QotW: What skill outside of pottery making has helped you most in your pursuit of making pottery?

[Pres]

Hi folks,

Once again a question posed by Pres, as there are no new questions posted in the QotW pool.

I have been thinking over my time as a husband, teacher, as a potter, a father, student, artist, mechanic, and jack of all master of none. This has brought me to think about what skill has helped me most in the pursuit of pottery.  I think about it from so many different angles, there is the ability to see a problem and derive a solution, but then that is foggy to some degree. There is the ability to learn through perseverance and hard work a piece of knowledge, understanding or skill, again kind of foggy. There is the ability to emphasize with others that allowed me to teach and collaborate, but again not so great to pottery.

I think my greatest asset that helped me to work with clay has been problem solving skills. This single skill allows me to adopt  solutions to  mechanical problems, build my own tools and equipment, figure the redesign of functional ware. Figure out how to move through various computer software to  meet my business needs, and allow me to arrange my time to complete tasks on time.  Biggest asset I wished I had but do not is a better sense of how to really run the pottery as a business. Only time will tell on that one.

Let me reiterate here by asking you: What skill outside of pottery making has helped you most in your pursuit of making pottery?

 

best,

Pres

 

[Mark C.]

Yes its skills for me to

Building kilns, plumbing skills(gas pipe) ,electrical skills, mechanical skills,problem solving as well.

Along came business skills as well they where learned over time. Also saving and buying in bulk. Whether its 5 gallons of honey or 5 gallons of pottery wax -same deal really.

also living within your means was major.

[neilestrick]

All the carpentry, plumbing, welding, electrical, etc skills go a long way to making a studio be affordable. If I had to pay a guy every time I needed plumbing or electrical work done, or had to buy commercial tables or shelving I'd go broke.

[liambesaw]

I've always been a sort of DIY person, I feel like I've been able to do anything I've tried pretty well.  I have also been self taught in almost everything, at work, at school, etc.  So I think the skill of being able to study properly has really helped me.  It doesn't sound like a skill but I swear it is!

[glazenerd]

After working on and building a 1000 plus houses the last 45 years: carpentry and mechanical skills. Most know I only make and sell custom tile designs. That starts on my AutoCad system as a drawing; which I can print up to 24 x 36". From there it goes to the scroll saw, and individual pieces are cut out of 1/2" plywood. Next I cut 1.5" strips of metal 16ga.) on my brake. I either bend the folds on my brake, or heat it and bend to form circles, arcs, concave,convex- whatever. The metal is then stapled 1/4" x 1" to the edge of the plywood: and now I have a die. The only thing I hand cut is a medium rare steak: the clay gets stamped. 

T

[Denice]

Growing up without much money we learned to make something out of nothing.  I was my dad's helper when it came to working on the house and then I learned about electrical,  plumbing and some mechanics from my husband.   In high school I took sewing and later a upholstery  class which help me visualize  patterns in three dimensions.    My last studio I plumbed the sink and my settling clay system.    I also built a extruder from a Ceramics Monthly article,  I still use it today and have modified it to make it stronger and more durable.    I think working with clay has helped me with other everyday life tasks.  I mudded and painted the walls in our  new house and finished all of the wood work.   We built a bee hive style fireplace and my husband couldn't get the technique of putting cement on a curved surface,  I had no problems it was like working with clay.   I am more comfortable talking with men about tools and projects than a group of women discussing their problems at work.    Denice

[Hulk]

Willing to try - izzat a skill or trait?

Multimodal learning - observe, trial, observe, copy, read, trial, watch, dream, question, listen, eavesdrop, look, sidebust, experiment, trial, study, investigate, trial trial trial ...repeat! skill or trait?

Lifetime playing with things, working with tools - erector set, legos, Lincoln logs, all that; tear down, service and assemble model train, model car, skate board, bike, first car (to the crank) and every car thereafter; years in building trades; years in machine and welding shops; years programming and troubleshooting. ok, there's some skill acquisition in thar somewhar…

Mostly echoin' those who have responded to this week's Q - do, doing! Cal Poly motto "Learn by Doing"

 

[Denice]

My husband and I are willing to try anything once, there are a few things that we are willing to pay to have done.  One is laying carpet and the other is to have car seats reupholstered.   We reupholstered a Barracuda one time.  I did the sewing,  he put them on,  they were sleeve type front seats  very hard to get on.  It seems like every muscle car he restores has those seats even the upholsterers hate them.   The Challenger were getting upholstered right now has those seats.  Boys were lucky they got to play with cool things like Lego's.   I didn't care for dolls and finally convinced my mom that all I wanted was arts and craft sets.    Denice

[Callie Beller Diesel]

I think the attitude that everything can be figured out, and resiliency are the two most  useful things from outside of pottery that has helped me with pottery. 

Pottery has taught me to be willing to be bad at something if I like it enough. If you're wIling to allow yourself to be bad at something, you put the practice in to get good. 

[PotterPutter]

Since I sell mainly online, for me it's how to take good photos.