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Juliette Davin | Episode 520
Juliette Davin is a wife, mother & potter from Houston, Texas. Juliette received her BFA from The University of Texas in 1990. Juliette took a 4 week intro to pottery class in 1991 and was hooked! Soon after that her husband’s job took us on an incredible adventure to Bangkok, Borneo, Jakarta, Houston, Perth and now back to Houston. Juliette brought a wheel, kiln, and lots of books with her overseas and became a self-taught potter, soaking up knowledge everywhere she could. Juliette now works out of her home studio in Texas. Juliette enjoys every aspect of ceramics but she thinks she’s happiest when she has a sharp tool in hand, carving patterns into clay!
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Can you explain what is carpal tunnel syndrome?
Carpal tunnel is a narrowing of the pathway in your wrist, where the nerves go from your wrist into your hand. when there is some aggravation and swelling it can put pressure on the nerves there. That is my understanding of it and is probably a really simplistic way to explain it.
What were the symptoms that you were feeling in your hands?
So the first thing I felt was when I woke up in the morning one of my hands was numb. So part of the forearm and the hand was numb and it would come back. After that started happening it started to ache more. I was having problems in certain positions with my hands if I was carrying something heavier or bending my wrists a certain way it would hurt. I started out just wearing a brace I got a the drug store that had a kind of metal piece in it to kind of stabilize it at times when I wasn’t doing pottery and to sleep also because I realized I was kind of curling my hand while I slept.
When did you know it was time to go see a doctor?
When some of the numbness didn’t go away and I was just having more pain. I knew it was better to get it checked out earlier before I did too much damage to it.
Was medication recommended?
Anti-inflammatories, But I opted in stead of going with a prescription I just sometimes take Advil sometimes when I need it.
What kind of stretches are you doing now to keep your hands healthy?
Something that the hand specialist told me to do : If you extend your arm and pull your fingers back to stretch your hand back on your wrist and also forward, just very gently but to give it a good stretch and hold it.
So stretching is a big part of it. Just keeping the hand flexible and stretching them.
Yes. And another strength exercise that he had me do was to hold a very small one pound little weight and I do some very simple movements of my hand.
Like little wrist curls?
Kind of yeah.
So not doing these would end up causing more damage than exercising and doing therapy for it?
When my wrists do hurt sometimes I need to just stop throwing so much and give myself a few days break to kind of let it calm down a little bit, for my wrists not to be so angry. So a little rest here and there.
What is your favorite form to make in ceramics?
I think my favorite form would have to be the bowl. I like my cups and every thing but there is a beauty in the curve of bowls that I think is really nice.
Book
The Complete Guide to Mid-Range Glazes by John Britt
Contact
Etsy: etsy.com/shop/julietteswheelhouse
Instagram: @juliettedavin