Why San Antonio is a great city to get into pottery

• Plus, it's gratifying to use something that you made with your own hands, whether a coffee mug or a fruit bowl. It's inspiring and humbling.

Zoom in: One of the biggest life lessons I've learned from pottery is to control what you can and let go of what you can't.

• Don't let the clay boss you around. Be direct. If you want the clay to do something, tell it.
• But also accept that things will go wrong and break — constantly. And it's OK, because you can't make beautiful vessels without creating wonky items too.

State of play: Several new businesses make it easy to get involved with pottery in San Antonio.

• Oblate Clay opened this year on the North Side.
• Thrown Studio, founded by a former instructor of mine, recently opened on the West Side.
• Mud Studio offers classes in Southtown. It opened last year.
• The Clay Department, a shop selling tools and materials, just expanded to a new space. It hosted the city's first-ever clay expo earlier this year.

• Longtime spots like Roadrunner Ceramics, Throwin' Gold and UTSA also offer classes.

Reality check: Of all the hobbies you can practice, pottery is expensive and time-consuming, not to mention difficult. I understand it's not accessible to everyone.

Yes, but: The San Antonio Potters Guild offers scholarships for members to help cover the cost of classes.

• I suggest beginning with a class that's several weeks long rather than a one-time class.

The bottom line: If there's something you've always wanted to do, take the leap and make it happen.