SOME THINGS ARE
“BREAKIFUL”
M
by Diane Ciarloni | photos courtesy of Madison Worthington and Mary Worthington
adison Worthington’s parents began taking her to art shows and craft exhibits when she was just a toddler. It wasn’t always easy to control her tiny, curious fingers, so the little girl frequently heard words such as, “Don’t touch! The pretty things are breakable!” Madison understood the message, but she couldn’t wrap her tongue around “breakable.” Her closest compromise came out as a lisping “breakiful.” That mispronunciation eventually became the girl from Flower Mound’s Breakiful Ceramics, supported by her Lady Bug logo. Life moved on for Madison. The early appreciation of art instilled by her parents grew with her natural, almost instinctive attraction to ceramics encouraged by a family friend who was an accomplished potter. Unfortunately, Madison’s road took an unexpected turn, becoming rutted and rough. Dark, scary clouds gathered over her at an early age. “I grew up struggling with mental health problems,” the 24-year-old said.
borderline personality disorder traits.
At 18, when I was considered an adult, they dropped the word traits from the diagnosis. I feel I need to be open
about it — to talk about it. I consider
it a responsibility; my contribution to
removing the stigma, the shame, and the fear of judgment that make so many people stay silent.”
Madison has learned to view the
situation within an easily understood
rough if I’m angry! I throw it and punch it a lot, but I think my best pots come from when I’m happy.” That’s a good thing because Madison is happy a lot these days. She’s a member of Dallas Makes Space, where she shares her art passion within the ceramics community. She has a booth at the Denton Community Market and is a member of Etsy. She’s currently in Colorado, where she was invited to exhibit her ceramics in Summer on the Streets. Making the trip was a huge step. She and her mom, Mary, approached the adventure with excitement and nervousness. Pottery teaches Madison so many life lessons. “I always think I know how the glaze will turn out,” she said. “But that’s not true. It’s filled with happy accidents, just like life. So often, neither glazes nor life turn out the way we anticipate. I want my pottery to have enough similarities that people recognize it as mine without turning it
perspective that says: A diabetic
over, and I want my story to help make world changes.”
which causes an imbalance in insulin
She’s well on her way to doing both.
person has malfunctioning pancreas, production and use. Medication, with diet and exercise, balances the scales. Her
borderline personality disorder is caused by a chemical imbalance in her brain.
Medication, with therapy and exercises such as meditation and mindfulness, restores balance.
It’s okay. You can say the words aloud. After all, Madison doesn’t whisper them.
“My art turned into one of my most
“I attempted suicide many times,” she said. “And, at 15, I was diagnosed with
my life,” Madison says. “For one thing,
important medications. It literally saved it’s the constant practice of mindfulness. I’m aware of everything my fingers and my hands do with the clay the moment I do it. I taught myself to use a potter’s
wheel when I was young. I was in a school
ceramics class, but we had only one or two wheels. I instinctively knew I needed to
learn immediately, so I skipped lunch and worked at it every day.”
She added, “I enjoy the throwing part of the process the most. So much emotion
can go into it. The clay gets treated pretty 30 | FLOWER MOUND TOWN LIFE | JULY 2021
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