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#8 Take Frequent Breaks
41 Plays4 years ago
In this episode on Shaping Your Pottery with Nic Torres I talk about the power of taking breaks. We all need to take breaks every once in a while so that we can recuperate our minds listen to this episode to find out more
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Transcript
Introduction to the Importance of Taking Breaks
00:00:00
Speaker
Welcome my pottery shapers to Shaping Your Pottery with Nick Torres. In this episode, I'm going to be talking about taking a break because we all need to take that break sometimes.
The Beginning of a Pottery Journey
00:00:13
Speaker
Now allow me to tell you a story before I get to my point on why. Back when I was a senior in high school, I had bought my wheel and I was super excited.
The Downside of Overexcitement and Burnout
00:00:25
Speaker
I probably had my wheel for maybe two, three months at that point, I would say.
00:00:31
Speaker
And this is when I was starting to get a little bit better at making pottery. I was being able to get a lot more comfortable with making things that I wanted to make, especially mugs, because that was what I really liked to make at the time. Now, I was so excited for having my wheel. After I started getting things rolling, I was able to really start making what I really wanted. I was probably going making pottery for about a month or two. It was probably closer to two months.
00:01:00
Speaker
And I was literally every single day, I would wake up probably about seven o'clock, I'd let my dogs out to go to the bathroom and right after I would go throw on my wheel. And I would did that for about probably two months, every single day, every morning, I was literally throwing on my wheel. And sometimes multiple times a day, I would do, I would go back in the middle of the day, depending on the weather. And every single time I was doing it, I was pretty excited to do it because I was able to make things now.
00:01:30
Speaker
The only problem was I was starting to feel a little bit burnt out because of how much I was doing it and how many things I was making.
Breaks as a Tool for Efficiency
00:01:40
Speaker
I was starting to feel a little bit burnt out. So I kept on going, not really paying much attention to it. And I remember one day I was like, I think I need a break. And I didn't really listen to my gut feeling at the time. I still kept on going, but then I remembered
00:02:01
Speaker
a book that I read a year prior while I was stuck in bed over summer because of my knee injury. I remember reading this book and it said it called how to stop worrying and start living by Dale Carnegie. And one of the concepts in that book, he said that people need to take breaks to in order to be efficient, to be effective.
00:02:30
Speaker
I remembered that because I was really feeling burnt out and that message kind of popped in my mind for whatever reason. And luckily it did because I really learned that from that book that I should be taking breaks more often. It's gonna help me improve my pottery. It's gonna help me make more pottery. So I decided
Refreshing Creativity Through Time Off
00:02:53
Speaker
to take a break. I probably took about a week or two off from throwing on the wheel.
00:02:58
Speaker
and boy did that help so much.
00:03:02
Speaker
When I came back, I was fully refreshed, I was replenished, and I had a whole new mindset to when I was making. Instead of just going go, go, go, go, go all the time, I started to think in ways of how can I make this easier so I make it faster for myself. And also, I also had the mindset of taking breaks frequently so that I can get more done and be more refreshed and feel more alive while I was making pottery.
00:03:32
Speaker
So ever since that day, I've always taken frequent breaks while making pottery. It's a great way to really get creative, stay creative, and to just really improve your overall pottery. You can get ideas from other people that way, and you can really look at your own pottery as well and see if you actually liked it or not. And if you don't like it, then toss it.
00:03:59
Speaker
It's a great way to just kind of get your mind right.
Time Management Tips for Breaks
00:04:03
Speaker
Now, if you're struggling with kind of taking breaks, maybe you have a deadline that you need to set because this is your career and you need to make that pottery or else you're not gonna get paid, right? Here's what I would do in your situation. What I would do would be, I would set a timer for about 45 to 50 minutes.
00:04:29
Speaker
And in that timer, I would make as much pottery as I can, or if you're making vases, make as many vases as you can. And after that timer would go off, I would wipe my hands off, I would clean everything off my hands, and then I would just step away from the wheel, step out of the room for maybe five, 10 minutes. I would go get some water,
00:04:59
Speaker
go get something to eat, maybe stretch a little bit because stretching is important in order to really have the longevity you need in order to have this pottery be in your life forever. So I would take frequent breaks so that you could be refreshed. And then after those five or 10 minutes are over, get back on the wheel and do it all over again. Set a timer for 45 minutes, 45 to 50 minutes and do it all over again.
00:05:29
Speaker
This is probably the easiest way that you will be able to continue to make pottery throughout the day if you are on a deadline and need to make lots of pottery all at once.
Prioritizing Mental Health Through Breaks
00:05:40
Speaker
So I hope that these tips helped you and I hope you have a great day. Remember to take your breaks. It's important to keep your mental health important.