Taking art classes/ workshops: Beginner level Pottery Class (4 points)

 

On January 28th, my friend Giavonni and I attended a pottery wheel class for beginners. They showed us the steps to making pottery on the wheel, but it proved to be quite challenging. To work on the wheel with clay, you have to center it, deepen it, and widen it. While the steps looked simple when done by the leader, it was a struggle for us to do. I remember taking 20 minutes alone to just center it, and eventually had to ask for help. Many others fell into the same trap, having to work hard to get to the fun part of creating. And even after perfecting these steps, the piece could still easily fall apart from being overworked or too thin. This process made me really reflect on the idea of delayed gratification. I heard of delayed gratification when working towards big life goals, like being stable enough to start a family. I never considered that it could be present in activities such as pottery.

Reflecting on the idea more, I realized that I extremely enjoy activities that require delayed gratification, such as working towards perfecting a flute piece, working on a crochet project, or even watching the anime One Piece. The effort and time it takes to do these things make the reward all the more sentimental. I will continue to use the process of delayed gratification in my life as I have a lot of long-term goals to work towards: becoming a doctor, getting a house, and eventually getting established in my career. These things will take time to achieve, but it will make the payoff all the more great. Overall, I really enjoyed my time at the pottery class as it gave me a fun activity and introspection into ways of being.

- Taylar Wharton