Jim Larkin on mon 26 mar 01
I like David's reference to "playful work". I often respond to people who c=
ome into the shop and comment about our "playing in the mud" that yes, it i=
s play, but since it is how we feed and clothe ourselves, it is serious pla=
y. I believe Nils also approaches claywork as serious play as evidenced by =
his success.
The one thread that runs true through this discussion is professionalism. P=
otters who are still around after a few years have had to learn somehow to =
be professionals. Being a professional means showing up and doing the work =
that needs to be done whether it feels fun or not. You show up everyday and=
you do the job at hand. You learn what you have to learn. I can't imagine =
going to a doctor who skipped the courses he thought were too hard. But I r=
un into would-be "professional" potters all the time who won't learn glaze =
chemistry because they say it is "too hard". We as artists too often want t=
he public to treat us, and pay us, as professionals, but we don't behave pr=
ofessionally. A potter who takes orders and doesn't fill them in a timely m=
anner, who doesn't tend to bookkeeping, who doesn't have and continue to de=
velop professional skills, and neglects to do the myriad of other things an=
y professional, - doctor, lawyer, or plumber-, has to do, will soon find hi=
m or her self out of business.
You don't have to behave professionally. You can approach clay as non-serio=
us play. Just don't expect people to take you seriously about your claywork=
/play.
Jim Larkin
Fox Pass Pottery
Hot Springs, Arkansas
71901
501-623-9906
foxpass@aristotle.net
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