Dupre Mr Marcy M on tue 17 jun 03
Katie,
Elca said it best, "Seize life with both hands. Never hold back your =
joy."
Part of being an artist, a creator, an observer is the sensitivity to
emotion. Your "highs" will be higher than other people's, and your =
lows
will be lower. That is both the price and the reward of our ability. =
We
get those miserable, awful doom-thundering lows that seem to never end, =
then
the sun comes out and we get those soaring, singing, glass-like highs =
that
we wish would never end.
All I can say is I wish you the best of both. Without the lows you'll =
never
appreciate the highs. Remember this time. When you are in a slump and
can't seem to get a decent ashtray from 20 pounds of clay, remember =
when you
pulled that perfect wall SO-O-O-O high, and so thin you could damned =
near
see through it! Then work for that high again.
Jim Croce had a line in one of his songs, "Nobody ever had a rainbow, =
Baby,
// until he had the rain." Just keep that in mind.
Congratulations on your kiln, your wheel-to-be, your craft, your art, =
your
Life. Congratulations also to your wonderful parents who obviously =
love you
very much. They appear to have done a magnificent job, and *you* are =
the
product! What a neat story! And how I admire and envy you!
As for the practical side of choosing a wheel, I suggest getting just a
little more wheel than you need right now, and a little more than you =
can
afford. Chances are that you'll be using it for many years, and as =
time
passes, you'll grow with skill and confidence. Very soon, we'll see =
you on
the cover of Ceramics Monthly, find an article in Pottery Making
Illustrated, see some pictures in Clay Times, attend a workshop with
Katie... It happens! =20
Your first car will be what you can afford. But, you'll have five cars =
in
the time you'll use one wheel. Make it a good one. I personally have =
a
Thomas Stuart Pro with a honkin' *HUGE* 1 horse motor. Much more wheel =
than
I might ever need, but it does everything I ask it to.
Talk it over with your parents. If you want the Brent CXC, or the =
Super
Bailey, or the Soldner, work out a deal to get one. Make half of the =
cost a
loan and pay your parents back. This wheel has to last a long time. =
Make
it a good one, make it a comfortable one, make it one you can use for =
8-10
hours at a time. =20
That's about all the advice I have. Remember, advice is FREE, and =
worth
every penny you paid for it! :o)
All of us here on Clayart share your effervescent enthusiasm, delight =
in
your joy, and hope the best for you in the years to come.
Now get busy! There's LOTS to do!
Tig
in Springfield, where winds are working urban renewal...
Mr. Marcy M. "Tig" Dupr=E9
Military Simulations Analyst
MAGTF Staff Training Program
Quantico, VA 22134
Vince Pitelka on thu 19 jun 03
Tig wrote:
"Part of being an artist, a creator, an observer is the sensitivity to
emotion. Your "highs" will be higher than other people's, and your lows
will be lower. That is both the price and the reward of our ability. We
get those miserable, awful doom-thundering lows that seem to never end, then
the sun comes out and we get those soaring, singing, glass-like highs that
we wish would never end."
Tig -
I think you are confusing being an artist with being manic-depressive, and
there is no reason in the world that the two should necessarily go together.
Such mood swings are certainly a reality for some people, and it takes great
courage to deal with them. I agree with you and Elca and others that making
genuinely good art requires passion and commitment. Sometimes art is
wrenched from the gut, and sometimes it flows gently from the soul, and
sometimes it comes of rational, methodical planning. Neither is better than
the other. Every artist is different, and every person's way of making art
is different. No generalizations apply, including that one.
You said :
"Without the lows you'll never appreciate the highs."
It has always been my theory that one must purposefully inject contrast into
one's life in order to maintain ongoing creativity and quality of life, but
I am not sure that the contrast needs to be supplied by lows and highs. Or
perhaps it is best to say that the lows and highs need not be extreme.
Everyone is going to have moments of inspiration, and everyone is going to
have periods when the well seems dry. So perhaps it is best to approach
this in terms of simple contrasts of moods and productivity, rather than
"awful doom-thundering lows that seem to never end." I haven't experienced
one of those since I was a teenager, but perhaps I am just lucky.
Best wishes -
- Vince
Vince Pitelka
Appalachian Center for Craft
Tennessee Technological University
1560 Craft Center Drive, Smithville TN 37166
Home - vpitelka@dtccom.net
615/597-5376
Office - wpitelka@tntech.edu
615/597-6801 x111, FAX 615/597-6803
http://iweb.tntech.edu/wpitelka/
claybair on thu 19 jun 03
Thanks Vince,
Whew....I was afraid we were going watch a rush of
creative people trying to get on Prozac!
You are absolutely right of course and thank you
for stating it.
The Psychiatry and pharmaceutical industry are enjoying
the results of an advertising campaign which revolves around
manipulating the public to think they are manic-depressive.
IMO the only true manic depressives I have ever met were psychiatrists!
Gayle Bair
Bainbridge Island, WA
http://claybair.com
-----Original Message-----
From: Vince Pitelka
Tig wrote:
"Part of being an artist, a creator, an observer is the sensitivity to
emotion. Your "highs" will be higher than other people's, and your lows
will be lower. That is both the price and the reward of our ability. We
get those miserable, awful doom-thundering lows that seem to never end, then
the sun comes out and we get those soaring, singing, glass-like highs that
we wish would never end."
Tig -
I think you are confusing being an artist with being manic-depressive, and
there is no reason in the world that the two should necessarily go together.
Such mood swings are certainly a reality for some people, and it takes great
courage to deal with them. I agree with you and Elca and others that making
genuinely good art requires passion and commitment. Sometimes art is
wrenched from the gut, and sometimes it flows gently from the soul, and
sometimes it comes of rational, methodical planning. Neither is better than
the other. Every artist is different, and every person's way of making art
is different. No generalizations apply, including that one.
You said :
"Without the lows you'll never appreciate the highs."
It has always been my theory that one must purposefully inject contrast into
one's life in order to maintain ongoing creativity and quality of life, but
I am not sure that the contrast needs to be supplied by lows and highs. Or
perhaps it is best to say that the lows and highs need not be extreme.
Everyone is going to have moments of inspiration, and everyone is going to
have periods when the well seems dry. So perhaps it is best to approach
this in terms of simple contrasts of moods and productivity, rather than
"awful doom-thundering lows that seem to never end." I haven't experienced
one of those since I was a teenager, but perhaps I am just lucky.
Best wishes -
- Vince
Vince Pitelka
Appalachian Center for Craft
Tennessee Technological University
1560 Craft Center Drive, Smithville TN 37166
Home - vpitelka@dtccom.net
615/597-5376
Office - wpitelka@tntech.edu
615/597-6801 x111, FAX 615/597-6803
http://iweb.tntech.edu/wpitelka/
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