Week 5

Reflections

Craft should be slow learning the process connecting with the work. I'm not a factory it doesn't need to be like fast banging out work. - what Ada said in our seminar. I agree - it's why machines have always stressed me out because I want to feel in control of the material and my work.

Maybe that's why I like hand building and I'm getting frustrated with my need to be able to perfectly throw lots of things that are perfect and quick. Maybe I won't ever get there maybe I will and that's okay.

I'm just struggling with accepting things that aren't perfect when I make them.

Feel a bit limited by my technical skills or lack off. But I'm definitely making it worse the more I get frustrated the more I can't throw. Because I made some nice form last year but it's taking me so long to get back to that point.

Also, I want to do big A1 paintings of my pattern ideas. Because it's liberating and helps me let go of the perfectionism. And also helps me visualise my ideas.

I like to make things for people. And I was thinking about why that is. And I think it comes back to like the way when I'm not sort of happy I'll overshare to try and create a connection with people, and I always want to make stuff for people and make them feel sort of special. Because I always wanted people to do that for me. So I think I want to make stuff for people, especially functional objects because it makes me feel useful, and like significant, and it like puts significance to the relationship and makes me feel more secure. Like if I can make things for people, especially things they have use for, then that kind of lessens my anxiety that they'll stop being my friend and or like not find me 'useful' or a good friend to them.

The design shop I saw -

About objects being comforting or bringing joy to someone by giving them these functional objects.

Noodles and love

Maybe I should stop focusing on what I can't do and focus on what I can- I'm good at glazes. Explore that. Try not to stress about throwing and perfection. Make something because I enjoy making it.

I want to make pretty patterns with slip and calm down.

note - Watch some of Perry's art club.

Why does talking about my art always feel like a therapy session?

Maybe I hate talking about my work for this reason, cause it makes me so emotional. because I don't think about it, but the reason I do things is actually quite deep. And it forces me to think about the issues I have- which are like the reasons behind my making.

Glaze recipes I've found recently that I like the look of :

these are higher cone so I don't know if I can use them but they were so beautiful I've saved them to check with Andy.

Helen Beard

Beard discovered her passion for clay while studying at Edinburgh College of Art on the degree Jewellery Design course. She ended up creating huge sculptural, wearable dresses out of clay, focusing on the textures. While working on surface decoration with Clare Twomey she discovered a love of drawing and painting on clay, working a lot with relief print using newsprint and underglaze stains. After graduating she had the amazing opportunity to work with celebrated potter and writer Edmund de Waal doing an apprenticeship, where she learnt to throw and other skills. Beard combined her love of illustrating the every day with ceramics, and now has also developed a production range with a prestigious factory in Stoke-on-Trent, which allows her more time to work on other things such as making one-off, hand-painted pieces.

makiko hastings -------------------fix