Dear Beginning Student,
I know you might be feeling a little out of practice with wheel throwing right now. Maybe you’ve had some time away from the studio and now it feels like you’ve forgotten how to center clay. You glance over at someone else’s pottery wheel and see a perfectly shaped bowl spinning like magic… and then look down at your own wobbly lump of uncentered clay, wondering if you’ll ever get the hang of this.
It’s frustrating. It’s disheartening. And it’s completely normal.
You might be thinking, “I’ll never learn how to throw pottery—it’s just too hard.” And honestly? Yeah. Learning how to throw pottery on the wheel as a beginner is hard. Starting over when everyone around you seems to have it figured out feels a bit crap.
But here’s what I want you to know:
Wheel throwing is a learned skill. No one is born knowing how to center, pull, or trim. There is no such thing as “natural talent” in ceramics—just practice, patience, and persistence. I learned it. You can too.
Want proof? Here's a little pot I made during my first few months of learning pottery. It’s tiny, a bit lopsided—but gosh, it’s cute. I haven’t kept many of my beginner pieces (we’re talking eight years ago now!), but this little pot is a sweet reminder that I also started at the beginning—just like you.
Back then, I lost so much clay just trying to center properly, I genuinely thought I’d never get a finished pot out of it. But here she is—my first successful pot as a beginner ceramicist. I did it. I showed that clay who’s boss.
Some days the clay cooperates, and some days it feels like it’s fighting you. That doesn’t mean you’re not cut out for this—it just means you’ve got more pottery practice ahead, and that’s something to celebrate.
So next time you're feeling discouraged in your beginner ceramics class, remember the wise words of Ray Laurens:
“You show that clay who’s boss!”
I am teaching at Camberwell Community Center and
@northcotepotterysupplies (where I made this lil pot!).
