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Qotw: How About Learn From Each Other’S Mistakes?


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Delving into older threads on this forum, I often read of dumb mistakes, mostly out of absent-mindedness.

 

If you are reading about, or hearing of mistakes others did, do you think: “glad it wasn’t me†and try to learn from mistakes of fellow potters, or do you rather think: “if I (stress on I) would do it the same way as he/she did, it would certainly work�

 

I for one must always run my head against a brick wall before I believe…. :rolleyes:

 

Evelyne

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I'm been working in clay long enough to recognize most posts as some error I have already made ...

Sadly, sometimes more than once as there is always that little voice that assures me it will end differently this time since I learned it all the last time.

There is always another lesson waiting in the wings.

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I finally figured out that the biggest mistakes were made when I didn't listen to my gut instincts and let other people influence my decision.  The last time I didn't listen to my gut,  my decision could have sent me into bankruptcy.  Another twist of events save me but it sure made me realize how other people could influence me.  I listen to myself first and others second now.     Denice

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I'm a big believer in mathos pathei. Learning arises through suffering. Watching others may reaffirm lessons or introduce new concepts, but it's got to be hard to learn--at least, for me. Think about the most profound things you've learned. I'll bet they came from times of struggle. Not necessarily misery, but it was hard won knowledge. This isn't to say certain schools of thought were/are justified in making it harder to obtain information--that's counter productive. Lots of knowledge forever lost that way. I mean just that internalizing knowledge fully and properly is difficult and emotionally taxing.

 

The only difference between beginner and master is the number of mistakes the master has made.

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I wouldn’t call the flubs mistakes necessarily, just things that didn’t work with the technique / clay / glazes / firing or whatever this time, but change any one variable and it might work next time. I think it’s all part of the learning curve. Trying to remember everything so I don’t repeat the same mistakes over and over again is the hard part.

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Over the years, I probably have made every mistake under the sun. Everything from design of pots with thin flanges that slump in firing, to not getting a kiln restacked  right after replacing elements. The bad thing about this form of arrogant competence on my part is that just as I am so well seated in my competency to do anything, I make a major flub! So I go back to humble pie for a while as the cycle starts all over again. For me, reading about others mistakes and writing about my own just confirms that there is always something to learn and all too often something to re-learn!  :(

 

best as ever,

Pres

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One good thing about working in a group studio environment is you can learn good stuff from others but also see what doesn't work.   most often everyone wants to look at everything when the glaze kiln is unloaded to see whats cool and whats not.  love this.    rakuku

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I am sorry for letting you alone so long. I have been under the weather for some time...

 

Thank you for all your answers. So, learning from mistakes others are doing is helpful to many of us, I see. And I like Tyler's law of mathos pathei. And Pres, I wouldn't call it "form of arrogant competence". I don't think you have arrogance in you. Sometimes we are just a bit too self assured, that's all. When I've run my head against the wall, I rub my head and start anew...

 

Evelyne

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  • 2 weeks later...

In high school, my biology teacher always had a "thought of the day" on the black board everyday! One of those was, "You won't live long enough to learn from all the mistakes, so you have to learn from the mistakes of others".

 

One of the best examples of learning from others on this forum, was ...don't

douse burning titanium in water! Several years of fire science only taught us the theory behind it, never a personal account!!!:-)

 

It is fun to read other personal accounts of mistakes...even those which start

out..." I had a close friend who once.....". That close friend is always the same person writing the experience.

 

See ya,

Alabama

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