While on vacation from the pottery last week, I realized my body of work may encompass more than simply making the art, marketing, and selling.  Here, I discuss seven things your work may encompass in your life that you may not even realize.  If you take time to observe, read, network, rest, think, tell your story, and communicate without beating yourself up you could create better work.  Many things influence the art we create, and those influences show up in the work though our hands.