Pottery Class: Day 2 Posted Jul-20-2005

You didn't think I'd be back, did you? DID YOU?

Well, I'm not only back, but I have something very interesting to share about this whole pottery class business. By the way, I'm NOT going to quit (<-- affirming self-talk). Only four more classes to go.

Before Class Attitude (BCA):

After last week's synopsis, I decided to make the best of this pottery class with the healthiest attitude I could muster up. I said "Chris, just go and try again. If you spend this class and the next four classes repeating the same three steps to learn one tiny thing, so be it." With the pressure off, I was a lot more at ease.

Class Experience:

Again, I arrived at the art studio 15 minutes before the class started (I'm always reliably on time). Stella greeted me with a guarded "How are you?" I think I shocked her with my upbeat attitude.

Smartly, she had me dive right in and handed me some clay to wedge. (By the way, kneading clay is a great stress reliever. Hey! I just realized what she was doing...!)

Anyway, we sidestepped discussion about the first class and small-talked about exercise routines while waiting for the others to show up.

Class officially began when Stella took us to her wheel for another demo which was two-part: a reiteration of the first night's demo (centering the clay on the wheel and forming a bowl), and the next step of "trimming" excess clay off the bowl to make it less dense and lighter. The trimming step also included the technique for creating a decorative "foot" on the bowl so it didn't just sit on a massive base.

The trimming technique reminded me of what a woodworker does on a lathe. With a tool, he carves away excess material from his piece of wood to form an elegant design as the shavings fall to the floor. But in this case, the "wood" was clay, and the "lathe" was the potter's wheel.

I should mention at this point that I haven't made it far enough in this project to even think of trimming elegant feet into my clay bowl, because I have no finished bowl to speak of. After the second class, I was still "stuck" on centering the pottery. My "pressure off" attitude gave me permission not to care about a production schedule, or even bringing home a finished project. I may very well still be centering my lump of clay on the wheel in the sixth class. C'est la vie.

After Class Attitude (ACA):

Here's the --> METAPHORIFIC STUFF:

Forget about my slow progress. Here's the cool thing I REALLY want to share. I discovered a metaphor this week related to this whole pottery class mess I'm in. The synchronicity of it has me buzzing.

A brand-new book I'm reading called "Inspiring Creativity" has a piece by Rick Benzel (who is also the editor of the anthology) addressing the potter's wheel. The article is titled "Getting Unstuck: Nine Ways to Escape from Creativity Halting Goo". Benzel's third way is called "The Pottery Approach" and in it he makes mention of the book "Centering in Pottery, Poetry and The Person" by M.C. Richards.

Benzel wrote:

In Centering, Richards uses the potter's wheel as a metaphor for life. When you try pottery, you quickly learn that if you do not center the clay on the wheel, it is nearly impossible to pull the clay up into a balanced object. For Richards though, centering clay means far more than simply plopping it down in the middle of the potter's wheel. Centering also must take place in your mind, in your feelings, in your entire physical being.

The irony of my current predicament is further revealed with Benzel's insightful words:

When you are stuck, it often means that you are not centered in your being. Your inner artist is at odds with something in your life that does not support your art. Something is awry that tilts your "clay" — that is, your ideas, your projects — and you will not be able to get unstuck in the same way that a potter is not able to fashion a nicely centered pot.

These excerpts carry much greater meaning than I can convey through this class summary. When I read about Benzel's "Pottery Approach", something profound shifted within me that made this whole pottery class situation much more relevant. It also reminded me of something I need to be aware of when I'm physically at the wheel.

I can choose to take this class at face value, or celebrate the rich symbolism that it carries for me. Of course I'll choose the latter — it's one of those serendipitous things that makes life deeply satisfying. (© 2005 Chris Dunmire) •

Next: Pottery Class: Day 3