Pottery: A New Beginning
I’ve been contemplating taking a pottery class for the last six months and I finally did it.
Trying new things has always made me anxious, but I made a goal for myself for 2022 to push my anxiety to the side and do what I want.. and signing up for a pottery class was at the top of my list. Now that I’ve actually attended the class and visited the studio a couple of times a week, I couldn’t be happier!
I have always been a hands on person when it comes to hobbies and/or work and I’ve tried a thousand different things, but I really feel like this hobby is going to stick. I’ve never felt so passionate and strongly about a hobby before.
Class Overview
I signed up for a morning class with Belgers Art Center. The class was $155 for four weeks with full studio access. The great thing about this class is, it is taught by someone with a ton of experience. Since this is my first pottery class and I have no knowledge of throwing, this class was great for beginners.
My favorite part about the class was how long it was. The class was about 3 hours long. This gave us time to listen and interact with the instructor, practice on the wheel, interact with permanent members of the studio and watch others. Being in an environment with so many creative people can really help with your own personal creativity. It’s almost inspiring. Personally, I’ve never been able to share a hobby with a group of people and now that I have, I really like the atmosphere of the studio. It pushes me to keep creating.
Here is a photo of my instructor showing us how to make the clay stick to the wheel, how to center the clay and how to pull up the walls.
The hardest part about the pottery process is pulling the clay upwards to create a cylinder. Others may disagree and say centering is the hardest, but for me it was definitely pulling. Maybe because I am heavy handed, it makes things harder for me since you have to be so gentle when it comes to dealing with clay? Who knows. All I know is I need to work on it.
If you know me personally, you know I am the type of person that tries something once and usually gets the hang of it pretty fast, which I should say is my greatest strength, but my biggest weakness. The reason I call it my weakness is because I put so much pressure on myself when trying new things. “I need to be good and master this within the first 3 tries” is my motto, but as I get older I’m learning that’s not the best way of thinking. I try to keep in mind that success comes with patience, and those who master certain hobbies or skills are putting in the effort and time to be successful.
Any who, here are a couple of images of some of the projects I’ve been working on. As you can see, some of them are a bit wobbly, oddly shaped and definitely leanin’. Not too bad, but there is definitely room for improvement.
Overall, this was a great experience. It went so well I actually purchased a membership. Not only that, but it has improved my mental health tremendously. Before, I would spend my time scrolling on Tiktok for hours, being unproductive, doing nothing all day. Now, there is nothing wrong with doing this, but for me personally, it gives me anxiety. So, picking up this hobby has really improved my life. Not only that, but I love progress. Above, I think you can definitely see the improvement of my pieces as you scroll down.
Since this has become a big part of my life, I will continue with updates on my progress. If you are not already, follow my Instagram to stay updated! Excited to update you guys in the next couple of months with creative collections. ❤