During my senior year of high school, I was required to take an art class as an elective. The last art class I took was back in middle school, so my skills were a little rusty. I always felt that I had a natural talent or inclination for physical art, just not anything involving paint or canvas or pencils. I took blacksmithing lessons at the time and loved developing physical skills that inspired creativity. So, because of this, I signed up to take ceramics. I never worked with clay before, and the teacher was known to be a great instructor.
Master K as we called him, was the ceramics teacher at my high school, and outside of class owned and operated a very successful studio that was just a few blocks from campus. He was a very relaxed teacher, and would always let us play music in his class to inspire creativity. What I really liked was how he always played a variety of genres to allow us to sample different musical styles. He kept the atmosphere friendly, yet was still strict when it came to enforcing certain rules regarding safety and respect for others.
Master K had a very hands-off approach when it came to teaching. We had a variety of assigned projects to develop core techniques and challenge ourselves. Before we started each project, he would walk us through each step using demonstrations. As we began our own work, he made sure to observe each and every student to give them both critiques and compliments on their work. If a student practiced incorrect techniques, he gently reminded them of the correct way and demonstrated the proper way without sounding harsh, but also without doing the student’s project for them. He also tailored his approach to each student. Some were more artistically inclined, and needed little assistance. Others required a more in depth explanation and demonstration, and a little more one-on-one work to help develop their technique.
At the end of the year, I was considered one of his best students. I worked very hard, and under his creative guidance, demonstrated a deep knowledge of basic and advanced techniques for working with clay. Master K’s style of creating a welcoming and relaxed learning environment fostered an appreciation for the arts in all of us. His approach to teaching was tailored for each individual, meaning that time was never wasted and there was always the opportunity for students to learn and hone their skills.
