10 000 hours.

It was a casual conversation with Nicola Davies that started it. I was saying how I had always wanted to spend time learning how to sculpt but that the relentless treadmill of publishing didn’t allow for time for self development. Nic said there was a sculptor called Matt Caines who lived in Abergavenny and did weekend workshops. She had just bought a small sculpture by Matt. Nic suggested we book onto a course and I said I couldn’t as I had a book to finish. And then I listened to myself. For thirty years I had been wanting to learn how to sculpt. Thirty years was really long enough to wait.

So Nic booked a date and I worked really hard up to that date, with the thought of taking a bit of time out spurring me on. As the time came nearer I began to regret it and to worry, but still so looked forward to it. I had settled in to the new book and wanted to do my best for my editor, for my readers, and really want to hit the deadline. But still I looked forward to going.

And so I set off, last Thursday. It snowed, gentle snow falling straight down, marking the tree branches with white. Beautiful. First stop was Crickhowell to sign books for Emma at Book-ish and a meeting with Oriel Crickhowell to discuss paintings being included in an exhibition in September/October. Then supper with Karin at The Angel in Abergavenny.

Friday we woke up and headed down to meet the stones. I was nervous. The house is hidden behind a high wall. The studio full of stones and tools and pictures. Matt settled us straight down with some clay to make moquettes of what it was we wanted to make in stone. I began with a bear, then a bird then a hare and settled on the stone hare.

Matt fetched us some stone and talked us through tools and then off we went.

The best way to learn is to get on and do it. The first thing that really surprised me was the smell of the stone when it was cut. We had Portland Stone. The scent of it was like sulphur. Gorgeous. I struggled many times trying to work out how to find the hare that slept in the stones, how to shape it and Matt was great at showing me how to work the tools. I loved listening to the rhythm of the tapping of the hammer or the mallet on the chisel’s head.

Nic worked away down the other end of the bench, shaping a whale out of her stone.

I loved the dusty trail of footprints that led out of the workshop and round to the loo. And the moment when everything stopped because Matt had started talking about visiting the Innuit people, and brought out his box of treasures. A walrus penis bone, some polar bear teeth, musk ox horn, all very beautiful.

Three days went so fast. I loved the way the chisel shaped the stone and now I want to get some tools to try and continue. One of the reasons I wanted to do this was to get some exercise. It seems more sensible for me to exercise in a creative way and smashing stone with a hammer and chipping away with a chisel is very good for keeping warm.

Matt is a brilliant teacher. I would recommend his courses to anyone. I had never touched stone or chisels before. His work is very beautiful too. And if you ask him nicely he will show you his polar bear teeth.

Nic and I had both been talking, about talent, about application. Nic came out with a phrase I love. She said it takes 10 000 hours to begin to become proficient in anything. 10 000 hours. I have started on that path with 18 hours. Hoping to make the time to become proficient, so only another 9 982 to go.

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