Top 10 reasons people take a beginner pottery class
I like to ask folks who visit the studio what inspired them to take a beginner pottery class. Over the years, some trends have emerged and I’ve taken note! Do you identify with any of these motivations? Or is there something else pulling you towards the hum of the wheel and the flow of clay in motion?
1. Throwing on the wheel is a popular “bucket list” item - they've always wanted to try it and never gotten the chance to! They’re here to adventure!
2. They tried it once long ago and have fond memories, but haven't touched clay since they were teenager. They are wistful, curious and making time for a craft they want more of.
3. They tried it once and it went “terribly.” They were “really bad at it” and, though slightly traumatized, they still want to give it a try. I put quotations around these phrases because the first time is pretty much guaranteed to go “terribly” according to most people’s too-high standards, and we are often “really bad” at something we have no idea how to do! These folks are bruised but determined! Hell yeah!
3. They are celebrating their 9-Year Anniversary because the theme for the gift is pottery! This is awesome because it means I get to interact with a lot of solid couples who, after nine years, are super comfortable with one another and with themselves.
4. It's a birthday and someone wants treat themselves, or their partner, bestie, sibling, etc., to a pottery experience! I don’t know why but last year I noticed a ridiculous number of Sagittarius’s in the studio in November and December. No matter your sign, it’s fun to explore clay and create pottery to commemorate another year around the sun. If you do choose to be as fabulous as Meryl when you come in, please choose a look with less audacious sleeves.
5. People who have been besties for a long time, looking for something new to try together. Oftentimes Waveformies on Claydates have known one another for decades!
6. People who heard it was therapeutic and need to relax, hoping to decompress from work or in search of a creative outlet to diffuse anxiety.
7. Knowledge workers who are feeling burned out from working on the computer and hungry for a tactile experience, or
8. Care workers who work with people all the time (teachers, nurses, therapists) and need to do something for themselves. I have a lot of thoughts on this reason, actually, and have applied some time and energy educating myself on how to better serve this demographic. Check out Trauma Stewardship if you’re interested in learning more about how care workers are impacted by secondary trauma and how they/we can take care of ourselves/themselves <3
9. Folks in transition looking for a new hobby, experience or outlet: in between jobs, recently laid off, taking a new direction or retiring.
10. Pop culture influences: they have been seeing tons of beautiful, relaxing Instagram reels and love to watch the process of throwing… or they watch The Great Pottery Throwdown… or they saw this cute .GIF of a beloved pet contemplating the meaning of life while doing some delicate pulls.
Whatever your reason, you are welcome here at Waveform. Let me know if I missed a reason and drop by the studio for a pottery class!
