Transcript
Speaker: If you love pottery and want to take your skills to the next level, you're in the right place. Find your own pottery style right here on Shaping Your Pottery with Nick Torres. Let's get started.
Speaker: What is up everybody and welcome to Shaping Your Pottery with Nick Torres. In this episode, you're going to be learning about mixing and matching different techniques and why it's important. So you see, I just had a really great interview with Kirsty Cash. And one of the things that really stood out for me from this interview was that the way she approached finding her voice and what advice she gave to help people discover their own unique voice.
Speaker: You see, a lot of people make the mistake of they like what other people are making, so they just try to copy it straight out. But you see, the problem with that is that if you're copying straight out, you're never gonna be able to find what you actually like to make. It's important to model other people and take inspiration from other people, but not to copy them exactly. You wanna take what you like
Speaker: from their pottery from whatever that they're making and try to incorporate it into your pottery but not to copy them. For example, the easiest thing that I recommend for everyone to model other people is the shapes. The shape of what somebody is trying to make or what they are making is the easiest thing to replicate and to really make your own thing.
Speaker: because while the shape may be somewhat the same, that doesn't mean other techniques have to be the same after that. And that's why I recommend always starting with the shape. But let's get into mixing and matching different techniques.
Speaker: You see, once you find different techniques that you like and that you want to try, try mixing and matching different things all at once and see where that takes you. You see, a lot of people make the mistake of trying to just copy, but you have to also add in other techniques, other ways that you can put your own twist on things.
Speaker: So how do you actually mix and match? Well, like I said before, you want to start with the shape first. Start with a good shape that you really like with your pottery or that you see other people making, and you try to model that. That is probably the only thing that I will recommend you to actually try to copy is the shape of what other people are making. That is the easiest thing that you can start out with. So now that once you have your shape that you like,
Speaker: What are some other techniques that you see other potters doing but that you like to make but don't have the same shape as what you are making right now? But you like their technique of carving or maybe you like their technique of adding underglazes. Whatever it is that they are that you like, try to incorporate that into your pottery but also put your own spin on it. So let's say if somebody is carving flower designs,
Speaker: instead of you carving flower designs because maybe you don't even like flower designs try carving a horse or a dog or maybe some some some buildings some skyscrapers it's whatever comes into your mind and try to put your own twist on things and that's where mixing and matching is going to come into really really crucial because you're choosing one thing and then you're putting in other
Speaker: other techniques that can help you really develop your own voice by mixing and matching different techniques. And that's why I think it's really important for you to start mixing and matching now rather than later so that you can start discovering your voice now so that you can start standing up from the crowd, start seeing new opportunities come your way just by discovering your voice. The more you can start mixing and matching right now, the more you're going to have
Speaker: more fun later and the easier it's gonna be to find your voice. Thanks for listening to this episode of Shaping Your Pottery. If you have questions about developing your voice or just pottery questions in general, send them to me my way. Go to shapingyourpottery .com forward slash contact to send me your questions.
