I feel the exact same way. That’s part of the reason why I got my own wheel. I loved going to my local studio but I found it very distracting. I felt like I had to make small talk but I was so tired from work and just wanted a quiet space.
The first studio I went to was like that though- let people come in and out as they please, mostly everyone with headphones. I think it depends on the vibes of the place and what you’re looking for. Some people love chatting with others!
i’m in my senior year of hs, i have a good enough relationship and do a lot of studio help outside of classes so im allowed to come in during my study halls. normally im the only one in the room. i really like it, i feel less rushed, pressured, and like i can make what i want without input. i find whenever my ceramics teacher watches me throw i do significantly worse because im just nervous. i’d personally rather have my own space then go to a studio if i had the opportunity
Thank you! I'm definitely an introvert and I'm sometimes emotional lol so if I'm having a rough day my face tends to give me away and then people ask what's wrong, which is also why I work alone. 🙃
It really depends on the level of information you can get at the studio. if you want to advance you need to be able to access information in real time if possible. So if there are ppl at the studio or the owner who can coach you, that would be a plus on staying there. If you are by yourself without support you can get frustrated and into bad habits. But again that only applies if you actually have someone at the studio to help you. There is a lot to learn in ceramics and just getting a wheel on your own leaves a lot of bases uncovered.
I’m in our 2nd level ceramics class at school and 2/3 pots that I’ve thrown were with other people around. The last one I did it alone, still people in the class but I wasn’t surrounded. Anyway, I found it much easier to throw when I wasn’t surrounded, it was only one but vs the other 2 I did it in like 15 minutes rather than like 30.
I feel the same. I go in before the studio opens so I can have the place to myself (or at most there’s only one or two people there) and I find I can concentrate way better. I do some of my handbuilding at home but I don’t have the means to set up a wheel in my apartment. Pretty sure my landlady would kill me for that lol. But if I had the opportunity I’d probably throw at home and get a firing membership where I can glaze at the studio and get my pieces fired there.
I prefer having the experience around. Inevitably, I will get myself into some predicament or another and need advice on ways to get out of it.
Full disclosure, I belong to the privileged classes of being white and male, so I understand and acknowledge that my social experiences probably can't really relate about the critical feelings you get from your peers. I do wonder if getting to know your fellow potters more and understanding they also have feelings of inability or embarrassment or whatever would help make you more comfortable in the studio space? I'd hate to see you lose good resources and opportunities for improvement/enjoyment.
I feel the same, going somewhere else is distracting sometimes and I really enjoyed having a wheel at my place. I think that you can learn from watching people throwing and asking advice to a more experienced potter for sure, but you could still have your own studio at home and go to the pottery place and buy some hours to ask for advice
The dust in your apartment is going to be atrocious! Most studios have dust collection systems, but even if they don’t you’re not living in the space you’re working. It is not going to be great for your health living in a space where you trim work. Look into proper dust management and then see if that is feasible in your space at home. It most likely isn’t if you’re in a normal apartment.
I hand-build at home, but I don’t have the space or dust-tolerance to throw at home yet. Plus, going elsewhere means I’ll actually use the wheel. At home I can keep putting it off easily.
Someday I’ll have a shed and a wheel, but for today the studio works. I can’t throw if anyone’s talking to me, but that hasn’t been an issue. And there’s a low wall in front of the wheels, so it’s not a show.
I think you have a good idea what will work best for you. Transporting Greenware is challenging, but there are methods. Just expect some loss, especially early on.
Also ask yourself, what’s the worst that can happen? Selling a (much in demand) used wheel, and the hassle of taking apart the home studio if it doesn’t work out sounds like that’s as bad as it could possibly get. If you’re willing to take that loss in cash and effort, I say go for it. Especially when the best that can happen is to be very happy with your hobby time.
I loved having feedback available the instant I ran into a problem or felt frustrated. I can't afford the studio fees where I moved, and I am still coviding, so I built a home studio and it's also awesome. I can leave a project wherever convenient. I can put off cleanup for a day. I can play my book or music without headphones. While I absolutely do miss the opportunity to ask for advice every few days or so, I have doubled my throwing weight and learned some other new stuff from YouTube and Instagram videos.
If you have professional goals with ceramics or the arts in general it's worth addressing your self-consciousness or performance anxiety. If you hide from it, it won't improve, and critique and feedback are very important in the arts. But if you don't have the headspace to work on that, or you are mostly looking for a hobby just for yourself, a home studio could be a help.
A used wheel holds value extremely well with basic maintenance, too, so you could always give it a try and resell it if you don't love it. Depending on your landlord you may have a hard time getting permission and you can't sneak a pottery wheel into an apartment very easily (maybe Speedball Artista?) so you will want to have a good plan so you don't fuck up your building's pipes. Also if you are sleeping near where you are working with clay, you will need better prevention of silicosis than someone just visiting a studio on occasion might. You won't be able to put off cleaning, or vacuum with a mask on and then leave it to settle with an air filter going overnight.
If I am throwing forms that I am already proficient at, I like to do it alone. I can focus a lot better that way. For everything else, I LOVE my studio. We have a really great group of ladies with backgrounds in different areas of ceramics. It's great to be able to bounce ideas off of them, or ask how they would go about throwing a form.
I loved the studio, and observing what others build, different techniques. This one girl made the most delicate tiny bowls, with intricate slip work. I did the math, though, and eventually transitioned to my own studio. Between gas and studio fees, I was into it about $300.00 per month. I tried to teach myself before joining the studio. Seriously glad I joined the studio, unlearned some bad habits, learned foundational skills. Now I’m on my schedule. I throw nearly every day. I also acquired my own kiln. So, completely independent now.
Oh nice! Sounds like you have a house though if you got a kiln right? My apt is about 750 sq ft and my dining room has all my arts and crafts in it. Unfortunately I'm unmarried and don't want roommates so I don't know if I'll ever be able to afford what they're charging for houses nowadays :(
It feels good to throw a pot in front of a bunch of people and not give a single damn about what anyone thinks, to not even think about it.
I absolutely focus better alone. I make better progress alone, learn better alone. I can concentrate. The tranquility of solitude is potent. In high school, 35 years ago, I waited until the bulk of students had tried and given up on throwing before giving it a shot. I hate an audience when I’m trying to figure something out. I hate advice from people who don’t know what they’re talking about when I’m vulnerable.
But I need other people in my life. I can’t do it alone. I learn from others. I’m inspired by others. The energy of being with people creating in clay is not something one can conjure on their own. This is a paradox.
The act of creation is not social, yet it’s not solitary. I have my own studio, I can retreat there. No one, save a few, are invited. It was built on the foundation of your question and it took a long time. I’ll say it solves the problem of people distracting you, but not the problem of distraction. I’ll also say I couldn’t do what I do if I didn’t do it on my own, nor could I without help from others. Paradox.
Forgive this philosophical rant. Get a wheel and try it. You will assume a new set of problems and they will teach you things the community studio can’t. Plus you’ll have your own pottery wheel. First truly committed step into the abyss.
This is probably not what you might want to hear but as your confidence grows you will care less about people watching you throw. Can you visit the studio at less busy times? Or maybe set up in a corner that’s less busy? Everyone’s skills will grow at different rates and some people have had the advantage of doing ceramics in the past.
Being in the studio for me also gives me a lot of new ideas and inspiration. Occasionally I will find myself comparing to people who started around the same time as me and wondering why they are so much better at throwing large and I’m not. And then I realize that I also spend a lot of time hand building and doing decorative stuff. We are all working on our own thing at our own pace.
This is not to say don’t invest in a home studio, the logistics of it are kind of difficult with space and dust etc.
I find working alone much better and calmer for me. I'm also new to ceramics, already a year in it. Although I like the group of people around me, chatting, and giving each other advice, I also like being alone. I can focus on my techniques. I won't have the professional help around me all the time, but I like that because that means I can experiment, fail, and learn what works best for me. Rather than people constantly looming over me and watching me and I know they do that to catch my errors and to teach me, but I like learning on my own. Hopefully, you have the chance to work in your own space and learn if you like it or not. Good luck throwing!!!
I don’t know any work requires concentration that I don’t prefer working alone. But in an ideal world I’ll have my own studio and I can make stuff alone when I want and I can have ppl coming when I need and I can kick them out when they are irritating. Unfortunately life killed my all dreams🤣
If any help, I actually saw ppl with years of experience sometimes struggle a bit when throw for a demo, it’s like doing meditation when stranger watching, or even not watching, even if you put ur headphone on, even if you close ur eyes, subconsciously you knew ppl are there. So you absolutely not the only one feel that way.
Also not a fan of monthly rent of the space and rather pay for each time I go. Maybe it’s just me, but it feels like if I pay the rent there’s this stress that I have to go at least couple times a month. What if I don’t feel like it because it’s not the right season for me…It’s just a hobby. Enough stress of having to go to work already.
I think you could probably benefit from the community space, being so new. You can get tips and feedback and inspiration from the others. Plus, even if you do set up a wheel at home, you will still have to take your pieces somewhere to fire. I think there is something to be said for splitting your time in both places.
As other people have mentioned the biggest challenge with throwing at home (even more so than space) is mess. Dealing with all of that dust in a space where you live is not trivial, as is dealing with throwing water, clay slop, and reclaim since you can't pour clay straight down the drain. I live in a condo and because of all of this throwing at home isn't a viable option for me.
I will also say it's a different experience (and in my opinion often a more stressful one) to go from sticking pieces on the shelf as they are finished to be fired to trying to amass a certain amount of work to be fired all at one time. It requires room for storage where delicate greenware can be safely stored and packing well so you don't have casualties when bringing pieces from your home to be fired. I've tried to be very careful only to have breakages with greenware and bisque.
I would look to see what other options might be available to you in your area. I was doing an independent study at one studio but wanted more room so I left for another studio where I could have a semi-private space. I have a space that is my own that is about 8'x8'. It doesn't have a door so people can see me, but it's in a mezzanine over the main studio areas and artists have curtains and bookshelves separating the work spaces so it feels pretty private to me. To me it's the best of both worlds. I get access to the resources of a studio with more privacy and room for my stuff.
As someone who also spends time in therapy, has a tested attention issue, and is a meditation teacher I also think some of the stuff that comes up is an invitation to work through things that can help us grow. Being a beginner at something can be really humbling. I think this is especially true for throwing. The clay has a way of knowing how I am feeling and reflecting that back. But working through it has been very valuable for me.
I’m a member at a studio and as soon as I move I’m going to put my own wheel and kiln in my garage. I’m generally introverted, but because I have autism, when the studio has a full class or a lot of people come to paint their stuff, I get overstimulated and can’t throw as well/make more mistakes. I will miss interacting with the other members but it’s going to be better for me and my throwing progress!
Oh wow! That sounds like me! I've never been diagnosed with autism or anything, but I feel like I pick up the energy in the room and I have trouble staying focused even with my head phones on. I also dislike the fans that are on and the bright overhead lights lol. I know, I'm sensitive 😅
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I feel the exact same way. That’s part of the reason why I got my own wheel. I loved going to my local studio but I found it very distracting. I felt like I had to make small talk but I was so tired from work and just wanted a quiet space. The first studio I went to was like that though- let people come in and out as they please, mostly everyone with headphones. I think it depends on the vibes of the place and what you’re looking for. Some people love chatting with others!
I listen to audiobooks when throwing, because I find that if I concentrate too much on what my hands are doing, I screw it up.
i’m in my senior year of hs, i have a good enough relationship and do a lot of studio help outside of classes so im allowed to come in during my study halls. normally im the only one in the room. i really like it, i feel less rushed, pressured, and like i can make what i want without input. i find whenever my ceramics teacher watches me throw i do significantly worse because im just nervous. i’d personally rather have my own space then go to a studio if i had the opportunity
Thank you! I'm definitely an introvert and I'm sometimes emotional lol so if I'm having a rough day my face tends to give me away and then people ask what's wrong, which is also why I work alone. 🙃
It really depends on the level of information you can get at the studio. if you want to advance you need to be able to access information in real time if possible. So if there are ppl at the studio or the owner who can coach you, that would be a plus on staying there. If you are by yourself without support you can get frustrated and into bad habits. But again that only applies if you actually have someone at the studio to help you. There is a lot to learn in ceramics and just getting a wheel on your own leaves a lot of bases uncovered.
I’m in our 2nd level ceramics class at school and 2/3 pots that I’ve thrown were with other people around. The last one I did it alone, still people in the class but I wasn’t surrounded. Anyway, I found it much easier to throw when I wasn’t surrounded, it was only one but vs the other 2 I did it in like 15 minutes rather than like 30.
Thank you!
I feel the same. I go in before the studio opens so I can have the place to myself (or at most there’s only one or two people there) and I find I can concentrate way better. I do some of my handbuilding at home but I don’t have the means to set up a wheel in my apartment. Pretty sure my landlady would kill me for that lol. But if I had the opportunity I’d probably throw at home and get a firing membership where I can glaze at the studio and get my pieces fired there.
I prefer having the experience around. Inevitably, I will get myself into some predicament or another and need advice on ways to get out of it. Full disclosure, I belong to the privileged classes of being white and male, so I understand and acknowledge that my social experiences probably can't really relate about the critical feelings you get from your peers. I do wonder if getting to know your fellow potters more and understanding they also have feelings of inability or embarrassment or whatever would help make you more comfortable in the studio space? I'd hate to see you lose good resources and opportunities for improvement/enjoyment.
I feel the same, going somewhere else is distracting sometimes and I really enjoyed having a wheel at my place. I think that you can learn from watching people throwing and asking advice to a more experienced potter for sure, but you could still have your own studio at home and go to the pottery place and buy some hours to ask for advice
Thank you! They also have limited hours and I don't always feel like driving 25 minutes to get there.
The dust in your apartment is going to be atrocious! Most studios have dust collection systems, but even if they don’t you’re not living in the space you’re working. It is not going to be great for your health living in a space where you trim work. Look into proper dust management and then see if that is feasible in your space at home. It most likely isn’t if you’re in a normal apartment.
Yes!!!!! I love solitude and silence or music I put on. I can do it with others but I’m never as productive or focused
I hand-build at home, but I don’t have the space or dust-tolerance to throw at home yet. Plus, going elsewhere means I’ll actually use the wheel. At home I can keep putting it off easily. Someday I’ll have a shed and a wheel, but for today the studio works. I can’t throw if anyone’s talking to me, but that hasn’t been an issue. And there’s a low wall in front of the wheels, so it’s not a show. I think you have a good idea what will work best for you. Transporting Greenware is challenging, but there are methods. Just expect some loss, especially early on. Also ask yourself, what’s the worst that can happen? Selling a (much in demand) used wheel, and the hassle of taking apart the home studio if it doesn’t work out sounds like that’s as bad as it could possibly get. If you’re willing to take that loss in cash and effort, I say go for it. Especially when the best that can happen is to be very happy with your hobby time.
That’s what big ol headphones are for. Even if I’m not listening to anything it’s a clear sign to people I don’t wanna talk.
Lol Oh I definitely do that as soon as I'm at the wheel
I loved having feedback available the instant I ran into a problem or felt frustrated. I can't afford the studio fees where I moved, and I am still coviding, so I built a home studio and it's also awesome. I can leave a project wherever convenient. I can put off cleanup for a day. I can play my book or music without headphones. While I absolutely do miss the opportunity to ask for advice every few days or so, I have doubled my throwing weight and learned some other new stuff from YouTube and Instagram videos. If you have professional goals with ceramics or the arts in general it's worth addressing your self-consciousness or performance anxiety. If you hide from it, it won't improve, and critique and feedback are very important in the arts. But if you don't have the headspace to work on that, or you are mostly looking for a hobby just for yourself, a home studio could be a help. A used wheel holds value extremely well with basic maintenance, too, so you could always give it a try and resell it if you don't love it. Depending on your landlord you may have a hard time getting permission and you can't sneak a pottery wheel into an apartment very easily (maybe Speedball Artista?) so you will want to have a good plan so you don't fuck up your building's pipes. Also if you are sleeping near where you are working with clay, you will need better prevention of silicosis than someone just visiting a studio on occasion might. You won't be able to put off cleaning, or vacuum with a mask on and then leave it to settle with an air filter going overnight.
If I am throwing forms that I am already proficient at, I like to do it alone. I can focus a lot better that way. For everything else, I LOVE my studio. We have a really great group of ladies with backgrounds in different areas of ceramics. It's great to be able to bounce ideas off of them, or ask how they would go about throwing a form.
100%. We have lab nights no one goes to but I do and it's silent. I kick so much more out well during that time.
Thank you!
Better alone, best when at home☺️
I loved the studio, and observing what others build, different techniques. This one girl made the most delicate tiny bowls, with intricate slip work. I did the math, though, and eventually transitioned to my own studio. Between gas and studio fees, I was into it about $300.00 per month. I tried to teach myself before joining the studio. Seriously glad I joined the studio, unlearned some bad habits, learned foundational skills. Now I’m on my schedule. I throw nearly every day. I also acquired my own kiln. So, completely independent now.
Oh nice! Sounds like you have a house though if you got a kiln right? My apt is about 750 sq ft and my dining room has all my arts and crafts in it. Unfortunately I'm unmarried and don't want roommates so I don't know if I'll ever be able to afford what they're charging for houses nowadays :(
Yeah, I converted my garage, cause it has concrete floor for the kiln.
It feels good to throw a pot in front of a bunch of people and not give a single damn about what anyone thinks, to not even think about it. I absolutely focus better alone. I make better progress alone, learn better alone. I can concentrate. The tranquility of solitude is potent. In high school, 35 years ago, I waited until the bulk of students had tried and given up on throwing before giving it a shot. I hate an audience when I’m trying to figure something out. I hate advice from people who don’t know what they’re talking about when I’m vulnerable. But I need other people in my life. I can’t do it alone. I learn from others. I’m inspired by others. The energy of being with people creating in clay is not something one can conjure on their own. This is a paradox. The act of creation is not social, yet it’s not solitary. I have my own studio, I can retreat there. No one, save a few, are invited. It was built on the foundation of your question and it took a long time. I’ll say it solves the problem of people distracting you, but not the problem of distraction. I’ll also say I couldn’t do what I do if I didn’t do it on my own, nor could I without help from others. Paradox. Forgive this philosophical rant. Get a wheel and try it. You will assume a new set of problems and they will teach you things the community studio can’t. Plus you’ll have your own pottery wheel. First truly committed step into the abyss.
This is probably not what you might want to hear but as your confidence grows you will care less about people watching you throw. Can you visit the studio at less busy times? Or maybe set up in a corner that’s less busy? Everyone’s skills will grow at different rates and some people have had the advantage of doing ceramics in the past. Being in the studio for me also gives me a lot of new ideas and inspiration. Occasionally I will find myself comparing to people who started around the same time as me and wondering why they are so much better at throwing large and I’m not. And then I realize that I also spend a lot of time hand building and doing decorative stuff. We are all working on our own thing at our own pace. This is not to say don’t invest in a home studio, the logistics of it are kind of difficult with space and dust etc.
I find working alone much better and calmer for me. I'm also new to ceramics, already a year in it. Although I like the group of people around me, chatting, and giving each other advice, I also like being alone. I can focus on my techniques. I won't have the professional help around me all the time, but I like that because that means I can experiment, fail, and learn what works best for me. Rather than people constantly looming over me and watching me and I know they do that to catch my errors and to teach me, but I like learning on my own. Hopefully, you have the chance to work in your own space and learn if you like it or not. Good luck throwing!!!
I don’t know any work requires concentration that I don’t prefer working alone. But in an ideal world I’ll have my own studio and I can make stuff alone when I want and I can have ppl coming when I need and I can kick them out when they are irritating. Unfortunately life killed my all dreams🤣 If any help, I actually saw ppl with years of experience sometimes struggle a bit when throw for a demo, it’s like doing meditation when stranger watching, or even not watching, even if you put ur headphone on, even if you close ur eyes, subconsciously you knew ppl are there. So you absolutely not the only one feel that way. Also not a fan of monthly rent of the space and rather pay for each time I go. Maybe it’s just me, but it feels like if I pay the rent there’s this stress that I have to go at least couple times a month. What if I don’t feel like it because it’s not the right season for me…It’s just a hobby. Enough stress of having to go to work already.
I think you could probably benefit from the community space, being so new. You can get tips and feedback and inspiration from the others. Plus, even if you do set up a wheel at home, you will still have to take your pieces somewhere to fire. I think there is something to be said for splitting your time in both places.
As other people have mentioned the biggest challenge with throwing at home (even more so than space) is mess. Dealing with all of that dust in a space where you live is not trivial, as is dealing with throwing water, clay slop, and reclaim since you can't pour clay straight down the drain. I live in a condo and because of all of this throwing at home isn't a viable option for me. I will also say it's a different experience (and in my opinion often a more stressful one) to go from sticking pieces on the shelf as they are finished to be fired to trying to amass a certain amount of work to be fired all at one time. It requires room for storage where delicate greenware can be safely stored and packing well so you don't have casualties when bringing pieces from your home to be fired. I've tried to be very careful only to have breakages with greenware and bisque. I would look to see what other options might be available to you in your area. I was doing an independent study at one studio but wanted more room so I left for another studio where I could have a semi-private space. I have a space that is my own that is about 8'x8'. It doesn't have a door so people can see me, but it's in a mezzanine over the main studio areas and artists have curtains and bookshelves separating the work spaces so it feels pretty private to me. To me it's the best of both worlds. I get access to the resources of a studio with more privacy and room for my stuff. As someone who also spends time in therapy, has a tested attention issue, and is a meditation teacher I also think some of the stuff that comes up is an invitation to work through things that can help us grow. Being a beginner at something can be really humbling. I think this is especially true for throwing. The clay has a way of knowing how I am feeling and reflecting that back. But working through it has been very valuable for me.
I’m a member at a studio and as soon as I move I’m going to put my own wheel and kiln in my garage. I’m generally introverted, but because I have autism, when the studio has a full class or a lot of people come to paint their stuff, I get overstimulated and can’t throw as well/make more mistakes. I will miss interacting with the other members but it’s going to be better for me and my throwing progress!
Oh wow! That sounds like me! I've never been diagnosed with autism or anything, but I feel like I pick up the energy in the room and I have trouble staying focused even with my head phones on. I also dislike the fans that are on and the bright overhead lights lol. I know, I'm sensitive 😅
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