As the semester has picked up the pace, I have finally accomplished the first step of making a successful piece using a wheel. There were definitely some setbacks to the rocky start of this semester, but I feel very hopeful for the work I hope to accomplish this semester in my classes, particularly ceramics.

While I did just make a simple bowl, it took many tries and failed attempts, but the wonderful thing about working with clay is that you can start over quite easily. This refreshing idea gave me hope whenever I was struggling to accomplish a task.

You start by centering the clay, which has been proven to be one of the most difficult steps for myself. Next, you open up the clay, ensuring that it remains centered. The next step, which happens to be my favorite, is pulling the clay to make the shape you desire. In my own experience, following the removal of the wet clay, I waited for the bowl to harden and then a friend assisted me with re-centering the piece so that I could trim the bowl and create a foot. After the bowl is initially fired to make sure it’s solid, i’ll be glazing the bowl before a second firing which i’m very excited for!