Anyway, when I started out in college, I was not sure what to do. I attended Henry Ford Community College in Dearborn, Michigan (now called Henry Ford College). When I was picking out my classes there, I included a ceramics class, because I thought it might be interesting. When I entered the ceramics studio, I was lucky enough to find a community. There were people who were attending college like me, straight out of high school. There were students who were quite a bit older, attending college classes to learn more about the art and craft of ceramics in order to increase their skills and bodies of work. There were also older people who just wanted to do ceramics as a hobby. One thing they all had in common was a desire to welcome others into their learning community.

The woman in charge of the ceramics curriculum for the college was named Kathy Dambach. She taught me a lot about how to be creative. I look back on my time at Henry Ford Community College with fondness. It was quite a change from my school days as a child. I was one of those kids who did not fit in well with the other kids. When I would be sent out after lunch for recess, I mostly just walked around, and I did not try asking the other children if I could play with them. I guess I was afraid that they would say no. Therefore, I was always on the outskirts. Some of the kids called me names while I was in school, so by the time I got to college, I was very happy to find people that wanted me to be a part of their learning community. We even had potluck lunches occasionally, and I remember having fun sharing each other’s food. I enjoyed learning about ceramics and the history of ceramics. I even enjoyed the two dimensional design class that I ended up taking to continue on with a degree in art.

The biggest stumbling block I had for the art degree was the drawing class that was required. Unfortunately, I found myself to be very self critical when trying to complete my drawing assignments, and I gave up too soon and dropped the class. I have since taken drawing classes, which I made it through (many years later), but I feel as though I still have a lot to learn about drawing. I did end up with a bachelor’s degree in Studio Art from Converse College (now called Converse University).

One thing I have learned how to do since my childhood is take delight in finding out more about art and craft processes. I find the steps behind the processes very interesting. That is why I have started to write this blog. I would like to share with other curious people what I have learned and what I am learning through my research.