Week 4- way better walls!

1. This weeks walls were a lot more sturdy than last weeks! I still find some difficulty with opening the clay and pulling the walls, but I'm definitely making progress! I found some great techniques via the university of YouTube that helped a lot. I still find myself having uneven clumps of clay in some parts but I'm working on applying these techniques to have a more even width. I guess the phrase 'practice makes perfect' is true in actuality. I'm better than I was last week but still have a way to go. 

2. When I think of a place being a 'container of experiences', I think immediately of the hospital I used to work at. Hospitals in general are full of a vast variety of experiences for each person within that space/place. For me, the hospital gradually became a container of experiences as I worked there for a year as a swing-shift housekeeper. My strongest memory is getting the email that told me I was accepted into ISU's OT program while on my dinner break in the quiet basement of the hospital. I also had countless experiences with coworkers, working together and bonding through some crazy experiences. Additionally, I had lots of meaningful experiences and epiphanies as I worked late nights and had ample time to think. I also have a lot of memories surrounding the Covid pandemic and how work within the hospital changed drastically. All in all, those hallways and rooms gradually became a place as I had "lived experience" there and found belonging in my work family. 

3. In my occupation of pottery, I initially found the ISU craft shop to be a space. It was actually quite a scary space in the beginning. It was really unfamiliar and seemed almost cold. The tools were unfamiliar to me and I was worried I might break something. Now, the craft shop is becoming more of a place for me. I'm still slightly worried that I might break something (that's pretty common for a clumsy person like me), but now I have gotten to know some of the people that work there and feel more comfortable. It has also become more of a place for me as I've created cool things there and had "flow" experiences. Those few positive experiences make me feel more comfortable the more that I go.