My favorite piece of the year was definetly the last two plates with the rounded edges I made. They're my favorite because I think they're very aesthetically pleasing, to my own taste at least, and I also think that I made them very well, making sure to compress them, and being patient while throwing them which was often a big struggle. I also had the patience to wait for them to dry out before I sanded them instead of trimmed them because that was just the more appropriate method, although slower. So not only are the two plates aesthetically pleasing, but they also demonstrate my restraint, which was a difficult thing more me to have whilst creating, I tend to do more and more in more in the effort to make the piece perfect. The best part of this independent study was the independence, I could make and follow my own plan, and set my own expectations to meet, and I never had to stress about doing things a certain way to get a certain good grade, I was doing whatever I creatively wanted to. I think I got to pretty much everything I wanted to get to this semester, although not all of the plates are really a cohesive set, it's okay though because they still will get use. The most challenging part for me was patience, whether that be making sure I spend the time to wedge the clay properly, waiting for it to dry just enough to trim, waiting for coats of glaze to dry before adding another one. This study and this practice is really all about patience and restraint, which I'm aware enough of myself to know that I do in fact lack in both of those aspects. If it was September again, I would make sure to tell myself that patience and restraint are the name of the game, and that perfection is impossible and doesn't need to happen on the wheel.Â