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Humble bowl

4/25/2017

It took me 2 classes before I could make this simple bowl. As mentioned in my last post, this has been a very humbling process. To see the amount of work I needed before I could make this uneven, misshapen little thing.

Of course I wished I had something more impressive to share, but I'm still glad I was able to crank this out. I spent a few extra hours after class last session to get more practice in and my triceps are sore. That was a bit of a surprise.

I feel like once I have these pieces out of the way and I know I have something tangible to glaze, I'll be more free to play and not be so wary about "ruining" anything.

It's important to be making lots of mistakes at this stage in order to learn how clay works, how it responds to the different ways one can manipulate it. However, it's easier said than done. Once you see something you made looking reasonable, you have to make a decision. Should I continue to play with this or should I stop now?

The correct answer is probably to do both. Freely play with the clay without any expectation that you'll end up with anything you like, but then if you do, stop there and start a new piece and repeat the process.

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Ceramics

4/22/2017

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Want to feel incompetent and stupid? Yes, I know I'm being a bit melodramatic here, but I really did feel that way in my first wheel throwing ceramics class.

It was humbling to say the least. Initially I was hoping to come out with a misshapen bowl, but I couldn't even get that far. I wasn't sure how to center the ball of clay so it would fall off as the wheel continued spinning and I'd try to catch it fearing it would fly off the wheel completely and hit someone or something.

I took a lot of self-talk to remind myself not to let the disappointing results get to me too much. As a perfectionist, I don't like to put myself into situations where I may not do well. However, I recognize that it's important to regularly challenge your limits. It's by stretching past your comfort zone that you can grow, so I know that despite my failure to create anything in my first class, I can't let that discourage me from continuing to try my best.

Hopefully I'll come away with some finished pieces!

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Lets begin a painting

4/15/2017

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Finally. I've had canvases stored away for over a year as I waited for the right moment to work on them. As you can guess, the right moment hasn't come yet.

Even now is not the right moment, but I'm going to get started. As I've been learning from my artist way group sessions so far, it's more important to keep producing than worry about judging how good it is. I'm going to give it a try. Admittedly, it's not easy because I want to like what I'm seeing and I'm not there yet.

I'm planning to make this a series. Three canvases in all. I've just put on a background. This is just the start. I don't really know what the end result will be, but I usually like to layer on a lot of content. I like texture and layers.

So here's the start. I'll share more as I work on these pieces and go through the process of creating these paintings.

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Singing a song

4/9/2017

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I don't sing. I don't know how. But for the past few weeks, we've been trying out improv singing in my improv practice group. You know what? I surprised myself. I think singing makes improv even more fun.

Because we don't have someone on a keyboard we have to resort to playing music from our phones. We might start off with a scene and then suddenly it'll turn into a song.

I've found that I can get out of my head and more into character when singing. That totally surprised me and I haven't figured out why it would be easier. Maybe I'm more comfortable with music genres than tv/movie genres.

Last year's rapping experience in Clowning class where I did a part of Eminem's Lose Yourself must have sparked something in me.

Below is a link to a song that I did based on the word suggestion of "boring". The scene is of a teen who's bored of life on a farm.
http://tinyurl.com/notafarmer

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No better time to start

4/3/2017

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As part of the Artist's Way group that I'm a part of, each of the members has been sharing resources such as books, articles, videos, etc... One quote that was shared spoke to me as a procrastinator.

"Do not assume that you have to have some prescribed condition to do your best work. Do not wait. Do not wait for enough time or money to accomplish what you think you have in mind. Work with what you have RIGHT NOW. Work with people around you RIGHT NOW...Do not wait for what you assume is the appropriate stress-free environment in which to generate expression. Do not wait for maturity or insight or wisdom. Do not wait until you have enough technique. What you do now, what you make of your present circumstances, will determine the quality and scope of your future endeavors. And at the same time be patient."
-Anne Bogart

One of my biggest issues is that I'm always waiting for the right moment before I start on a project.

I'll do it after I find a new job. I
I'll do it after I settle into the new job.
I'll do it after I finish this large project.
I'll do it after the uncertainty goes away.
I'll do it after I get a promotion.
I'll do it after the summer ends.
I'll do it after the new year.
I'll do it later.

And it goes on...That's why I don't have as many completed pieces as I'd like. This was a good, straightfoward quote to remind to get to work now.

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Melinda Chan

Humble bowl

Ceramics

Lets begin a painting

Singing a song

No better time to start

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