My first art show
Adult hobbies are very important.
Last night, I had my first showcase at the pottery studio I belong to.
I started doing ceramics after my best friends got me a gift card to take a class at Happy Medium for my birthday. I was instantly hooked, and thereafter spent hundreds of dollars on ad-hoc studio sessions before finally becoming a part of their membership program.
I often joke about holding a Bachelors of Fine Arts when talking about…the arts. The truth is I studied marketing at an art school so I don’t actually hold any specific artistic wisdom or education. I know what Bauhaus is enough to tell guys on Hinge dates over the past 3 years that they don’t know what there talking about, and I enjoy provocative art such as Olive Parker photography and Vincent Gallo (separate the art from the artist final boss), but that’s about where the buck stops.
My favorite part about going to an art school was being able to do literally whatever I wanted. My curriculum consisted of Intro to Jewelry where I melted and molded metals at thousands of degrees, Textile Arts where I dyed fabric with turmeric in the bathtub of my student apartment (the stains are probably still there), and many editorial classes where I played the role of stylist, creative director, and casting agent, putting together full magazines or ad campaigns on a single weekend.
Coming to New York where you have to pay to breathe was a little bit of a culture shock. Finding a place to print a since piece of paper seemed to cost money. My pottery membership is $150/month, which is about the same as a gym (not the Equinox, a gym), and a little less than half of Soho House or something like that. This allows me to go twice week, have access to unlimited clay and tools, and highly subsidized firing services. The studio itself has everything you could imagine, including very warm and friendly studio monitors that have helped me learn immensely, great music, Ghia, and an all around homey vibe. What more could you want?
