Hi! Well technically I first started ceramics when I a kid in youth classes at a local recreation center, long enough to learn the bare bones and gain an appreciation for the medium.

Dug up 3 of my earliest pieces and favorite animals as a kid: dog, ambiguous lump giraffe, and sea lion.

In between then and now I poked at more accessible sculpting mediums like polymer or air dry clay, which are fun and have their merits, but aren't meant for long-lasting functional ware like what I wanted to make. I also considered woodwork, metalwork, or glass, but ultimately ceramics drew me back in! (I would still love to do those other mediums if I can find a place to learn them.) I find ceramics is very forgiving if you just follow the basic rules you'll learn in any beginner class. There's also plenty of educational videos on youtube. I would recommend looking at a variety of sources to find techniques that work for you, especially for wheel throwing; trying a different hand position or changing how you're situated at the wheel can make a big difference. Even if you mess up you can always re-use the clay to try again! Aside from learning the craft itself, I also really enjoy learning about ceramic art history through free online lectures or books, it always motivates me to make new stuff :) The biggest barrier of entry for ceramics is that it's expensive, and when you're a beginner failing more than you succeed then this can be extra frustrating. To make the most of my limited in-studio time, I do all of my sculpting at home. Then while I'm at the studio I focus on things I can only do there, like wheel throwing and glazing (the only rough thing is transporting the fragile unfired pieces back and forth). Try something, fail quickly, and troubleshoot! If you're already a multimedia artist then you've presumably already built the "try new things!" muscle, so just start!

⭐️Through the Generations⭐️

Happy to share that these will be unlockable pin designs in my upcoming pony pin kickstarter!