clennell on wed 13 oct 04
There was a story told at the Woodfire Conference in Iowa.
Two art school profs interviewing a student for the MFA program at their
school. Student says should I pursue law or go to art school? the one prof
says "It's a no brainer, go to law school! After the student leaves the
other prof says" What the hell did you say a thing like that for? We're
supposed to be recruiting students.. The prof says' If the student really
wanted to go into the arts, he'd have said go to hell I'm doing it anyway!
The arts is not for the weak at heart, so we might as well recruit the ones
that are up to the task.
Cheers,
Tony
Tony and Sheila Clennell
Sour Cherry Pottery
4545 King Street
Beamsville, Ontario
CANADA L0R 1B1
http://www.sourcherrypottery.com
Tom Sawyer on thu 14 oct 04
Tony,
Loved your story. Art is about passion. In retrospect as a young man I'm
uncertain what I would have done - art or medicine - law never despite the
fact that I attended law school at the age of 57. In my early years I had no
exposure to art and it was an easy choice; I chose medicine for the
opportunity to help the unfortunate. I have often said "jokingly, I think"
I'm glad I didn't discover clay when I was 18-20 years of age because I
would undoubtedly be a poor struggling potter; maybe and maybe not; maybe I
wouldn't have had the courage; when I say this it is because, I can sit back
today with a great deal of economic security; on the other hand I often
wonder where would I be artistically if I hadn't gone to medical school
[three residencies] and later law school. Now I have time. Damn hurricanes
disrupted my schedule and a few weeks ago while jogging to keep fit, I tore
a minescue in my left leg and underwent surgery last week; I'm on crutches
and have a studio of large pots that I can't get to the kiln to fire. So go
figure; now I have the time and money but not the opportunity. As much as
many might envy me for my financial security, I envy those of you that found
the real personal creative meaning in life as potters. I am torn by
ambivalence. I volunteer as a physician at the Homeless Clinic 2 days a week
and have been god forbid Chairman of the Board for over 2 years. I still am
only one of 2-3 physicians that volunteer time and almost everytime I go to
the clinic I think I'd rather be home making pots. Just about the time I
think about resigning I recognize the gift I've been given to help the
unfortunates - still. Well I once told Melsan that I thought working with
the poor and homeless made me a better potter - I hope. I know it makes me a
better person and human - still I envy those of you that found your dreams
early in life and have had the courage to pursue them in face of financial
uncertainty. You and Mel and dozens of others on this listserve are my
heroes.
-----Original Message-----
From: Clayart [mailto:CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG] On Behalf Of clennell
Sent: Wednesday, October 13, 2004 9:23 PM
To: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
Subject: Law or clay???
There was a story told at the Woodfire Conference in Iowa.
Two art school profs interviewing a student for the MFA program at their
school. Student says should I pursue law or go to art school? the one prof
says "It's a no brainer, go to law school! After the student leaves the
other prof says" What the hell did you say a thing like that for? We're
supposed to be recruiting students.. The prof says' If the student really
wanted to go into the arts, he'd have said go to hell I'm doing it anyway!
The arts is not for the weak at heart, so we might as well recruit the ones
that are up to the task.
Cheers,
Tony
Tony and Sheila Clennell
Sour Cherry Pottery
4545 King Street
Beamsville, Ontario
CANADA L0R 1B1
http://www.sourcherrypottery.com
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Cat Jarosz on fri 15 oct 04
In a message dated 10/15/2004 5:30:10 AM Eastern Daylight Time,
tsawyer@CFL.RR.COM writes:
It's a no brainer, go to law school! After the student leaves the
other prof says" What the hell did you say a thing like that for? We're
supposed to be recruiting students.. The prof says' If the student really
wanted to go into the arts, he'd have said go to hell I'm doing it anyway!
The arts is not for the weak at heart, so we might as well recruit the ones
that are up to the task.
Wow.... this made me chuckle and think back ... way way back and it wasnt
LAW school that was highly encouraged but Nursing school ... and it was my
father that was pushing it ... I was a single mom and very young , my Dad
was thinking about reality and I was thinking about my passion ... I started
to study ART not medicine.... He was really disappointed and I dont even
want to tell you how badly this affected me to not have his support and for
him to be kind of on the disgusted side with me...
Thank you for that story as I often wondered what ever possessed me to
throw all that financial security away especially when I had a child to
raise. What is kind of sad is the fact that My Dad lives sooo far far away (
Maine ) and really doesnt know how good a potter I am today or the respect
I get for my work, I think he might proud of me for sticking with what
I HAD to do...
Cat Jarosz in the mountains of NC .... ps people we are
open for business ( Asheville and surrounding area's ) the hurricane did
NOT wipe us off the face of the earth and most of the roads are OPEN the area
is BEAUTIFUL !!!! Leaf peeper paradise unless you can get to new england
that is
V)''(V & >^..^< Chicks with beards rule !!!
(_o_)
\||/
Ann Brink on fri 15 oct 04
Cat J. wrote: What is kind of sad is the fact that My Dad lives sooo far
far away (
> Maine ) and really doesnt know how good a potter I am today or the
respect
> I get for my work, I think he might proud of me for sticking with
what
> I HAD to do...
Cat, YOU have to make sure he DOES know. Your closest friends probably know
of your successes and things you are proud of- make sure he hears the same
things. Maybe he needs more info about the whole field of pottery, and that
being good at it is an achievement in many ways-technical, artistic,
marketing, etc.
A believer in blowing my own horn,
Ann Brink in CA
claybair on fri 15 oct 04
Cat......
Send us his email address.....
we'll tell him!
Don't let him leave this earth without
knowing how proud he should be of you!
Gayle Bair
Bainbridge Island, WA
http://claybair.com
-----Original Message-----
From: Cat Jarosz
In a message dated 10/15/2004 5:30:10 AM Eastern Daylight Time,
tsawyer@CFL.RR.COM writes:
It's a no brainer, go to law school! After the student leaves the
other prof says" What the hell did you say a thing like that for? We're
supposed to be recruiting students.. The prof says' If the student really
wanted to go into the arts, he'd have said go to hell I'm doing it anyway!
The arts is not for the weak at heart, so we might as well recruit the ones
that are up to the task.
Wow.... this made me chuckle and think back ... way way back and it wasnt
LAW school that was highly encouraged but Nursing school ... and it was my
father that was pushing it ... I was a single mom and very young , my Dad
was thinking about reality and I was thinking about my passion ... I
started
to study ART not medicine.... He was really disappointed and I dont
even
want to tell you how badly this affected me to not have his support and for
him to be kind of on the disgusted side with me...
Thank you for that story as I often wondered what ever possessed me to
throw all that financial security away especially when I had a child to
raise. What is kind of sad is the fact that My Dad lives sooo far far
away (
Maine ) and really doesnt know how good a potter I am today or the
respect
I get for my work, I think he might proud of me for sticking with what
I HAD to do...
Cat Jarosz
ian on sat 16 oct 04
I offer one differening perspective: someone who chose income over art.
Sasha Federer (Feather Pottery) worked two years as a production potter. He
found the income inadequate to support his various dependents. To survive,
he got a "day job" - he became a clinical psychologist. With the additional
income, he and his potter wife, Tari, have built a pottery studio larger
than their house. Feather pottery is enormously productive. Each time I
visit his studio, I must thread my way between the ware carts crammed with
drying pots. Better yet, the assured income allows the Federers freedom to
experiment: new shapes, saggar, raku, salt, horsehair, crystalline glazes.
As his children marry and find their ways in life, Sasha will, I suspect,
shift his time from psychology back into pottery. Pottery will become the
vocation and psychology the avocation. Sasha is gifted with superhuman
energy and is perhaps not a model on which others can base their lives, but
he does illustrate another path to art.
Bonnie Staffel on sat 16 oct 04
When I wanted to go to Art School when I found that college wasn't my bag,
my father told me to learn a trade where I could earn a living before
launching into such a career. So I enrolled in a Business School to be a
secretary, worked for three years in offices and realized that I did not
like working for "men." Back in those days, women didn't really have many
choices. Couldn't even rent an apartment as a single woman in those days or
people would think your were a "you know what."
So after proving myself in that awful field, my dad gave me his checkbook
and said to go for it. Never looked back. Married an artist I met at the
Chicago American Academy of Art and lived a very unusual life, not without
struggle, but I was living my passion until I found clay. I stopped
painting and threw my efforts into learning about clay. What an adventure
that still is.
Warm regards,
Bonnie Staffel
http://webpages.charter.net/bstaffel
http://www.vasefinder.com/
Potters Council member
Louis Katz on sat 16 oct 04
Suwanee Natewong, who I often talk about, one of my favorite people on
the planet is the daughter of a Thai "provincial" court judge. He was
well known, connected and respected. When he died the Kings "flame" was
offered for his funeral pyre etc.
Suwanee went to school for a short time and then moved to the country
and started decorating pots. A pro democracy demonstrator and activist
she was jailed along with her friends. She and a few others managed to
save the village pottery by decorating pots. She would buy them with
the firing included but would carve decorations on the pots when
leather hard. Sitting beside a table on the side of the road they would
sell the pots for many times what they would bring without decoration.
Now she employs many people and designs ware for export. She had a show
at the Tempe NCECA has had a Fulbright to the U.S. and taught mural
carving (with only a high school diploma), and has had numerous
significant commissions including at the King and Queens palaces.
I often wonder about the change from one profession to another, why
some people choose professions that seem diametrically opposed to those
they are expected to pursue, and why so often they seem to excell at
them.
I think there are many different combinations of people in clay that
turn up more frequently than would seem reasonable just from chance. I
have numerous biologists and physcologists as students and had them
also at other schools. Oddly I have only had one geolgy person in my
class. We did a slow cooling of lava experiment in our test kiln.
Louis
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