I think the first time I played with clay—like—really played with clay, was in the 3rd grade. I was in a special art enrichment program at my elementary school. When all the other kids would go to recess, I would sit in a room with the other art kids, and just… make stuff.
I had enjoyed and explored in other mediums, but this was my first time working on a pottery wheel. If you can image small, 8 year old hands, it was easy to lose control of that thing. I wouldn’t play in clay again until high school, where I took Mr. Eager’s class (shoutout to Sunrise Mountain High School in Peoria, AZ). That course was all handbuilding—we actually didn’t even touch the wheel! We made teapots, we made shoes (I made my favorite shoe that I wore daily, Iversons) and we did it by slab and coil building.
Fast forward to my Senior year in high school, and while the other Seniors were done after lunch, free to hang out at Sonic, Grande’s, and do as they please, my parents insisted that I did not have a free period. So I was one of the few, lonely Seniors to return to campus after lunch. But looking back, I’m really grateful for that extra period.
I went back to take independent study ceramics. That was a really special time for me. There was another class happening during that time, but I had the freedom to again, like in 3rd grade, just play. I was able to absorb more information from Mr. Eager and just enjoy conversations over our shared-love of making stuff.
So then I headed out to Seattle. I’m working in my first big tech job. And I’m feeling a little burnt out. (I would later come to term this “grief of loss of artistry” or something similar.) So I enrolled in pottery classes at Pottery Northwest. I took a semester of handbuilding and then 2 semesters on the wheel.
I felt so much joy and calm when I was there and fortunately we had a lot of access to the building. So I would come in on nights outside of my regular class and on the weekends to continue to refine my craft.
Then I moved to Denver. At this point, I’m working in fintech, and I’m feeling this same sense that something is missing. So I enroll in pottery classes again at the Arts Students League of Denver. There I focused on throwing and repetition. I wanted to see if I could make a career out of this.
My pottery journey continues as I reside now in Oakland. Last year, I was accepted as a member of the Merritt Ceramics Studio. Unfortunately, I had to postpone my membership due to competing priorities. The bright side is that I am on a waiting list to reclaim my workstation there. And hopefully I’ll get started on my mini shop soon. Anywho…