make stuff happen

We've spent some time in Nick's ceramics studio lately. He needs to spend 17 hours, outside of class, throwing on the wheel. It's been no hardship for me to spend some in between/after class time there. It's a pretty peaceful activity. 

The wheel whirs, clay builds up between my fingers and leaves it's white residue on pants and elbows. Our skin is dry after working with clay, especially in the desert weather, especially in the changing seasons move towards the cold. The wheel hums, my hands are flexed, exerting just the right amount of force. The restraint, not the pressure is what makes my muscles the most sore. And Nick instructs us, dipping the small round sponge into water and squeezing as the wheel rotates and his hands shapes the clay.