Saturday, June 28, 2008

The Creative Process


For me, the creative clay process begins first thing every morning with a cup of coffee and a notebook.  Still in my sleepy slumber, I scribble away drawing designs and pottery forms on scrap pages of paper.  If I like one of my designs I take it further and draw it on graph paper, estimate the dimensions and weight of the clay necessary.  By drawing on graph paper, straight on, I can see the two dimensional proportions of the foot, belly, shoulder and lip of the pot.  This is a simple technique I learned while working in a production pottery.  After creating a few pots on the wheel, I note the actual weights and dimensions with a ruler.  These notes and drawings also make an easy reference to go back to in the future to produce similar works of relative proportion.

Granted, this technique of graph paper drawing can hinder the creative zen while working with clay, however, it's something I can do on a day when I am not getting my hands dirty.

2 comments:

MKblades said...

Hi Clay Dancer! Nice blog! I was struck while reading this post by the difference in creative processes for me and you. For me, if I don't work it out on paper, not just shaping and sizing, but also metallurgy and all kinds of boring math stuff, I can't be guaranteed that I will not have wasted the work time I put into my final process. I was watching Bobby work this weekend and could see the creative flow as he began and created a piece..the same I felt when you let me play with clay that one time...but for me there is so much to work out ahead of time that the flow comes during the drawing phase, not the actual crafting, which to me is more like zen, because during the work time, everything else dissolves and I just let my hands follow the design. I guess that for an artist, zen can be either creative or reactive.

Clay Dancer Pottery said...

Dear MK, I could never create the anything remotely close to your blades and handles. Your detail and craftsmanship awes me. I am always amazed when I hold one of your creations in my hand.
The creative flow happens with me on the wheel when one sees my eyes glazed over and my tongue sticking out, it's not pretty, it's zen.