I was going to be a doctor. An orthopedic surgeon in fact. I liked the idea of breaking bones I guess..

But the second semester of my senior year in high school a flip switched.  I remember an older friend coming home after being in Mississippi State’s Architecture school and telling me everything about it. More specifically everything she HATED about it. I listened, and was in awe. It all sounded AWESOME! Projects instead of papers? Where do I sign up?

2013 Babies – and Joel with a goatee

Flash forward. I graduated Architecture school knowing that I had indeed found my place in the world. Not to mention my person (Joel and I were in studio together since Freshman year).

Joel’s goatee and I in front of our final projects

But getting into the real world is hard. Its hard for everyone, but I only have my perspective to talk about. Architect Intern is going to be my title until I pass all of my licensing exams and finish my “internship”. I’m not still in school, that’s just what they call the apprenticeship-like program. People are always surprised at what it takes to legally call yourself an architect, but trust me, you didn’t want me to be in charge of putting a building together that first year or two out.

Which is why architect interns do the bathroom elevations. We don’t get “the fun stuff” our first couple of years. Every once in a while I got to do a conceptual site plan, or model something really neat, but the majority of my mental creative energy was going into writing a professional email while curbing the urge to end sentences with “haha”.

After settling into professional life, I realized how much I needed a creative outlet even though I’m in a very creative field. It sounds so cliche, but a few years away from school and deep into a daily routine I realized I needed something to get me out of my rut and into a groove.

Enter ceramics. More like.. re-enter. I took ceramics in college and fell in love. There is something about being at a wheel and turning a lump of dirt into something usefully that could almost make me cry thinking about it. I’m so lucky to have found Studio 101 Pottery. I started going on and off last March. Some of  you were lucky enough to receive Christmas gifts handmade by Katelyn. I’ve told multiple people its a form of therapy for me, and if I take time off I see how true that is!

Christmas 2015 presents in the works

But I’m not very good yet. I like quick projects. I sew stuff.. but if I can’t do it in a few hours it probably never gets done. I’m the same with other art forms. Joel is an amazing water colorist. I’ve never had the patience for it. But you just can’t do clay quickly. You literally have to watch it dry. There are so many steps beyond the initial making of the thing to it becoming useful or artwork or (my favorite) both.

Some of my college work – Stegosaurus and all

Clay forces me to slow down. It gives me time to figure out what I want to make. The first minutes on the wheel have nothing to do with what you are trying to get out of the clay. Those minutes are the same for every piece. Centering. You can’t start without the clay being centered. Well, you can – and I have – but it never ends up well. You get something lopsided or more likely collapsed. It screams of metaphors y’all. They’re so obnoxiously  obvious.

My beautiful niece with her “custom piece”

Do something for you – to recenter yourself. Do something outside of the daily grind. I now have scheduled time outs. Wednesday nights from 6 to 8 I’m at the studio. Adulthood usually requires some planning, but don’t forget to plan something fun. Have a creative outlet. This blog is becoming that for me as well, thanks for letting me share, and let me know what your favorite outlets are!