A place of mystery: meeting with my committee
The date is set! Monday May 6th I move into a place of mystery where, I find the courage to believe in what I cannot see and the strength to let go of my fear of uncertainty, to paraphrase Brené Brown. In other words, I meet with my thesis committee. At 11:00 Pacific time. Perhaps just as you’re reading this. If so, hold me in the light and thank you!Showing up for this is how I’m practicing my faith. I'll continue with the four prompts and move through them in reverse order starting now. These prompts are:
- How I’m practicing my faith
- What inspires me…
- What I’m grateful for…
- What I’m trusting…
And yes, meeting the committee involves more than just showing up; I’ve been preparing for this in several ways for the last few weeks.
New Material
One way I’ve been practicing my faith is learning something completely new to me: two-part mold making. For this process, I used kitchen measuring cups as my form and made four different sized molds of various glass measuring cups. Eventually, I will use these plaster molds to produce a series of cups made of porcelain slip, a liquid form of ceramic clay.[gallery size="large" type="slideshow" ids="4853,4852,4851,4850,4849"]
Patience and Process
Mold making is not for anyone in a hurry or turned on by neatness. The process requires patience as a clay bed is built up around the form allowing for at least two inches of plaster around all sides of the form. Care must be given to smooth surfaces and the seam where the clay and the form touch and where the two parts of the plaster mold will meet. Care goes into building the box for the plaster pour around the form and the clay. Even with care, a plaster disaster is possible. Did I mention this is not for the neat-of-heart?In making four molds, I had a massive plaster disaster. Think four gallons of liquid plaster slowly becoming a stream around the box, pouring down the front of the cabinets, and onto the floor around my feet. I could have cried! But it was getting late & I had no energy to spare. I had to keep going because once begun, both sides of the plaster mold must be completed.
More Patience
Once the plaster sets, the two parts of the mold are removed from the box and placed in a warm, dry place. It takes at least a week for it to dry out—longer if the weather is damp or if, like me, you make embarrassingly large molds. Only when totally dry is the mold ready for slip casting (pouring liquid clay into the mold). The first three or four pours will be unusable as the mold becomes seasoned. I have yet to cast a form that I keep. This means that I have nothing complete or even in process to show the committee after five weeks of work.Happily, the chair of my committee is also the professor teaching the mold making class. Whew! She knows I've been working.
Seduced again?
Will the committee say I have been materially seduced again? I haven't worked with casting before, so they could quibble on this point. And not be quibbling. I will let you know.What I am ready to tell them is that rather than being seduced by materials, I am informed by them. I will also tell the committee that I am finding focus, a theme, a central concept for the show. This focus has me working toward a thesis exhibition based on a series of statements (which I may or may not share). One year from now, each piece I include in my exhibit will spring from this collection of statements. The materials I use—glass, wood, concrete, clay, soap, whatever—will be chosen to communicate meaning, what I wish to convey through each piece of work. Rather than the material leading me around, it will serve my purposes.
Mystery & Uncertainty
While I’ve found focus and direction, I live with a sprawling slice of uncertainty. I do not know all of the work that I’ll make for this project. But this is not a problem. Indeed, mystery and uncertainty are where new creation are born. My calling is to stay in the mystery. Instead of reaching for my shield of overthinking and oversmarting, my job is to trust my intuition. And know that I am enough.Stay tuned! Next time I’ll share what the committee had to say. And thank you again for walking with me through this vulnerable, mysterious, uncertain time. ❤