Most people opt to play sports in high school, but I have never been very athletic, which is what brought me to art and being an art major at my previous high school. Throughout the course of my career as a young artist, I gravitated more and more toward the tangible arts, which I have found makes art seem more real and useful, which is something I aspire to be in this world.
1. Stay centered.
While life can ALWAYS get crazy, it is important to have balance because if you lean too much one way, your life, or your pot, will be lopsided and fall apart. When you get your heart set on something and it does not come together it can be devastating, but if you keep a rational and centered mindset, life will leave you with fewer disappointments.
2. Surprises are beautiful.
When taking pottery, something my class often did was "raku." It is a Japanese form of glazing pots in which the glazed pots are put in an extremely hot kiln and taken out and placed into a bin of paper, which then catches fire. The word raku translates to "happy accident" in English, because you never know what your pot will look like with the glaze, but it is always beautiful.
3. Patience.
If you do not take your time with something, it often does not turn out the way you wanted it to. For example, quickly centering a pot often will make it fall apart, just like spending ten minutes on your final English paper may result in a failing grade. As many have said, good things come to those who wait.
4. If at first you fail, try again.
For about the first two months of taking pottery, all of my pieces were absolutely hideous, but a year and a half later, I can throw pieces that I never imagined were possible for me to create. Also, if it does not turn out how you planned, that's okay. Learn from your mistakes.
5. Make the best of it.
Many pieces will ruffle or collapse, but if you use the remaining clay you can still make something beautiful, just maybe a little smaller than anticipated. Also, clay can be expensive so do not waste it (do not waste your life either!).
6. Be adventurous.
If you see something that you would like to learn to throw, give it your best; you never know how it will turn out if you never try! Even if it does not turn out how you planned, you could gain insight to how you could throw your piece.
7. Never stop trying at the end.
So many people lose out to others in the end because they get lazy towards the end of whatever they are doing. This is the same in pottery because you spend so much time on one piece until it comes time to glaze, and often times glaze can make or break a pot.
8. Sharing is caring.
If you lose a tool or run out of clay when you only have one piece left to trim, it helps a lot if your neighbor will lend you what you need. When we pass up the chance to help someone, we are also passing up the chance for them to help someone else. Spread the love!
9. Be open to advice.
If someone who has more experience offers their help and/or advice, take it. They may teach you something you never would have thought of!
Pottery was a happy accident, or a "raku," for me (meaning I signed up for drawing and was placed in ceramics). I truly fell in love with the most amazing form of art in the world and certainly learned a lot from it!
