On Practice

I have been making ceramics in some capacity for 13 years.  When I was younger it was all uphill and I learned so much from the material.  When I was in college I worked with an obsession that teetered on the edge of unhealthy.  When I lived in Florida I learned about balance and working towards happiness.  When I had my son, I took a bit of a hiatus working towards that balance again.  Now, I'm back.  Balancing full time work I enjoy, with being a mother, a wife, and an artist.  It can be humbling.
Last week, I set out to create a small series of six square shaped bowls.  I figured this is a good number for the work week.  Throwing them was great, and I was really looking forward to finishing them.  I was reminded why we call it, "Practice".

Here are the two finished bowls that are now carefully drying in my studio.  Carefully.

I was really looking forward to working on the original six and let them dry too quickly.  It felt like a rookie mistake.  It made me mad.  I wanted to quit.  But, I pushed through, and made something I feel good about.  I'm getting ready to wedge some more clay and start the series again.  They will probably turn out better with this learning curve.  I can't be sure how many will survive the firing, but if I throw 6 more I can guess at least half won't be turn out right.  But, I'm learning.  And each piece gets better.

Here's a process shot of my work table:

Looking forward to more practice this week, and putting together a post about my new processes.  I love feedback so feel free to leave comments below about your own "practice"
Cheers, Tracy