I think I need to distinguish between functional and non functional work. If you are selling your work or giving it to someone as a piece of pottery to use you really do need to follow most rules – otherwise it can cause harm, make it uncomfortable to use etc. – e.g. a small little 3D sculpture figure in the bottom of a cup. Stir the cup or pouring hot water into it over time could break off a bit of the sculpture and then the person drinking can swallow that sharp piece. I see this often in garlic graters that have sharp edges, and then people scrape the grater to remove the garlic with a knife that then can break off the little sharp piece over time. As for non-functional pieces – the sky is the limit which makes it challenging and fun. As long as you don’t use something that is dangerous to use or fire. I also think if you are beginning in pottery it is important to learn to use the rules and make good pots before you can break the rules. Just like learning to read and write before writing your own novel. So this project will be a challenge because I like for my ceramics to have some sort of use, even if it is just a decoration. So maybe I need to come up with something that is totally useless? I also seem to need to decorate everything that I make – so need to make something totally plain as well.