Post #610302 by umeone on Sat, Oct 15, 2011 11:43 AM

Thank you Wendy. I couldn't get my clay to do anything this morning, your suggestion of doing this was weighing heavy on my little brain! An Art Teacher Friend of mine in SC posted this on face book, I think it is a perfect start here, hit home to me;
"Nobody tells this to people who are beginners. I wish someone had told me.All of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste but, there is this gap.For the first couple years you make stuff, it's just not that good. It's trying to be good, it has potential, but it's not. But your taste the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your taste is why your work disappoints you. A lot of people never get past this phase; they quit. Most people I know who do interesting, creative work went through years of this. We know our work doesn't have this special thing that we want it to have. We all go through this and if you are just starting out or you are still in this phase, you gotta know it's normal and the most important thing you can do is, do a lot of work. Put yourself on a deadline so that every week you finish one piece. It's only by going through a volume of work that you will close that gap and your work will be as good as your ambitions. And I took longer to figure out how to do this than anyone I've ever met. It's gonna take awhile. It's normal to take awhile. You just gotta fight your way through." Ira Glass

I almost quit doing what I love but, thankfully I have a friend who encouraged me to fight through and for that I am eternally grateful.

Ok for what I'm working on now, I call it my Island series;

This is my Hawaiian Santa and his Island

These guys are the first of the series. They are only 4 inches tall. Since I am maturing, :lol: I had to get Craig to rig up a magnifying light over my work space. I also suggest a little Rum in your coffee to steady the hands. Medicinal purpose only! :lol:

Mahalo,
Linda