I’m Paris Sharp, a junior at Portola High School. I began working with ceramics in 9th grade, initially drawn to the medium through the influence of my friends and its physicality and unpredictability. In 10th grade, I officially began “touching clay,” and what started as experimentation quickly became a central part of my artistic practice. Much of my early learning was self-taught, shaped by guidance from friends and countless hours spent in the ceramics classroom after school, where extra practice became both a creative outlet and a space to grow my passion. I am currently enrolled in AP Ceramics, creating functional and sculptural forms influenced by Chinese calligraphy, tea culture, strategy games, and traditional objects. My work translates two-dimensional ideas such as ink, writing, and sound into three-dimensional forms, emphasizing stillness, balance, and the traces left by use and time. Through clay, I explore patience, process, and how everyday objects can hold memory, intention, and cultural identity.