional dancer, Gleb, it turns out, was naturally good at it (though we have to say not quite as good as he looked on the show - television editing is a wonderful thing).

Although we too love to turn the studio into one big dance floor - we do it with enthusiasm when we hold our member parties - we have never seen Turning Earth looking quite so glamorous as it did with them in it.

-- Tallie

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I'm very pleased to announce that my brother Lewis is joining the team at Turning Earth. He's been hanging around the side lines since long before we opened - giving me advice over supper, making the canapes for our crowdfund launch, and generally marshalling the troops whenever I needed them marshalled.

And we're finally in the position where he can come on board full-time. First he will be learning the ropes, and then he will be bringing his considerable management skills into the studio to improve all of our processes. It's been a natural evolution and we are very lucky that we have the kind of relationship that enables us to work together on a shared vision.

I'm sure our members will see over the coming months that Lewis can take the helm of the ship and lead in his own right. He comes to us from Bupa Home Healthcare, where he was first a nurse and then a manager and clinical trainer. During his role there he used to administer chemotherapy and to care for people in their final hours. This background means he is adept at managing technical details at the highest level of responsibility while supporting people at a very human level.  He is passionate about developing a warm and inclusive community culture at the studio while delivering a structured approach to management and compliance - and at 18 months old, that's exactly what Turning Earth needs.

Lewis will be working closely with our suppliers at Potclays in Stoke-on-Trent, and our team in the studio, to use their expertise to develop the facilities and the technical services that are offered at Turning Earth. The world of ceramics is fortunately as familiar to him as it was to me when we opened - growing up as we did in our mother's home studio, we were both pretty much gestated in a kiln.

Welcome to the team, Lewis!

-- Tallie

Photo: Sabrina Dallot-Seguro

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To celebrate its first anniversary, Turning Earth Members’ Ceramics Studio is holding its very first studio sale. Exhibitors include our established artists and studio members just beginning their professional journey in ceramics.

There will be throwing demonstrations, refreshments and pots from £1!

VOL will be onsite with a converted horse box, selling beautiful dishes from their Dutch Smokery.

Come and support Turning Earth members, learn more about the studio, and celebrate our first birthday with us!

When? 1pm until 6pm, Saturday 13th December 2014.

Where? Arches 361-362 Whiston Road, London E2 8BW – nearest stations Hoxton and Haggerston on the East London (ginger) Line.

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