As we grow in our own understanding of creativity, and strength, we realize that focusing on the basics and becoming better at the small things first, is a crucial step in becoming great at the harder stuff.

On many occasions, while riding my bike around LA,  I would ride past a small pottery studio in the Beverly Grove area. It always seemed to catch my eye. I made a note that when my daughters were to come for their next visit, I would take them there.

A few months later during their summer visit in 2016, I was able to convince them to go with me to try it out. I don’t think any of us had any idea what to expect but we were excited to try something new.

As we arrive at the studio, we were greeted by a woman named Sandy who was our instructor to help us learn to throw clay. Sandy told us that her first time was when she was around the age of 12 with her mother. She has since gotten her Masters in Ceramics and has turned that small moment into a lifetime of art. I remember thinking to myself “That’s cool maybe one of  my daughters will remember this moment and end up finding a lifelong hobby.” What I didn’t realize at the time, is that this experience would stick with me for years to come as a teaching moment, not for them, but for me.

She told us that we were going to learn to make ceramic bowls, and I half-jokingly said: “Do I have to make a bowl?” Thinking that I didn’t want to just start with the ordinary, but rather wanted to try to be a bit more creative and unique. You see I like trying things I’ve never done before, and a bowl? Well, that just seemed too simple and easy. I don’t remember the exact response she offered, but it was along the lines of  “Pfft…you think this is easy? Do ya punk?”

As we begun to work with the clay, kneading it, shaping it into a ball, and preparing to put it on the wheel, I remember being excited to just get started. I had no idea what I was doing but knew that I was going to love it. I was following her instruction for the most part, but I also remember that my mind was racing thinking how cool my bowl was going to be.

As she instructed us to place the ball of clay on the wheel and press the pedal with our foot to start it spinning. I didn’t quite anticipate all the subtle skills that were required to do this properly. Getting your clay placed directly in the center was a crucial step to having it turn out the way you wanted, especially once the wheel started spinning fast.

Getting your clay placed directly in the center was a crucial step to having it turn out the way you wanted, especially once the wheel started spinning fast.

The pressure of your fingers and the movement of your hands, as you pulled and pushed the clay, along with making sure it had the right amount of moisture, all the while making sure you do this quick enough before the clay gets too messed up to easily start over. It was way harder than I had anticipated. I mean I was enjoying it, but let me just say it took me many attempts to get it right, and I had to call Sandy over to my station more than once to have her help me realign my clay on the wheel properly. As time went on I realized just how naive my initial question was .

As I’ve grown in my own understanding of creativity, and strength, I come to realize that focusing on the basics and becoming great at the small things first, is a crucial step in becoming better at the harder stuff.

As children we see adults doing things that look so cool and so advanced and we want more than anything to be able to do that – now. Sometimes, we get lucky and are able to do things that are much more advanced on our first try. But this doesn’t always help us in the long run. We end up missing out on the experience gained from making small and consistent steps towards learning a thing and learning to do it well consistently.

In my youth I remember feeling unhappy about who I was becoming. I felt frustrated that I wasn’t able to accomplish the things I needed to as quickly as I wanted. Rather than focusing on the basics, and becoming really good at them, I thought I  would be better off trying it my own way and carving a new path for myself. I ignored the counsel of many adults. I didn’t want to make a bowl, I wanted to make something else, something unique, something special.

As an adult, I’ve come to discover the power that comes through small and consistent effort in developing our talents and skills. There is so much available to us to study and learn from. Following steps laid out by others is not a weakness, nor does it mean that we can’t become something unique or do something truly different. It gives us the foundation to build upon and the tools to create whatever it is is we want to create.

Making sure we are aligned in the center of truth is a crucial step and can help us avoid a lot of unnecessary difficulties and heartache. However, the great news is that we can always start over. It is never too late to begin again in our quest to learn and create. #neverever

Making sure we are aligned in the center of truth is a crucial step and can help us avoid a lot of unnecessary difficulties and heartache. However, the great news is that we can always start over, it is never too late to begin again in our quest to learn and create.

#neverever

Do I have to make this?
Written by: Matthew McLelland