On Tuesday, I started by throwing simple cylinder forms. My goal was to practice making the shape as straight up and down, as possible. When I was done, I used a flexible rib tool to make the sides look very smooth. This is not always my style, but it was a good practice and it helped me learn some different techniques. I won’t end up keeping those cylinders because they were just for practicing. The main part of my week, however, was that I got to meet with a professional potter, Laura Korch, to learn some new things. My advisor on this project has a friend who is talented in many types of art, especially pottery, so she was able to meet with me and give me some pointers on my recent work. I was assuming we would only meet for about 45 minutes and just talk about my goals in pottery and maybe a couple of tips, but we ended up doing much more than that. We started with practicing how to make handles for mugs. I learned about different styles of handles and which ones are more visually striking vs. which ones are more comfortable to hold in your hand. Ultimately, the way a handle is made all depends on personal preference and style,  just like most things in art. After practicing handles, I was able to see Laura throw on the wheel. It was so fun to watch. As she threw, she would tell me what she was doing and would give me tips along the way. Then I threw, that was the most fun part. Normally when I throw, I have to remind myself of what to do with my hands to create a well made piece, but I am not a professional, so I can’t always tell what I’m doing wrong or correct my mistakes. As I threw, Laura told me what to fix and it was shocking how fast I could adjust and suddenly the clay did what I wanted it to do. Everything I have done in pottery since going to school at OA, has been independent so it was amazing how much I could learn from just one hour of instruction.