Follow along with the fun! My 6-week
Pottery
Class Journey
Intro : class
one : two : three : four : five : six
Expectations vs. Reality In my ongoing quest to understand the intricacies
of various art forms and expand on my own education,
I’ve made
it my mission to indulge in some hands-on class work. First
class on the roster: Wheel Thrown Pottery.
I signed up for this 6-week (one night a week) class after
meeting the instructor about a month ago at a volunteer appreciation
party. Over dinner we discussed at great length the creative
process and the therapeutic aspects of working with clay and
other art mediums.
Afterwards, Stella* took me on a small tour of the art studio
we’d be working in, and showed me some of her own
pottery pieces that had yet to be glazed. Right before my eyes
were stoneware mugs — that once painted could very well
be sitting on a shelf in some department store with a sticker
on the bottom saying: “Handmade stoneware made with the
greatest care.” Marketing manipulation or not, I was
going to take this class!
Anticipating my entrance into the world of pottery making,
I’ve been gearing up these last few weeks waiting
for the very moment my hands would touch the organic earthy
clay that would be delicately formed into
beautiful things. In my naive grandiose mind
I assured myself that I too would make a mug worthy of gracing
a shelf
at the
Pottery Barn.
[Record scratching sound]
Okay, this is where fantasy and reality collide. And this
is not easy to write about because I’m sitting here with
an imaginary lump of clay in my lap with the word HYPOCRITE
carved into it with some sharp imaginary clay tool. It took
only one class for me to come home completely frustrated and
seriously contemplating NOT going back. It was hard. It was
messy. And out of five students, I sucked the most. (I know
I'm being harsh... that's the frustration talking.)
There’s nothing worse than being the slowest student
in the class. Yep, that was me. The one who kept calling the
teacher over and being instructed in ten different ways how
to do the same thing and still failing. I just wasn’t
getting it. Halfway through the class I fantasized about ditching
the
next
five
sessions.
That’s what kept me there the entire two hours. In my
self-loathing I kept reminding myself, “I bet THEY can’t
work Photoshop like I can!”
“But Chris, you tell everyone else not to be quitters!” I
can hear you saying now. And you’re right. That’s
the irony of this whole thing. That’s why I decided to
write about this experience and use it as an example to illustrate
how we all struggle at things. That’s the least I
can do now that the class is paid for and I’ll never
get my money back. <grin>
Seriously, if I’m going to coach people how to be their
best creative selves, I have to practice what I preach. And
I also have to be honest about the hard work and effort it
takes to accomplish some of our goals. It's not always going
to be easy. Our expectations don’t always align
with reality. And sometimes, maybe more than we like, it's
going
to be messy
and we’re
going to get dirty.
Now that I’ve had a few days to settle down and think
about my first pottery class, I’ve decided that I am
going back next week. Even if I have to spend the entire class
re-doing what I did the first night, it’s going to be
worthwhile. And the reasons why will be revealed in my class-by-class
synopsis, which I will record for your entertainment and my
compelling reason for “sticking
with it.”
I already know that by the end of the course I'm going
to be patting myself on the back for not being a quitter. Maybe
by then I'll be beyond "getting it" and making some cool stuff.
If not, that's okay too. The bumpy, self-challenging road I'll
be on until that day is what's important here.
It's not so much about learning the art as it is not dumping
something when the going gets tough.
Seeing something through
even when it seems trivial ("in the big scheme of things,
pottery class is so insignificant") is not
only character building, but also life-enhancing. How many
lightbulbs
did it take Thomas Edison** to finally get one to work? Good
thing he didn't quit, or we'd be missing out on all of those
"how many ____ does it take to screw in a lightbulb" jokes.
See, through my frustration I still have a sense of humor.
Now watch me
*not*
be
a quitter. (© 2005 Chris Dunmire) •
Next: Pottery
Class: Day 1
*Not her real name.
**Okay, it was really Davy,
Swan and Edison.
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