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Bottle, 12 in. (30 cm) in height, thrown,
altered and slab-built white stoneware, single fired in a gas kiln to Cone 10 in
reduction.
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December 19, 2007
Finding Your Personal Style
by Conner Burns | Read Comments (2)
It seems that once a person understands the
basic techniques of making pots, the attention is then divided between improving
those techniques and pursuing a personal style. Personal style is both hard to achieve
and as natural as who we are. The development of personal style is both a
result as well as a process. What follows is the path that I took. Hopefully it
will offer some insight to others who find themselves in pursuit of personal
style.TimeIt seems reasonable to assume that if I spent
three hours a week making pots, it will take me longer to develop than someone
making pots thirty hours a week. I don’t think this is surprising to anyone but
it is important to consider. It also might help those who only get three studio
hours a week to accept that this development might take longer.ExperimentationI experimented with styles that seemed to be
comfortable and not comfortable. Continuing to make a similar shape will help
you to refine it and develop it over time, but there are also benefits from
experimenting. Make forms that seem “out of bounds” for you. You might love or
hate it, but you will definitely learn from it. For information that can help you to experiment with different techniques and styles, check out Throwing and Handbuilding.Exposure
My work and
my development were not done in a vacuum. Yes, time alone working is very
important to me, but exposure to different styles, to different techniques and
to different people is also a necessity. It’s important to connect with others
working in clay. And there is no need to limit your influences to clay. Get
together with other artists in other media, from metal to fabric to
architecture. For information about workshops and the opportunity to get together and connect with other potters, check out Explore the Surface or Centered in Clay.Influences I am influenced by things such as rocks, trees,
vegetation, the sand pattern in the bottom of a small creek, the way a flower
emerges from its bud. What about you? Your work may not look exactly like that
which influences you, but there are parts of those influences that infiltrate
your work. Recognizing that can be beneficial and enjoyable.CommitmentJust how committed are you to making good pots? If
you truly want to develop you must put some effort into it. Don’t expect that
all things will “just happen,” and then just sit back and make no effort.
Pursue it with diligence. Ask those who you respect how they developed those
forms. I suspect they will say they spent much time in the studio working,
trying new things and analyzing the results. For Further InformationSee a term you weren’t quite sure of? Then visit the Ceramic Arts Daily Glossary. To see more of Conner’s work, visit www.connerburns.com.
Read more about these related topics:
Ceramic Art Techniques Ceramic Artists
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