Blogging (& Studio) Break

I’ve been away from blogging for quite a while. I haven’t been away from the studio for quite as long, but I did take a studio break as well. I had been feeling overwhelmed and decided to say “no” to some of the things that were complicating my life. In May, and early June, I felt like I simply couldn't get it all done.

work in progress from this summer

The studio break may have been necessary, but I’m not sure it was exactly good. Towards the end of spring quarter, I noticed I was feeling down and a bit blue. Maybe that's the normal feeling when the academic year is wrapping up or maybe that's the normal feeling when things have been very busy for a while, but when I got back into my home studio, my mood was immediately buoyed. I think the personal studio time is, in itself, something the lifts my mood and calms some of my frustrations.

one of the sculptures I abandoned in May

Because of when I ran out of energy and began my studio hiatus, I lost two sculptures in progress. I knew I would lose them and when I decided to step back from the studio, and both were already causing me some trouble. Wet clay won't tolerate a long break, as clay dries over time and attachments have to happen when the clay is wet enough to accept them.

thrown spheres fresh off the wheel

One piece I lost was a cat sculpture with balloons or bubbles attached all over the surface. Though I worked on the cat for weeks, I had never gotten around to finishing its face. The easiest way to make uniform spheres was to throw them on the wheel. Wheel thrown attachments complicated the drying time management and planning. I needed to throw the spheres, then let them dry up a bit before attaching, meaning I couldn't throw and attach them in one sitting. By late April, I was having trouble fitting the studio time in regularly enough to throw and attach them before they dried too much.

the cat bubble sculpture

The other piece I sacrificed was a sculpture with extruded surface decorations. By the time I abandonded it, I had already stretched the working (and drying) time too long and some of the attachments were starting to crack. I tried, half-heartedly, to repair the cracks, but the whole thing wasn't really done to my satisfaction anyway.

the unfinished extruder surface sculpture

After my break, I returned to the studio to uncover the bone dry works in progress. I started my summer studio time by smashing and slaking the pieces and cleaning up the wooden bats (the wooden disks under the pieces) where the long contact with damp clay had grown some mold.

breaking up the abandoned sculptures

Of course, not spending time in my home studio didn't mean I didn't spend time in a studio (or two). I taught a stacked set of 3 clay classes (meaning all 3 met at the same time), and a new-to-me 3D design class. This quarter was also the first time I taught any class in the Design studio of the "new" Palmer Martin building (which we've been in since 2015).

underglaze test project begun last year

I was very excited about the 3D design class and had a blast, but, as I basically wrote the entire class during the quarter while I was teaching it, it took a lot of time and effort to create the structure, the preparation assignments, the project expectations and examples, as well as to teach the class and give feedback on all the work.  I had a delightful group of students, which I'm sure helped the class run as smoothly as it did, but I didn't feel like I had a spare moment to breathe or think, let alone work on side projects or write about the experience in real time. I plan to share images of work from these students, but I just haven't gotten around to making it happen.

first large summer work in progress

With my teaching responsilibities and my union responsilibilities, I felt like a significant part of this year I was teetering on the edge of "burn out" (or just plain overwhelm). I find that writing about my experience in the studio, projects I'm working on, classes and assignments I'm teaching, or even my experience of cancer treatment helps both to calm me and to help me work through how I'm feeling. Writing helps me understand what's working (or not), and puts things in perspective in a way I find helpful.  

under the plastic is the second section of this two part piece

Unfortunately,  I haven't been able to write about some of the things that are foremost in my mind this year (or really over the past several years). The trickiest problems, or the most frustrating projects that have my time and attention recently have been related to my union job. There's a lot I can't share publically about ongoing union stuff, which means that I can't sit down and just write a blog post to work it all out.

 

the first section mostly done and the top section in progress

As the spring quarter came to an end, I spent some time journaling about some of the things that were making me feel less good or were taking up my mental and emotional energy.  The process of writing about it did help improve my mood, though I don't doubt that the end of the quarter also helped.

sprigs from a bell pepper and oval impressions from a hole cutter

As the quarter ended, I had a long list of things I'd like to do for my classes, including adding video demos for the 3D printer and for my intermediate students, organizing my YouTube Channel for my student demo videos, and reformulating a glaze that has been causing us some trouble in the studio of late. However, as I contemplated my list after submitting final grades, I realized that this list represented a ton of effort and a ton of mental energy that I didn't really have.

bottom of tall piece, in progress (again)

I am not able to set aside the union work, as bargaining is continuing into summer, and other issues that require my attention don't really stop for summer. I not able to fully stop doing my faculty work, even though I am officially "off contract" in the summer, as I have to prepare for fall, but I can draw a line between the necessary and the "would be nice. In this case, the video demo/organizizing and glaze projects honestly sounds more like a sabbatical proposal than a summer undertaking, especially when the prospect of tackling it just exhausts me. In order to sustain my energy in the fall-spring, I need to take a metal break in the summer.

"Save the Date" postcard for our Labor Day show (card design by Chris Otten)

All this to say, I think the break from the blog and from the studio was important, but now the break from the other stuff is important. This summer I've been working on projects that really don't have any particular "goal."  Our faculty show in January was great, but I don't have another show lined up immediately. I and my YVC Art & Photo colleagues will be participating in the Labor Day Art Tour, but as I keep reminding us all, our goal is to hang out with our friends and visit, with no particular pressure to sell or even have new work (we all need a break). 

back of our Labor Day show card (avatar design by Kayo Nakamura)

Since mid June, I've been making large new work, and I'm having fun, but I'll save the details for another day's post or I'll never get around to publishing this one.