Falling for Clay

Back when I was in college I had planned on a degree in Communication and a minor in art with the goal of entering into the world of advertising. Then at some point I decided a double major in art and communications would work better. To get my degree in art I had to take a 3d medium but because of my late coming financial aid that semester the sculpture class I wanted was full. My adviser suggested ceramics as that was the only 3d class that semester with openings. Frankly I really did not want to take the class, handmade pottery was alien to me and my only memories of clay was some clay i found in my Grandma's driveway that I squished into some shape and gave it to grandma as a gift.

My teacher that semester was an adjunct as the regular professor was on sabbatical. We first covered handbuilding techniques but my eyes kept being drawn to the more advanced student on the wheel making pots, like magic the clay would rise and take form...I was hooked...I wanted to make magic too. We finally finished the handbuilding section and we got to go on the wheel. I got to admit, looking back, the first afternoon on the wheel there was very little magic made but at the time it was amazing. Clay was my calling I could tell.

As the semester continued I fell more and more in love with clay. After securing an after hours pass to the lab I could spend hours and hours on the wheel. Soon the communication degree I started out wanting became less and less important. Now I wanted that all important BFA instead of the normal BA in art. And so I finally got my BFA with a concentration in ceramics and a minor in communications. Now I one day want to head back and give grad school a try but that is going to be one day in the distant future.