Pottery Flops
August 22, 2024Hmmm… where to begin? This week, I took some time off from work to focus on making pottery pieces in preparation for my fall launch. The clay… oh, the clay… The first time I checked to make sure I could throw a decent honey pot was a couple of weeks ago, and I succeeded on the second attempt. This week was not so easy. Ugh, sigh—after multiple attempts over three days, I have one pot. That’s right, one pot.
I first thought maybe I hadn’t wedged the clay enough or had too much clay (I forgot to weigh it when I tried the first one). Then, on two different occasions, my bat flew off, causing the catch bin edges to break apart. On one of these occasions, my whole wheel even fell off the blocks it sits on. Now, to be clear, I tried multiple times. I am clumsy at times, but this was ridiculous.
On a positive note, I did manage to make two nice mugs and an espresso cup. In one of the YouTube videos I watched on making a honey pot, the potter offered a very profound suggestion: When you are making a piece and it is not forming beyond the size of a bowl or mug, then make the mug or bowl. This was excellent advice. In the moment, when I was getting really frustrated, I remembered this and decided to make the mug. It actually brought me a great sense of relief. When so much time has gone by and you set yourself a deadline, it can quickly shift from delight to intense irritability. My advice for molding a piece while you’re still figuring things out is to take a breath and try to see the potential of what it may become. Then, try again.
