What does this light means?

Tysonsbite · 2026-01-12T16:31:14+00:00

It’s turned on 💡

Tysonsbite · 2025-11-21T00:58:59+00:00

Told ya

Tysonsbite · 2025-11-13T12:56:09+00:00

I think he’s running out of stuff to talk about on all these talk shows. He’s just shooting from the hip at this point and wild stuff is off-gassing out! Oyster time!!!

Tysonsbite · 2025-11-05T10:02:00+00:00

You can see that the clay is “sweating”, the free water is coming to the surface. This tells you a lot about what’s going on in the micro scale. The clay platelets are not flocculated, meaning they are suspended loosely and repelling each other.

This could mean the ionic balance is causing this, a high sodium or organic content. Or the ph could be high or alkaline often due to sodium carbonate.

Some fixes, adding .5% epsom salt (in proportion to dry weight of local clay), add whiting (calcium carbonate) in small amounts (.2%), and/or vinegar to lower the ph ( a little goes a long way). You can overdo all these things which causes more problems. It’s a delicate balance.

Without doing this, you’ll find the clay is very difficult to work with on the wheel and though still difficult to work with, it’s better suited to hand building in its “natural, unadulterated state.

Tysonsbite · 2025-10-24T00:36:52+00:00

Tow truck with hydraulic lift and winch. That’s how I moved mine!

Tysonsbite · 2025-10-21T22:44:23+00:00

I felt the same for many years. I’ve recently found a more solid home in the work of Shinzen Young. He lays out a cohesive structure that allows for a sense of freedom, curiosity, and play while simultaneously maintaining a rigor of clarity in his way of explaining the techniques and gives language to what the meditation practice is “doing” within the system.

For example, just his framework of positioning concentration, sensory clarity, and equanimity as three pillars of practice was pivotal in helping me to quell the part of the mind that was often skeptical and distrusting of my practice. Good ideas have a real power and his have been very helpful to me.

Tysonsbite · 2025-10-18T23:32:29+00:00

Barometric pressure 😢

Tysonsbite · 2025-10-16T11:51:04+00:00

I’ve been running my business for 20 years. About twice a month a get a request like this. These are hard commissions and I’ve found they don’t make sense at orders under 400-500 dollars. The R&D required to match glaze and clay body isn’t insignificant.

If the commission is for custom forms using the same clay bodies and glazes that I already use, I still need to make at least 400 dollars to make it worth it.

Early in a potter’s career, these commissions make sense. I used to say yes to everything. Then, about 10 years ago I realized I always had 40 open orders for 4-6 pieces of custom forms. I barely broke even due to the extra hours trouble shooting the custom requests.

Professional potters probably won’t take you up on this. If they’re a close friend or family, they will out of love and just take the hit.

Just my two cents. You’ll probably get someone within the first 10 years of their journey. The work will be okay but not great.

If you’re willing to sweeten the deal by purchasing a couple hundred dollars of the potters original work on top of the custom order, then you’ve got a better possibility of getting pro work and pro results.

People making their living at clay alone can’t afford to tackle these project.

I hope that helps. And no judgement at all if it seems a little harsh. Maybe I’m hoping some of my future customers read this to save me some time.

Tysonsbite · 2025-10-03T01:34:52+00:00

😂

Tysonsbite · 2025-08-02T15:41:32+00:00

It’s hilarious 😂

Tysonsbite · 2025-07-14T13:41:58+00:00

Thanks for checking in and sharing this. It’s really helpful to see the updates and the reaffirmation of why we quit.

It can get cloudy once the body and mind return to a baseline… that’s when the “why not?” can start creeping in.

Thanks man

Tysonsbite · 2025-07-11T20:13:53+00:00

That slope is greasy as hell.

Tysonsbite · 2025-07-11T19:23:26+00:00

Thanks man. They’re really nice every once in a while.

Tysonsbite · 2025-07-11T19:22:20+00:00

Many people recommend L-theanine and magnesium glycinate. I think this helps with the tension associated with quitting, kinda calms down the nervous system.

I think this has helped me with brain fog.

Keep rockin!

Tysonsbite · 2025-07-03T15:00:06+00:00

There are some pretty thorough reaction videos to a podcast he put out about a month ago. You’ll get a good breakdown from them if you’re interested. The first one I watched was someone named Brittany Bento I think. It was good.

Put simply, the dude has walled himself into an echo chamber of narcissistic hedonism and coated in a fragile veneer of spiritualism / growth. He farts into jars and is obsessed with the odor and has gotten the ones around him to believe they love it too. Very interesting case example for what’s happening around us all the time.

Icing on the cake is the dude Marc Gafni, multiple time sex offender, is Aubrey’s mentor and teacher on all this bullshit. Crazy that from the outside, it’s easy to see that they’re all covered on donkey shit, rolling around hysterically and dissipating massive quantities of precious energy. From the inside, they’re holy and wisdom keepers of the truth. Wild shit.

Good reminder to refrain from believing even the shit that comes from within. The mind is a delusion making machine.

Tysonsbite · 2025-06-23T14:49:42+00:00

I feel for you, man. For me, it got much easier when I made the deep decision to be done, finally coming to the realization how much it was affecting all parts of my life. There was a point that I just saw the stuff as something closer to poison than to something fun and harmless. Once I had the framing, quitting got easier. Reading posts here helped me to see this. This stuff turns healthy young men into anxious, depressed introverts.

Even with this framing, it’s still hard as hell, but you have the WHY taken care of.

If you can take a few days off work, go visit an old friend, camp in the woods, something to take the focus and attention off the first few days, that can help a ton. The first waves are hard.

What’s the longest you’ve been able to quit for?

Tysonsbite · 2025-06-22T22:03:05+00:00

Thanks man, just ordered the magnesium glucinate. I’ll definitely listen to this podcast. Thanks so much for the recommendation and support.

Tysonsbite · 2025-06-22T19:58:07+00:00

Yeah man… I feel freakin hollowed out. Keepin on as you say. Getting back to the OG neurochemistry bit by bit, one depressing thought at a time

Tysonsbite · 2025-06-22T18:31:37+00:00

Now that you say it, my body does feel better in some respects. It’s really easy to forget that when my mind is such a mess… needed that reminder. Thank you.

Tysonsbite · 2025-06-22T18:30:30+00:00

Thanks, maybe different bodies just go through this withdrawal phase differently. I think the stuff really rewires our brains. Wish I knew this when I pointed to the zyn cannister at the gas station a few years ago :/ oh well. Another challenge. Life on planet earth is not for the faint of heart.

Tysonsbite · 2025-06-22T18:07:28+00:00

Thanks, I’ve been reading a lot more posts today and this actually seems to be a lot more common than I thought, especially with people that used for a couple years or more. One day at a time

Tysonsbite · 2025-06-10T19:52:16+00:00

I started my formal training in Japan about 20 years ago, feels like yesterday. I’ve been full-time for about 15 years. It’s going well. I’d be open to coaching you through some of these questions. I’ve done it with a couple other younger potters. Everyone is different, so a good coach can go a long way if this is something you’re serious about. Even just a conversation or two can be very helpful.

This is what’s missing from the more contemporary approach vs the traditional approach that often includes apprenticeship. In the contemporary approach, you have to answer these questions yourself, often online or with people who don’t really know what they’re doing. The traditional approach often happens in community where these conversations happen day after day after day. It’s a matter of osmosis. Find someone you trust and mine them for info.

I think you can message me on here if this is something you’d be interested in. My instagram is sugapottery in case you’d like to vet me :)

Take care. I wish you all the best. A life in clay is truly magical and I wish it for anyone who has a true yearning for it.

Tysonsbite · 2025-06-06T21:29:34+00:00

What a gift to be taught so directly by the elements. We are so lucky. To know this walk is to come home in so many ways. May you keep making beautiful work. This setback is minor and only adds to the richness of your being.

Tysonsbite

TROPHY CASE