Views of the studio

I went to the studio today with the goal of throwing away everything I made. I was just going to make stuff and play with the clay and then throw it away.






There were things I made that turned out really well and I was so tempted to keep them, but I made myself throw them away. This is only my second day in the clay this semester, no need to keep anything yet.

Something about smushing pieces you thought you loved together can be very liberating.






I just remembered how when I sat in on the kids class none of the kids seemed to particularly care about their pieces. They just had a good time and if it didn't turn out well they would focus on the more fun parts of the class (like mud gloves).






Once I started throwing away things I liked, I didn't have as hard of a time pushing the clay further. I would stop and say, I like it how it is, but I'm not keeping it anyway so I might as well see how tall or wide I can make it.






And then when I felt I'd pushed the clay as far as it was going to go, I'd cut my piece in half and look inside to see how I did. You learn a lot by dissecting your own work! You can quickly see where you are timid and where you are fearless with the clay.






And then it's time to go, and all you have to show for your time is a bucket of slurry and a pile of mud.






So much fun :)