I am currently traveling (a couple days were for my husband's work, but we extended the return flights to spend 7-10 days each in Taiwan and Japan) and while I regret the days away from my studio, it has been extremely refreshing to be exposed to the new ideas and cultures that come from visiting other countries. This is the first time I have traveled to southeast Asia, and I am enjoying it immensely. Especially the food!Pictured above is some detailing of a Confucian temple in Taiwan. I am now convinced (if I had any doubts) that ceramics is the career for me, because of my whole trip so far, the thing that grabbed me the most is something I found tucked away in this temple: a Xun.
A Xun is a ceramic musical instrument, the first I'd ever heard of, although that says more about my lack of education about these things than anything else. It is basically egg shaped and played by blowing 
across the top hole like a flute or a bottle, and controlling pitch with finger holes and air direction and strength. After hearing a recording of the haunting, melancholy wind sound, I was hooked.After a little research, including this site, it continues to fascinate me. When I return this will probably be a little side project for me, to develop a Xun of my own.
Other ceramic highlights of the trip have been sparse, since we are not traveling alone and I can't drag my fellow travelers (none of them ceramists or artists) to good pottery/ceramic destinations. We tried to go to the Osaka Museum of Oriental Ceramics, but unfortunately it is closed for the entirety of my stay here in Japan!
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