Jumbled Theories

So, I’m trying to find out when you finally become good/master at something… personally I don’t think it comes with grad school but grad school progresses you further to it.  I’m by no means master… if anything I’m still a lost student (and I say lost because I have no teacher with fresh knowledge that’s easily accessible to bestow the mounds of knowledge that I have incomplete.)  I’m able to produce a good form here and there…. that much I’m working on.  But my construction time is still pretty shabby.  I mean I can whip things out faster than any beginner… yet I haven’t reached production level yet, unfortunately.  My glazing… well… lets just say everything is a new adventure because I’ve switched to a completely different temperature for the time being.  Don’t get me wrong…  I still think I’m going to stay at the middle/high fire oxidation range… but some of these high fire reduction glazes are gorgeous.  Well… This is what I have sadly rolled out in a 1/2 a semester… and yes I only went to half because I have health problems… which I’m still trying to fix.  When your back goes out at 22, you start to fear what life is like at 60.  Oh and I noticed that I am missing one piece… it’s quite sad.  There’s a klepto lady at FJC… and I’m guessing she took one of my bottles… oh well… it was tapped on its side when it was wet, and then I altered so it looked intentional, and then I kinda liked it… then I forget what I glazed it as, and now its gone.  :(

ENJOY!

How on earth do I manage to collect so many images a day.  My computer is sure to hate me and break probably within the next few weeks because of an image overload.  That same statement applies to my brain.  It’s surely going to explode!

It’s come to a point in my life where I’m studio-less for a while.  It’s disheartening.  Mainly because being a ceramist isn’t cheap… and for some reason… everyone and their mother is wanting a wheel… and no one is selling them in good condition… and at a decent price.  My laundry list for things to purchase is getting longer… and it seems that my spending allotment is getting smaller.

Can I have $8k to spend at the apple store?  then another $5k for william sonoma for All-Clad alone… and another $5k for everything inside the store.  $20k for a studio setup… andddd $500k+ for a house to store everything inside?  PAH-LEASE!?!??!  another $26k would be nice for a truck for hauling my art around… $3k dedicated for books, magizines, media/movies.  $30k saved for a wedding one day (all depends on if I’m/my fiance is rich… if not then no marriage… or cheap wedding)   annnnd however much it would cost to refurnish/refurbish the house to be contemporary (green… energy efficient… aesthetically appealing) with a ceramic studio, design studio and garden.  

….about $750k…. guess I’m going to have to either go on deal or no deal… and maybe start buying lotto tickets.  

Dreams, dreams, dreams…. 

These now belong to Shannon Leith but… I made them… so I’m sharing them with you.  <3

Recently I’ve been having this little sense of insecurity.  Every now and then I question myself as an artist.  If I’m making the right things? am I making enough? am I making anything good?  am I really making anything at all?  are my explorations valid?

SERIOUS-ly.  I think we all can agree that there are points in our lives that we’re not 100% positive assured in ourselves.  I mean it comes and goes in waves.  Sometimes I’m so arrogant about my work that I’m disgusting… but it usually passes fast.  

I’ve been addicted lately to doing image searching on ffffound.com.  It’s bitter sweet.  It’s nice to start collecting random work and get inspirations from it… but its such an overload that it disables me from doing anything.  It infiltrates my mind with negativity on my work.  After collecting like 200 images I come to the conclusion in my brain that I’m not a good artist because I haven’t made anything… none the less nothing as exciting as these 200 images I collected… on top of that I should have made all 200 things in one evening.  ha.  

I tend to be hard on myself.  It’s slightly amusing… but mostly depressing. 

SO.  tonight/today’s challenge is to create something I’m proud of.  AND work on my lesson plan for the class I’m teaching on wednesday.  :D

xo