Looks Like Poop

So I plunged my hands into some clay, and guess what?

What I made: it looked like poop.

That realization illumated several important points:
1. That I am not a ceramics savant as I had secretly hoped
2. I do not have enough time here to evolve naturally up the skill pyramid just working with my hands because
3. It is time to admit that so many years in front of a computer working in 2 dimensions has made me really good with computers and 2-dimensions so
4. Plan B: Go With What You Know.

With the exception of the Canadian architect who just arrived from Berlin, I am the only non-ceramicist participant in the house. I mistakenly thought it was going to be a 50-50 split, or 60-40 maybe, but no such luck. That means that I've already sustained a fair amount of first, blank stares at dinner when I said I was a graphic designer and then a round of ribbing about how, if I'm a graphic designer than I must not like to get my hands dirty. Well, f- you very much and Ouch. What if I don't?

It's not the *dirt* so much really as the *dryness*, I'd like to know how to say in Dutch and German and Spanish and Swedish to each of them.

So yesterday I sat in my studio the whole day -- instead of holed up here in my shoe of a dorm room -- just me, my empty tables, empty shelves, two bags of unused clay, drying poop, computer and Rhino manuals. Everyone else around me was in various states of clay-covered and I was desperately trying to figure out which, of the hundred buttons in Rhino, was the Home Key (lesson 3 of the paper tutorial).

And at dinner, when the conversation came round to My Work Day, I could feel the jokes coagulating like the edges of the South African meatloaf on my plate. I'd sat through a round of tounge clicking about how the big kiln didn't get up to 1250 (temp in C) and how the poor swedes (who really are nice -- I think they're both named Maria) had to re-fire everything in the batch because the translucency and color were bad from the lower heat. And how each firing in that big kiln costs E 150. Yipes. I paused after the question and replied, 'I spent the day learning Rhino because Monday I have a date with the CNC machine.'
Pause.
Really? You are going to use the CNC machine on Monday?
Sure -- unless someone else wants to use it...
No -- we don't know Rhino. Been meaning to learn it.


Ta da.

A special shout-out to Ruben Ruckman and Mark whose-last-name-I-don't-know here on staff.
I'm off for more lessons. Up to page 54 of 213.

Later, I will be taking a break to make a t-shirt that reads:

2-D and proud