Some good news to start, I’ve booked two more markets for this spring and summer! One is happening this Sunday, May 18, at DeStihl Brewery in Bloomington, IL; the other is June 21 at the University of Illinois Arboretum in Urbana, IL. I also have applications in for markets in August and October and will update once I hear back. The full list of upcoming markets (including info links) is on my home page.
My other news is that earlier this month I started an intermediate/advanced wheel-throwing class through our Park District. I took the introductory class twice over the summer/fall and loved it. The classes are small (the room only has 8 pottery wheels) so they’re a bit challenging to get into, but after a few tries I finally managed to get registered. I’d been wanting to do a class for probably a couple of years and it is as fun as I thought it would be.
The main difference so far between the beginner class and the advanced one is the amount of clay you work with at one time. In the intro class we stuck to about a pound; so far in this class we’ve been working with 2-3 (or more, in the case of some of the other students who’ve been doing this for years). I wouldn’t say I’m good at it, necessarily, but I’m reaching a point where I can generally make what I set out to make. In the intro class, a lot of the things I thought would be cups ended up being bowls (I made a lot of bowls).
It’s been a little bit of a struggle to keep some of my creative hobbies as hobbies (rather than trying to fold them into Fairy Tree Studios somehow) but I do think it’s important to keep some things separate. I need things that I can do for myself instead of worrying about whether they’re “good” enough to sell. (Don’t get me wrong, several family members got bowls as part of their Christmas presents, haha, but no one had to pay for them.) Also the cat broke several of the things I made which was a good lesson in not getting too attached to my creations, I guess. I’m treating it more like an excuse to make more things. So far in the new class I’ve started about four mugs and two large bowls over two sessions, with one more session next week to throw more pieces before we move to the trimming phase.
I’ve probably said it before, but I have found that all my new creative projects in other mediums somehow inform my painting process, even if the link isn’t obvious or direct. At the very least, it gives you a new look at how a different process works or makes you think about something (in this case, maybe texture) in a new way. For me it can also inform some of my creative habits or give me new ideas for paintings themselves.
I can respect people who dedicate their life solely to one art form, but I could never do it myself, and I’m not sure I believe it’s the best way to practice anything, art or otherwise.
What do you think? Is there more merit in dedicating yourself to one art form and developing it as much as possible, or is it better to try other things even if it takes away from your time with your chosen form?
Fairy Tree Studios 