Looking for a fun and interesting elective to fill up your eight period schedule? Take a break from high stress classes and try something therapeutic like Ceramics.
Although Ceramics seems easy, it is more than just a filler class you take when there are no other options. It’s a class where people can let their creativity flow without limitations. Besides the fact that you get to be almost as creative as you want without the usual limitations that school gives, taking ceramics also has health benefits. Taking a break from technology allows you to refocus on mental health while you hand build with clay. This will reduce stress levels making you naturally happier than when you first walked into class.
There are two different levels: Ceramics 1 and Ceramics 2. Ceramics 1 focuses more on the basics of building with clay. It teaches you how to build pinch pots, slab boxes, coil pots, and more. You would learn how to handle the clay at its different stages, while also getting to experiment with different techniques and styles. This course gives you an introduction to the art of ceramics, letting you express yourself with minimal limitations which not all classes do.
Ceramics 2 is for students who have found a passion and love in ceramics. Ceramic 2 builds upon what you have learned in Ceramics 1, but now there are no limitations to what can be built, allowing students to express themselves and develop their own ceramic style. One of the most exciting things in this class that students look forward to the most is getting to learn how to throw on the wheel. I’m sure almost everyone has seen at least one TikTok, Instagram reel, or Youtube short with someone using a wheel to spin clay trying to make a piece of art – well, that is exactly what people get to do in Ceramics 2.
“This was my first time taking a ceramics class but I absolutely loved it and I had so much fun everyday. Ceramics let me express myself in a unique way and it was really cool getting to experiment with something new. My favorite project was a little bowl that I now keep rings in, but I loved every piece that I made in that class,” said former Ceramics student Alani Lagunas.
Instead of spending that extra class period on your chromebook or scrolling through TikTok, reels, and shorts, spend that time in the ceramic studio.
