Yesterday I had the delightful experience of speaking to David Hooker's ceramic class and want to thank them for an enlightening opportunity to share a bit about my life and career as an artist and teacher.
A message for David Hooker and his ceramics class -
It is important that you know that using Skype did actually involve a bit of risk-taking for me. I was a little nervous but was surprised how comfortable I felt talking with all of you this way. Thank you again for some excellent and thought provoking questions by the way. I know I talked too much! I just had so much I wanted to share with you.
I am excited to see students who dare to at least consider embarking, full or part-time, on the journey of self-discovery by taking up some creative endeavor. The rewards are great though not alway monetary! Having said that about not always "monetary", I just received an email from Allison Brown, former student from the Governor School for the Arts and she announced she just received her first big commission, a 9 foot ceramic relief mural for BMW!!!!!!!! Wahooo! Allison will tell you that it has taken all those things we talked about to get to this point - persistence, work ethic, risk-taking, patience, doing your home-work, not to mention she is working a second job 3 days a week, at least for the time being, to help pay for her rented studio space. She might be the perfect person to do a Skype interview with as she has only been out of school for a few years. My congratulations to Allison!
I want to add that I learned some new things about myself and my work. For example, I have really been thinking about the meaning beyond the obvious for the appearance of thorns, prickles, and a rough texture on my work. In the past I was sort of known for being the "Queen of smoothness and white surfaces and forms". This started a whole new conversation for me with my work...
You all looked positively angelic under that light just about Mary's head! I didn't even mind a few yawns - Really! Please feel free to email me with any further questions you might have and remember a couple of other qualities that will help you on your journey - be open, trust your intuition, especially when in doubt, and by all means have some fun along the way!
David - this worked so well, I might even try this at CCES with local and regional artists and my advanced 7th and 8th grade art group. Thanks so much for your invitation to Skype! It was a pleasure sharing time with all of you.
Best wishes to each of you as you continue on your journey in life,
Alice
