Ceramics 2
Period 2

This marks my third year in ceramics. It is the second semester of my third year, and I have faced many difficulties throughout the time I've spent in this class, but this class has allowed me to work through them. I have learned many different techniques, how I can work with my clay, and what my hands can do. I have loved to take home my own pieces, but I know that most of the time, they don't always turn out the way I had planned. This past semester, I have explored different hand-building methods that I have grown comfortable with, but I need to get out of my comfort zone. It is difficult going weeks working on the same piece, but if I want to make a piece that is complex with details and thought, I need to work through my frustration. This also goes with throwing on the wheel, at the beginning of the semester, I was always on the wheel. I practiced my centering, coneing, and pulling, but it was beyond frustrating going through the periods where I would break every piece I touched, when I would find a hard lump, when I would uncenter the clay, or when I would press too hard when trimming and create a hole. I know that I need to be okay with these outcomes, because they are natural and they are expected in this work, and if I want to continue progressing in my ceramics journey, I know that I need to grow my patience, test myself, and go beyond my own expectations even if it is incredibly frustrating.