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#337 The most powerful skill a potter can have
43 Plays2 years ago
In this episode, Nic Torres talks about the importance of learning to say no in pottery. He shares personal experiences and insights on how saying no can lead to creative freedom and better results in pottery projects.
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Transcript
Introduction to Saying No in Pottery
00:00:00
Speaker
The best skill to have in pottery is the ability to say no. 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.
00:00:16
Speaker
What is up Shave Nation? This is Nick Torres here. And I'm going to talk about the best skill that you can have in pottery.
Lessons from Early Challenges
00:00:23
Speaker
And that's the ability to say no. So when I was leaving high school and venturing out into the pottery world on my own, my brother's girlfriend wanted me to make some stuff. But I didn't have a kill and I didn't have the ability to control when I could fire stuff.
The Liberating Power of Refusal
00:00:42
Speaker
So she wanted me to make stuff and I said yes because, you know, I wanted the money. Who didn't want money? So I said yes and I kept trying to make these things, but I never had the ability to actually fire the stuff. And when I finally did make it, you know, I finally made it. I made what she asked me to do.
00:01:01
Speaker
She didn't like it. So I was like, you know what? I'm done with this.
Insights from Other Potters
00:01:05
Speaker
I I'm not going to do commission pottery for you anymore. It's just too much of hassle. You're too much of headache. So I I didn't give her the thing. And that was very freeing because I said no to her. And I said it was very freeing. I didn't have to deal with her complaints all the time. Very, very freeing. I enjoyed that.
00:01:26
Speaker
And I know a bunch of people as well that I've interviewed where they would do commission pottery and somebody would ask them something and then they didn't know how to say no, so they would do it anyways and they didn't really like what they were making.
Saying No to Oneself
00:01:40
Speaker
But from that, they had to learn the ability to say no to certain things. And while I'm just talking about commission pottery, this can also apply to things you're doing with your pottery just for yourself.
00:01:53
Speaker
So for example, very recently, I got my kiln and I've been experimenting stuff. And on my mugs, I wanted like a black, like shadowy kind of figure thing. And I thought I wanted more things on there. I thought I wanted more underglaze, more glaze, more design on there. And when I did that, it didn't really come out very good. And so the next time I did it,
00:02:22
Speaker
I decided I was going to keep it simple. And if I have a thought in my mind to keep adding stuff, I'm going to say no. And I'm glad I did that. I'm glad I told myself no, because it actually came out much better. Sometimes the best solution is to keep it simple. You don't have to add all these different types of designs, all these different type of glazes.
Embracing Simplicity in Design
00:02:41
Speaker
Some of the best solution is just to keep it simple and tell yourself no, this doesn't need any more things. The ability to say no is
00:02:49
Speaker
really, really great in pottery because if you want to keep adding more things, the more things you add, the more likely it's going to end up not looking the way you want it. So you have to minimize it and you have to tell yourself, no, I can't add this slip texture to it. I can't add this other glaze to it because if I do that, then it's going to ruin the whole piece.
00:03:09
Speaker
You have to learn to say no to yourself. You also have to learn to say no to other people as well when they're saying, can you make this piece as
Enhancing Pottery through Restraint
00:03:18
Speaker
well? Learn to say no and only make the things that you want to make and learn to say no on trying to keep on expanding things with your partner because too much can be too much. Learning to say no will save you in the long run. You know, we all have these ideas. Oh, I think I should add one more thing. I should add one more.
00:03:37
Speaker
one more swirl on it, one more poke on there, but you have to learn to say no so that your pottery can truly shine.
Joining the Pottery Community
00:03:44
Speaker
Keep it simple, and that's how your pottery will be beautiful. Hope you guys enjoy this episode, and I'll see you guys in the next one. Hey, thanks for listening to this episode of Shaping Your Pottery with Nick Torres. I created a free pottery community for potters like yourself to connect and grow with each other and help each other find your own unique voice. And I'm inviting you to come join this community.
00:04:07
Speaker
It is completely free, you can participate in challenges, connect with other potters, and grow your pottery as well. I hope to see you guys in there. If you are interested in joining this community, go to shapingyourpottery.com forward slash community.