If you ever have the...
Illustration
If you ever have the chance to work at a potter's wheel, take it. It is an awe inspiring experience --at least, it was for me. I took a dripping wet lump of clay and threw it firmly on the wheel. Then, I set the wheel in motion. I was trying to mold a pot. My instructor had shown me how and it looked simple enough. All I had to do was place one hand on the outside of the clay to support and smooth the pot as I shaped the sides. The other hand was to go on the inside of the pot to hollow it out. It looked easy when my instructor did it. But looks can certainly be deceiving. It didn't seem to matter how hard I tried. I just kept making mistakes. Then, I'd end up forming that clay back into a lump and starting all over. At first I was getting really frustrated with myself. I even began to hate the smell of the clay and the feel of the dirt under my fingernails. Just when I was ready to quit the instructor said "Class, isn't working with clay wonderful? You don't have to be perfect on the first, the third or even the twentieth try. It forgives your mistakes. You can try over and over again to make something beautiful."
--Conroy
--Conroy
