I'm planning to fail a bit!

I fired my first bisque kiln this weekend. For those who don't play with clay, it means I took my greenware and fired it in the kiln...now they're ready to glaze and then I'll fire it again.

I lost two pieces. And that's sad, but to be honest, I thought I'd lose more. I moved a bunch of greenware from school, to our house, then out to the barn (on bumpy dirt roads). Greenware is fragile. So, losing two didn't seem so bad.

We'll see how the glazing goes. Some of the pieces I already glazed in school, intending to fire them in a gas kiln. That is very different than an electric (which is what I have), so I suspect some of my glazed-for-gas pieces are going to be disappointing. And I experimented with some more new glazes...who knows what those will look like. Basically, I'm prepared to lose half the firing.

I know. I'm planning to fail. On purpose. And I'm totally gleeful about it! 

I'm still a ceramic novice, but even the most experienced potter occasionally has a piece fail. It is not an avocation for protectionists.

In Just One Thing, I mentioned that every Amish quilt has one intentional flaw, because only God should be perfect. (I'm not sure if that's just folklore but I love it, true or not.) As a writer, my books have (hopefully) gotten better. But I still love those early stories. I'm hoping my pottery continues to improve, but I'll always love some of my early pieces. I keep improving. I hope to spend the rest of my life improving my writing and my pottery.

Setting up the studio has made my appreciate Professor H. I've thanked him for everything he taught me, but I don't think I ever thanked him for everything we had at the school's studio. Glazes, underglazes. I sat my greenware on a shelf and amazingly it came back bisqued. I sat that on a shelf once I'd glazed it, and soon it was back on my shelf finished! LOL It was like magic!

I'm having fun making my own glazes, but I really am appreciating everything at the school.  I loved that it was five minutes from the house. I could pop up for a few minutes here and there. We went round and round about where to build my studio—at home or at the cottage.  The cottage won. But it's a forty minute drive (okay 41 minutes is my best time). I can't just pop in whenever. BUT today as I worked, I heard my Cooper's Hawk...its been very vocal. I saw a bunch of squirrels (Tallulah watched them from the studio's screen door).  Plus, I got this pic last week. My neighbors in town are lovely, but they're not foxes. LOL

Yes, I think I made the best decision. I'll have to be more disciplined and plan out my work. But I do love a good plan!

I'm heading back out tomorrow. I'm hoping to fire my glazed pieces next week. Keep your fingers crossed! I'll keep you posted!

Holly

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On failure—My Novel Freshman Experience.

It's few weeks before school officially starts and you'll probably be seeing more of My Novel Freshman Experience posts then.  Yes, I'm still a freshman.  There's a good chance I won't be an official sophomore until next year.  Hey, I'm in no hurry. LOL

I've had some studio space this summer and I've still been arting.  I've been trying to throw on the wheel.  I am not great at it.  I am better than when I started.  I can consistently throw a 5 inch piece.  A few times I've hit 6 inches.  They're looking better.  But I still fizzle out.  The piece in the video started out as a cylinder...then it went south and became a bowl. Then I tore the edge...  SIGH.

Now, you'd think, that was an utter failure.

And it was.

But I thought the torn edge looked cool.  So I cut the rest of it, folded some back and turned it into a flower.  I've made a number of sunflowers this year, both painting and in bowls.  This one is different.  I used an underglaze.  We'll see how it looked. But even if it explodes, it was a fun piece to work on.  I tried some new techniques.  I broke one petal, then tried to repair it.  I learned from it.

That's what I wanted to say about failure, sometimes you learn more from a failure than a success.  Sometimes you don't.  But I try not to let the fear of failure keep me from trying something.  And when something fails, I like to look at it and see if there's something to be made from it or learned from it.

I'm so looking forward to getting back to official ceramics classes.  And I'm thinking about maybe taking two classes in the spring term.  Ceramics (I'm taking those until they kick me out) and an actual class.  Like with books. And reports.  And presentations.  After I got all giddy over doing the ceramics presentation, I suspect I'll enjoy the challenge.

So buckle up buttercup...we're heading back to school!!

Holly

Polished Off

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On Failure...My Novel Freshman Experience

I spent my freshman spring break in the studio...well, I spent as much time as I could there.  More than most weeks.  I love having the studio to myself.  I made some more Santas, a set of mugs, and tried some birds and chicks.  And I tried a bunny.  He wasn't awful, but he wasn't a success.  No, since he wasn't really what I wanted, I guess he was a failure.  Oh, he was rabbit-esque enough that I'm keeping him and playing with glazes on him.  But I wasn't happy.  

I spent last night sketching other rabbits...trying to understand how they go together.  I am not great with sketching and may take a class on basic drawing sometime.  But anyway, it was enough for me to start to see how the rabbit can be formed.

And today I tried another one.  The one on the right is the one that's ready to fire...the one I'm not happy with.  The one on the left might not look any better, but he actually is.  I put him together and need to let him sit for a day or so in order for all those pieces to come together, but the shape of him is better.  And his eyes are much better than they look right now!  LOL 

One of the things these Ceramic classes have reminded me is that it's okay to fail.  I have learned that lesson in the past.  Being a writer means I get reminded from time to time.  But Ceramics makes the idea of failing so much more tangible.  I can when something doesn't work and I can see my progress from one piece to the next.  

I think that people forget that failure can be a good thing.  No, I'm not going to tell you that it makes you a better person, but it can inspire you. It can push you.  And when you make a rabbit—or whatever it is you're trying—there's that amazing sense of accomplishment.  

I'll post pics of the finished rabbits later.  But it was a good day in the studio.  I mulled about the new book I'm working on, and mulled how much I hate the time change (did you Spring forward?) and thought about how failures can lead to success.

I hope your next week is filled with success...but if a failure or two sneak in, I hope they inspire you!!

Holly

PS Briar Hill Road is out!  I hope you'll pick up a copy!!