Since childhood, creating art has exponentially grown into a passion of mine. The journey of masting a skill comes with a whole array of emotions – peace, frustration, accomplishment, failure.. the list goes on. But persevering to the completion of a project, and bringing your ideas to fruition, makes the turmoil worth every second. I believe my dedication for art, despite the literal blood, sweat, and occasional tears, has contrived into having a strong sense of self-discipline.

To make pottery, you must center clay on the wheel – in order to do this, you must also center yourself. I find that your mindset and mood have a great effect on the outcome of your piece. The same applies for creating stained glass, one of my newest hobbies. Focus, zen, and self-encouragement are vital as one mistake can ruin the entire project. Alas, it is important to remember, you can start again.

After a failed attempt at making a clay birdhouse, I began taking college ceramic classes. (Uhg, the frustration of not being amazing at something immediately). It is here I gained a new appreciation for everyday things. The amount of work that goes into a seemingly simple coffee mug would probably surprise most people. Wedging air bubbles out of the clay, centering perfectly on the wheel, precisely opening the hole, pulling up the walls with consistent pressure and wetness.. you get the point. It can take weeks to complete the entire process between throwing and glaze firing.