This weekend I was at the Porcelain Convention in San Diego learning throwing and surface decoration techniques from 4 celebrated ceramic artists. I took a lot of notes on tips and tricks and jotted reminders to try the new things I was learning.
Going to a conference this like gives you a creative boost and inspires you (more…)
There is a moment in the creative process when you know what the end result is going to be no matter what you do. With ceramics, this moment sometimes comes early (the piece is perfect in every way), but often occurs when you open the kiln; especially when you have taken a chance on a new technique. A good piece can go bad and/or ugly during the firing, breaking your heart.
Recently I made 60+ round ornaments. They were perfect, but something went horribly wrong (more…)
I admit it, I regularly lack inspiration. And, I don’t know about you but when I lack inspiration, I think about quitting. The problem is quitting is not an option for me. Letting go of things that are no longer working for me, yes. But not quitting. What’s the difference? It’s really a mind-set shift. Quitting is about giving something up all together. Whereas, letting go gives you the ability to safely transition into something more inspired.
So, back to finding inspiration when it’s just not there. More often than not, if I just start a task, I will find inspiration waiting for me around the first corner, saying “Where have you been? I’ve been waiting for you.” (more…)
Imagine you are in a box and you are trying to get out. Because of my theatre training, in my mind I am already pantomiming (with white gloves) the four walls. So, you are stuck in this box looking for a way out. What you fail to notice is that there is no top on the box, so you could easily climb out.
The same is true for selling our art. We as artists are stuck in a box (more…)