Re-entry is Rough
Roughly 3 weeks ago, I swung by the Colorado Potters Guild to pick up 25# of clay in anticipation of a clay reboot during my winter break between semesters. Alas…the clay is still sitting in the mudroom unopened, chastising me for being such a procrastinating wuss. The truth is, I feel rusty and a little intimidated by the fresh clay. It also doesn’t help that my work space in the garagio is a freezing mess and hasn’t really been organized since we moved here back in August 2009. (see below)
What a mess!
See – my wheel (far left) is barely recognizable underneath piles of stuff and while I wired our garage for my Skutt kiln, I have never fired it even once since moving here. I have two other kilns that are buried under other stuff somewhere else in the garage. sigh…. It also doesn’t help that the garage is not insulated – makes working in there pretty unbearable this time of the year.
So what’s a girl to do? I need a flexible warm space that’s convenient and works with my crazy school schedule – what if the clay mood strikes me at 1am in the morning? I could work at the shared studio at the guild when I have the time to drive cross town, or I could utilize part of my basement (if I can talk my husband into this) – though I don’t really like the idea of clay dust in the house. It’s a conundrum that I’m going to have to tackle this weekend because my last semester of school starts January 17th – a date that is rushing towards me at a lightning fast speed.
As an aside, we might be moving this summer – so I don’t really want to get too cozy. As for the clay – I know I just need to open it up and start by just touching it – the rest will hopefully follow.
Happy 2012!
Yay – it’s a new year! Like many other people, I welcome the new year as a time to take advantage of a semi-fresh start to make resolutions and to rekindle flames that may have dimmed a bit over the past year (or several).While one could argue that simply flipping the pages of a calendar from 2011 – 2012 is really part of the space time continuum – part of one long trajectory, it is still symbolic and clearly worthy of celebration by people all over the world every single new year. It is in this vein, that I celebrate 2012 & all of it’s glorious potentials and opportunities.
2012 is also the year I graduate with a MLA (masters of landscape architecture) degree – a path that also sprang from a new year’s resolution (2008) to finish something I had put aside years before. While graduating is a huge accomplishment for me and my family (who have suffered through the past 2.5 years of my harried presence), it has also been a great learning experience and one that I hope to apply to my dusty pottery career. Yep – I often joke that this MLA might just be the best MFA I ever earned! ;D
Seriously, I recently sat down with a wonderful friend of mine on the eve of 2012, and we mused on the state of the economy and how I might use my new credentials come May. I have some small landscape projects on the horizon, but nothing that constitutes a full time job, with benefits, and the promise of a gold watch upon retirement (and do I really want that?). More than anything, I really miss clay & the clay community. So, why can’t I do both? My friend asked me, “Don’t you think that this is part of the new economy?” Meaning multiple streams of income.
I wonder. In retrospect, I think this is what a lot of potters & all artists do really well. Multi-task – teach, make, sell, market, etc., etc. I know this leaves us feeling pulled & tugged in multiple directions, but would you do anything else? Would you settle for just any job for the sake of a job? I realize that my question might sound privileged – but I am going to have to invent myself since I’ve been unemployed & have been MIA in the pottery world for the past couple of years. In my case, if I really want a full time landscape architecture job, I could probably get one in Asia – it’s where a lot of $$ & construction is happening. In the US, it’s much, much tighter and competitive for a newly minted landscape designer – beggars can’t be choosy, as the saying goes.
So, I made a couple of resolutions towards stepping back into the clay world – while still completing my schooling and venturing into landscape architecture come graduation.
- I am going to reinvigorate my blog – this blog – it’s a great way for me to be involved with the clay community and to get my thoughts in order regardless of audience.
- I am going to set aside 1 day a week of working with clay in lieu of a landscape internship (I did one last summer-fall) in order to explore new ideas and to make some work for sale on Etsy - my shop is looking so forlorn right now.
- I am going to make work for the biannual Colorado Potters Guild Spring show in May and take advantage of the studio space – I have been giving the guild my monthly dues for studio upkeep & maintain the website as a volunteer without any benefit for the past couple of years.
- I am going to revisit all my favorite clay bloggers & find new ones to foster community + inspiration.
Meanwhile, I’m really becoming addicted to Pinterest – I’m going to have to curb this if I’m going to be a productive, multi-tasking aficionado.
xo,
Cynthia
Happy New Year!
Happy 2011!
Hello everyone – long time no talk…unless of course you’re on Facebook and then you’ve been subjected to snippets & nonsense that pertains to my life all along. I’ll get to the point of this post:
I’ve been ruminating how best to return to clay while still attending school full time. It’s something that nags at me…but don’t get me wrong – I’m really happy to be in school studying landscape architecture. It feels right and there’s so much potential. Guess what? I’m halfway through the program and have only 3 semesters left until May 2012 – my expected graduation date. Given the current economy, however, I may very well end up toiling (happily) back in the pottery studio upon graduation with a few extra letters behind my name. Let’s face it – I’ve lost momentum in the clay studio after returning to school and now it seems right to start thinking about pottery again since I’m getting better at juggling multiple activities every day. It could also be that I’m currently on winter break and am starting to get bored with 3 weeks remaining till the start of the semester. ;D
The Essential Guide to Mold Making & Slip Casting by Andrew Martin
A couple of days ago, Andrew Martin, author of Mold Making and Slip Casting, “friended” me on Facebook with a note that he had read a past post where I mentioned his book. Nothing really note worthy of clay people befriending clay people – I think 1/2 my friends on FB are fellow potters. But, I had forgotten about the book until the request and have been thinking about the possibility of molds in the past couple of days and how it coincides with a lot of the technology & software applications I’ve been using/learning in school.
Also related – my past hand built work was jumpstarted after taking a workshop with Annie Chrietzberg a couple of summers ago. Annie teaches the use of paper templates to make hand built work – not to mention that her work is fantastic! Lightbulb – ding dong – I have decided to explore the use of technology to try to advance some new work in the clay studio combining molds and templates as the facilitator.
AutoCAD or any cad (computer aided design) software for that matter, is a tool used by those in the architecture/engineer/industrial design field (and more) to “draw” precisely using real time dimensions that can be scaled in paper space. Some days, it’s the bane of my existence in school – it’s dry and unforgiving. But, the software has its place in the world so that people know how to build something – be it a building, a park or a toilet. Potters build stuff too – I’m sure this insight in using a software like AutoCAD in art isn’t revolutionary by any means, but I have never thought about using it as a tool in pottery before.
So…I design something in AutoCAD – then what? I can print out the design on a large format printer (or size appropriate) and then either cut out a template old school using scissors, or could take the design to the laser printer at school and make the template in a more durable material such as chipboard, wood, plastic, etc. Templates are fantastic for making multiples. AutoCAD renders in 2d or 3d making it really valuable to making a 3 dimensional mold. Which leads me to another wonderful opportunity that I have at school – access to the wood working shop for those tasks that a laser printer can’t handle. Though I confess that I’m still skittish around power tools. 
I’m excited about the possibility of combining newer technology with clay, which is such an ancient art, as a means to get back in the studio.
This seems like a bit of kismet in making this revelation the eve before New Year’s Eve – opportunity, possibility, and it feels good! So much better than the doom and gloom in the news every day about the economy, politics, etc. I’m going to forgo a resolution this year in favor of thinking forward instead of something that I need to change about myself.
Hope you do too – Happy New Year everyone!
Cynthia
P.S. Andrew is teaching a workshop at Anderson Ranch this summer if you’re interested in mold making.
Wax On – Wax Off
New Squared Mugs
Err, um…ahem, I seem to be having some issues – not the personal sort either, though I do have a few of those as well. But, this post is not about THOSE kinds of issues, although if I wax poetic all scholarly like, both could be related.
I find that I’m really rusty and out of practice as I begin the process of becoming reacquainted with clay. This is not a happy state of being for me since I want to exit the shoot hootin’ and a hollerin’ whipping out pottery left and right, filling my shelves to capacity with fluid ease. Instead, I’m ending up with some wonky ware with ugly handles. Sure, I’d love to just write about my success stories and make it look as though I live in pottery nirvana, but it doesn’t always work like that.
Anyone seen the new Karate Kid movie – or remember the original? I’ve decided that I need my own “wax on, wax off” (original) or “jacket off, jacket on the peg, drop jacket, jacket on” (new) kind of moment. Muscle memory is important when it comes to many different physical tasks including crafting pottery efficiently and with as little frustration possible.
I think I need to devote a day (or at least a couple 25 pound bags of clay) to repetitively throwing the same object/shape on the wheel till they begin to look fairly uniform. Then, I want to use the same approach to pulling handles, ‘cuz frankly mine stink! Maybe then I’ll have my aha moment…similar to Daniel san and I can stop fighting the clay. In all honesty, I should recycle the mugs in the photo above – they’re not worth keeping. It’s a good lesson to learn that everything we make is not precious and should be returned to the state from whence it began.
AND – really, square mugs? Not really practical when I think about the mechanics of drinking.
