The Sculptist

The sculptist places clay on a canvas base and applying knowledge to hand begins her artistic process. She learned from the experts what needs to be done to make the clay work the way she wants. She knows to quench the clay with the right amount of water and she she has all the right tools. She knows how much pressure to apply with her strong fingers...she knows the right amount of clay to carve away to form the correct perspective. This is what they told her to do, they are the experts, so it must be true.

Yet, when she quenches the clay, it shrivels to dust. She tries again slowly and gets a silky clay that she is sure she can manipulate.

Yet, when she presses her fingers into the clay with just the right amount of pressure, she creates a gaping hole. She smooths over the hole and tries again and creates the perfect dimple.

She gently coaxes the clay with her fingers to form limbs and raised features, but the clay falls back again to a nondescript mass. She takes a deep, cleansing breath and coaxes with just a little more pressure from her strong fingers the limbs and features of her final creation and the clay settles into its new form.

The worn carving tools fall comfortably into the crook of the sculptist's thumb and forefinger as she painstakingly carves the correct amount of clay to create the details of her form. But a little more clay falls away without askance. The sculptist, understanding that the clay has its own ideas, remains patient as she reapplies the clay that needs to remain in place in order to preserve her own idea of what the clay should be.

Although the sculptist knew all the right techniques to mold her creation...after all she was taught by the experts...she hadn't taken into account the particular nature of the fine silt and water.

But somehow, the sculptist's instincts overrode her knowledge and served her well to remain patient and create her own technique for molding the clay into her desired design. Trial and error, trial and success...the sculptist and clay find common ground and the perfect creation is accomplished:



A healthy, vibrant boy despite having diabetes.

Never give up. Keep always trying. You may not get the results you want the first time around, but it will come to you...and pay you well.