Holiday Craft Fair

These are lovely Charity Hofert stamps...

We got started on our first Holiday Craft Fair project. The kids are making two objects for the holidays. One they can keep, and one they must sell. Our first project is a slab candy cup. We'll decorate using red and green, and we'll put bags of candy inside the cups. It was hard to get all of the slabs cut out to fit the pattern, but we finally got there. I was carefully observing the student who told me that he doesn't like art, because "he's an athlete, not an artist". Today, he was totally into it! He was excited, and he showed me his cup with pride at the end of class. Usually, he shows me his work, and dismisses it with loads of trash talking. This was the high point of my week. It doesn't matter what you make. But, it does matter that you feel you've solved the design problem well, and effectively. Today, we planted a small seed, and changed hearts and minds.

The kids were excited about trying them out...

We made some tall candy dishes...

We used a net pattern to cut out slabs...

Drying them in the empty living room...

The garage is too hot for now...

Brains.

I've been thinking about creativity lately. I used to teach at a school which had a GATE program. The method for sorting elementary students into this program was dubious, at best. It was interesting to see the effect that being labeled as "gifted" had on children. These were not child prodigies. They were students of slightly above average intelligence. They were students who could function independently in a classroom. Once they were told that they were "gifted", they no longer wanted to interract with other "non-gifted" children. It was as though the rest of the children at the school, even former playmates, were now the great unwashed. 

A tragic social consequence, was that the other children felt that they were "not gifted" and "not talented". They started to see themselves through the lens of the label. Strangely, some of the most talented kids, were actually not in the GATE program. 

A few weeks ago, an older student came into my classroom and told me that he was like a young Leonardo da Vinci. He was explaining how smart he was, compared to other students. I was completely shocked, and had no answer. I explained to him that da Vinci was a doer, not a talker, so he'd better get started producing a journal and a sketchbook. Today, this student again returned, and told me something very interesting. He said that sometimes he worries about the quality of his school work, but then he looks at the work of other students, and he sees that his work is so far beyond theirs, and he feels relieved. He knows that he is smarter.

This mode of thinking and overconfidence is completely alien to most children.

I forced this student to sit down and to watch the David Bowie short talk about making work, and about being creative. Then I told this student that he isn't competing with other students, he's competing with himself. I explained that artists and creative people constantly mine their own territory. They try to better their own ideas and theories. As I was talking, I could tell that I was making him kind of mad. He kept changing the subject.

But, I know that I am right about this. Think about Bill Gates, or Steve Jobs, if you don't want to think about artists. Neither of them worried too much about others. They were constantly trying to top themselves. Most of the creative people that I know are above the common fray, because they are knee deep in their own personal fray.

Picasso started by doing his own work. When he moved to Paris, he copied the work of other painters, using their exact styles. He wanted to see what they were doing, he wanted to learn from them. This period of copies didn't last long. Eventually, he moved on to working from pure inspiration. It's interesting to read his thoughts about creativity in his conversations with famous photographer Brassai.

Back to my original thinking about labeling and classifying children. We often feed kids messages about themselves, and sometimes these are extremely limiting. They cause a child to study peers and to try to compare and to jockey for position in the herd. Truly gifted people don't give much thought to the herd at all. They perform with self-absorption on their own tasks, and in their own way.

Major Award

I like the idea of receiving an award just for surviving daily life. Or of receiving a medal for just making it though a difficult afternoon or appointment. When Open Studios is over, I'm going to make some ceramic trophies. They might be silly or they might be serious. Sometimes, even just finishing a "to do" list feels like an accomplishment in this day and age!

Dystopia

Tonight, as I listened to the news, I heard our leader say that we had to be careful not to criticize a certain country, because we "sell them lots of stuff". It doesn't matter that the leader of said country lured a reporter into an embassy (while his fiancee waited outside), and had him murdered, and dismembered.

I also heard that the Department of Homeland Security was censuring the Department of Homeland Security for using incorrect statistics regarding children who have been reunited with their refugee parents. Apparently, employees have been lax at keeping track. There are still many children being detained in camps.

What will be the tipping point? When will we regain our moral compass as a country?

I would like to hang my hopes on the midterm elections, but I know that the madness will continue. There will be hacking, there will be people trying to suppress votes. It's already happening in Georgia. My cynical self feels that if the leadership of our country is allowed to continue, despite the midterm elections, then maybe we will just be getting the government that we actually deserve, as a people. A few days ago, a 7th grader asked me if I liked reading dystopian fiction. I said, "We are currently living in the middle of dystopian reality, aren't we?" He stared at me blankly.

I've been re-listening to The Count of Monte Cristo of late. I read the book for the first time when I went back to college in order to get my teaching credential. Reading it again, in this day and age is a revelation. Edmond is a good man, a sparkly, starry-eyed idealist. He is completely destroyed and broken, and seeks vengeance as a result. His revenge takes him down some horribly dark paths, and he becomes a different, hardened person. I feel that watching my country swirl down the toilet is turning everything that I've ever felt about society on it's ear. I long for the comforting voice of Marco Werman. He's nice, and normal. He looks at the big picture. I have also started pining for demonstrations of kindness. They are out there, and no matter how small, they provide a warm reminder of who we once were. I have a little boy in my class, named Angel. He is unusually wise. I like to talk with him every day, because he reminds me of what I love about people. I don't want to turn into Edmond. I want to be hopeful...

"No tomatoes, some dressing on the side, and absolutely no green onions."

I am always confused when people want custom work. It never fails that they do. A person has a vision in his/her mind, and wants an artist to interpret that idea. It reminds me of my years in graphic design. You work for a client, coming up with a cohesive concept. Then, the client adds two cents. Then, the design gets revised. Again, the client waters down the concept, until finally, a compromise is reached. If you're lucky, the work still stands, and is successful.

The problem is, that I'm no longer in that line of work. I don't have clients. I make what I want. I make what I feel. I do research, and think through what I'm making. There is always a reason for what I do. If no one is comfortable with my vision, then no one is comfortable with my vision. That sounds kind of snobby, I know. And, it's probably the reason that I always have a lot of leftover work!

I have been feeling physically lousy lately. As I get older, it seems like there is less time to make what I want to make. There just isn't enough time to collaborate on the work of others. I feel a sense of old age related urgency. And, because being a ceramic artist is half of what I do for a living, there is even less time to create.

This photo is of a piece that I made for the outside of my home. I had made several wall hearts that kept cracking, so I got mad and flipped this piece over, working on the back, as kind of a joke. I had just painted my house with a purple color called "Kasbah". This sign has a branch in the shape of a "K" for my name, and I thought that referring to my house with that exotic word was hilarious, since my house is a 1948 suburban tract home. Because it turned out so intricate, I decided not to hang it outside. A few years ago, a visitor to my house wanted a custom sign, exactly the same but with elements that gave him meaning. He said, "This is about you, but I want a piece that is about me." I explained that I didn't really know him, so that would be a stretch for me to create. He seemed irritated and left the piece behind. The next day, a couple came in and purchased it. They liked the form and the floral elements. They knew nothing of the back story, but they liked it anyway. Maybe it matched their sofa?!

My mom told me that she didn't like my colorful containers. She said that she wanted a white vase. So, I made her a white vase. When I gave it to her, she said, "Hmmm. I think that I like your colors, this doesn't look right." And, there you have it. If you have a personal vision, then figure out how to make your vision. My college roomate's dad had a dream about how to customize his Ford Pinto, making it into an El Camino-like "wagon". When I visited her house, her dad had sawed the back off of the car, on his own. There was bondo, lots of rivets, and sanding. He was carrying out his idea. That's what art is: personal effort and expression.

Wet Clay Day

The studio hasn't been used for about a month...

Made a small sloppy wreath...

Made a small tighter wreath...

The slab station is ready for action...

It felt good to work with wet clay again...

This last wreath was very controlled and neat...

Polished off some lemons while working...