By the fictional Ternwell studio team · 4-minute read
It is easy to arrive at a first clay class carrying an entire shelf of ideas. The mug you saw in a shop. The vase with the impossibly narrow neck. A bowl that looks as though it grew that way. Keep those ideas. Then put them to one side for a moment and meet the clay.
Start with a use.
A place for a tea bag. A small dish for the rings you took off before class. A bowl for a handful of olives. Useful little things give you a direction without asking for a complicated shape. They can be beautiful precisely because they are small and personal.
In a handbuilding class, a pinch pot is a good way to feel the relationship between your fingers and the wall of a piece. It asks you to pay attention. Where is the clay thick? Where does the rim want to go? What happens when you turn it a little?
Let the first attempt teach you.
At the wheel, a first form might lean, close up or become much shorter than you expected. Your tutor can help you understand the change and try again. Clay can be reclaimed before firing; starting over is part of the workshop rather than a sign that you have failed it.
Keep your first idea small enough to enjoy the process. Your tutor will suggest a practical size and help you choose a piece that fits the session and firing allowance.
Notice what you like.
Perhaps you enjoy a soft curve more than a sharp edge. Perhaps you like a thumb mark on the outside of a bowl. These are useful discoveries. You do not need to explain them, and your piece does not need to resemble the one beside you.
Give the piece time.
The workshop is only one part of the journey. Your piece still needs to dry and go through firing. Shape and colour can shift. A little patience makes the moment of collection more interesting, because the result is a conversation between your hands, the material and the studio process.