Eyelistners, this is Ashley Flowers.

And today, I want to tell you a story about the power of art.

So gather around and listen close.

For as long as I can remember, I've always loved building things with clay.

My favorite thing to play with as a young child was Play-Doh.

And I would spend entire afternoon molding different items and animals and people without

ever getting bored.

As I grew older and matured, my passion for sculpting grew with me.

And by age 11, I was already taking pottery and precious metal clay classes with adults

mostly like four times my age.

It didn't matter to me that most of my friends weren't interested at all in what I did.

The act of creating, glazing, and firing pieces captivated my imagination.

And while most kids my age wanted a game system or trendy clothes and shoes, I was bugging

my folks for my own pottery wheel.

I come from modest means, but luckily both my parents supported my passion.

And by the time I was 13, my bedroom was more like an art studio that happened to have

a bed in it.

All my time and effort were paying off too, and the pieces I made began to become more

high quality, more often.

In fact, by my freshman year in high school, I was confident enough to my skill that I began

to look into submitting my art for contests and making pots and vases and sculptures for

friends and relatives as gifts.

...