Reflections, day one

Since aTi is running from 9-5, I figured I would go home after the coursework, relax for a bit, and then go to the gym. After day one, I was exhausted once I got home. My whole body felt like it had experienced an arduous workout. My hands felt fatigued.

I'll admit it. When I chose "All Things Clay," I wanted to venture into unknown territory, but I also wanted a course that would be very manageable. It's foolish, but I assumed clay work just involved making mounds of clay, shaping the mounds a lil', and then painting them. I was quite wrong in my assumption.

During the morning, we learned how to make pinch pots. Making pinch pots is one of the most basic steps in pottery. It requires a lot of control with your hands; it also requires a lot of patience. We were told to make two pinch pots and then merge them together in order to form the "base" for creating a small animal figure. My two pinch pots greatly varied in size. After merging them together, I used my pottery tools to shape the two pieces. Most of us were following Deborah's demo and creating fish figures. 

The two aTi participants on both sides of me were creating beautiful, graceful figures. See if you can find my figure:

Besides the fact that I have my name tag on, you can tell which figure is mine. It lacks grace and resembles a bottle rocket more than a fish. Other people created cute "googly eyes" for their animals. I tried to follow suit, but my fish looks like it has some kind of visual impairment. Creating the fish was frustrating.

After lunch, we were shown how to add coils to a base in order to begin creating sculptures. Others were sculpting heads and intricate animal skulls. I wanted to keep things simple, so I chose to sculpt a watermelon half. How hard could a semi circle be? 

It turns out that building coils upon coils to make a sculpture is challenging. It did not matter that I chose an "easier" shape than the others. I spent three hours of our afternoon session adding layers and layers to my watermelon piece. 

Using coils to make sculptures

In this photo, I am using a paddle to smooth out flaws (bumps, cracks, uneven areas) on my "watermelon" piece. This piece started out with many layers of coils.

After day one, I have realized how complex pottery can be. I used to go to craft fairs, see pottery pieces on display, and think, "Eh. That's easy. You just shape the clay into a mug or bowl and paint it." I now have a completely different point of view in regard to pottery. 

Deborah told our class a meaningful anecdote. She told us about an old Japanese potter who was using the potter's wheel and creating a piece. An onlooker asked how much the potter would charge for the piece and the potter replied with an amount that was perceived as expensive. The onlooker commented that lots of money for two minutes on a potter's wheel seemed like a "good gig." The Japanese artist responded, "It took me two minutes and 80 years to make this piece." 

Deborah, our art master, makes pottery look easy. As a student, I quickly realized that things that look easy seldom are easy. 

Why Clay?

I wonder what the "stats" are on aTi participants who are "repeat offenders." My first experience with aTi was during the summer of 2012. It was an unforgettable experience and, much like the planning that goes into the Macy's Thanksgiving parade, after day one I was already contemplating what workshops I would take in the following year.

My 2012 workshops took place at Stockton College with poet Peter Murphy. Being away from the hustle and bustle of life at home was refreshing, as I could focus on my craft of writing.  I went through the full gamut of emotions during my aTi week at Stockton.  I experienced the frustration of sitting in front of a notebook page and writing a mere five or six words within 30 minutes. I experienced the process of revision in which a short poem could be condensed even more than I could believe. Some of my poems went through five or six drafts, which was an experience I had never previously had. Mornings were spent creating and discussing prompts. In the late morning, Peter would "release" our group and allow us to walk around campus for inspiration and solitude. Our afternoons were spent by reading our drafts aloud and commenting. After each day, I felt extremely tired because I had truly worked. Each day was a fulfilling experience, but each day was also an experience that required constant focus.

When I was choosing an aTi workshop for this year, poetry crossed my mind again. Poetry, however, is familiar to me. I would never classify poetry as "easy," but it is definitely manageable and makes me feel comfortable.

I wanted to step out of my comfort zone.

My only prior experiences with pottery are superficial ones. I used to go to "ceramics" when I was in middle school. We would paint bisque pieces and Lil, who ran the ceramics shop, would immediately take over and complete the challenging parts of your piece. I also have gone to places like Color Me Mine where you paint pieces made from molds and the employees do the "dirty work" of firing the pieces in the kiln.

At the beginning of each school year, words such as speculative, persuasive, narrative, expository, and argumentative roll off my tongue. Often, my incoming sixth graders look at me with wide-eyed expressions.  "But we've never written those essays before," one brave student will inevitably state. I do my best to calm down the students and assure them that they will be able to navigate the various writing genres during the course of the school year.

I chose the aTi course "All Things Clay" because I wanted to have that experience of being in new, unfamiliar territory. I take professional development courses often during the school year, but the coursework always focuses on literacy, an area in which I am comfortable.

Louis E. Boone once stated, "Don't fear failure so much that you refuse to try new things. The saddest summary of a life contains three descriptions: could have, might have, and should have."

As I progress through my aTi work this week, I will certainly keep Boone's words in mind.