As a self-professed artist, I came to ceramics in college as part of my required classes on the BFA track in Sculpture at California State University, Long Beach (CSULB). In all my years as a tinkerer with materials and art-making, I had never touched clay. This was 2009; I was 20 years old, and I subscribed to the now-dated mentality that Clay was a craft, not fine art. I was miffed about having to take a craft class and thought I knew what was best for my education.
I digress.
As you can now imagine, this class quite literally changed the course of my degree and, ultimately, my life. It was a beginning hand-building class with artist and educator Kristin Morgin. Kristin is a material genius who taught me that clay can and does belong in the contemporary fine art world.
When I came to the realization that you can make anything out of clay, I quickly changed course and applied to the BFA Ceramics program led by Tony Marsh. I had my own studio space, access to some of the best ceramic facilities in the country, and support from faculty and visiting artists, which fueled my confidence as an artist and gave me the freedom to do what I now like to call thinking through making.
