When I returned to the Johnson Museum to sculpt more with clay, I was fully expecting us to make representations of fruit again. However, this time Annmarie had us make mugs. As it turns out, mugs offered more freedom that fruit; they all have a standard shape and guidelines to make sure that the mug is structurally sound, but after the all that you have a lot of room to explore. Animals and plants were popular inspiration. There were mugs based on tree trunks, dogs, owls, whales, and flower petals. It was interesting to see the creativity that everyone had, all from the original base, walls, and handle. No two mugs were completely alike.

I had fun smashing my wet clay onto the table, peeling it off, and eventually creating a mug with what was supposed to be a vine wrapped around it. Unfortunately, the life of my mug was tragically cut short after I accidentally knocked it off my shelf mere hours after taking it home. However, the pleasant memory of having a study break during a stressful week and getting my hands dirty is much more lasting. After all, I feel that crafting is mostly about enjoying the journey to a finished product and not just being laser focused on the final product. Sometimes the final product doesn’t turn out exactly the way you expected or wanted it to, but having fun with it makes it worth it.