I had been interested in pottery as a child but had no opportunity to engage until I was an adult living in East Vancouver. I started taking evening classes with Helen Spaxman at Britannia as my night out away from the kids. I do not use the wheel, only hand build. All of my work is stoneware.
I then took a membership at the University of British Columbia pottery club (I work at UBC). The primary difference here was the access to more varied glazes and underglazes.