Three things most people don’t know about pottery before stepping into beginners class:
1) Wheel throwing is only the first step in shaping your pots. Trimming, the second step is what refines your forms, taking extra weight of, evening out the thickness, smoothing any imperfections.
2) Clay is soft and malleable in the beginning and strong and durable after firing. These qualities allow the makers to manipulate and form endless variety of things. Imagination is the only limit to what you can make from clay. It’s not just tableware or sculptures. There are clay houses, tables, chairs, underwear. The last one is decorative, not functional.
3) You can tell your story in ceramics through the shape or surface treatments. You can incorporate your story into the very first steps of making and have your form speak for itself, for example with sculptural elements incorporated into your form. Or you can take any existing form and dress it your way.