simply me, eva
My personality is very adventure-oriented; I love going to new places and doing or seeing new things. In fact, if I could just do that all the time, I probably would. Travel has opened me up to realizing limits are often just a habit. When you put away how it has always been, you find potential. I’ve always been an artist and became more involved in ceramics in high school, realizing it was a passion during college. Even though I am majoring in Spanish and Biology, working in the ceramics studio every semester and at Odyssey in Asheville during the summers has kept me grounded and added so much focus, happiness, and excitement to my life.
It takes a lot to be creative. It requires a person to reach a different kind of deep-level thinking, to use a different part of your brain— the part that is so often beat out of us by our fast-paced, technology-driven society.
I strongly believe that I have an obligation in this life to give back and not sit back, to provide resources and not solely consume them. I have this creativity to contribute and I want to do that— but I also care deeply about our oceans, climate change, and diversity. So I am trying to educate myself to do both. In addition, I believe how you give back matters. I strive to give back in a way that is meaningful and a way that inspires, in a way that radiates enthusiasm and encourages curiosity. If I can bring an artist’s mind to marine biology and connect with those from outside the US as well, I will be so very happy!
Without fear is power.
The power to choose a path less well-traveled, to cut through the brush yourself, to make a way out of no way, to design your own trip. The power to judge success by your own standard and for your own satisfaction.
The power and beauty of ceramics through my eyes
I am a Teacher Assistant in the Ceramics Department at Guilford College. Teaching others has taught me so much. I value my time with new students and know I can learn from them just as much as they learn from me. Being a TA for the beginner level course is fulfilling because for many it is THE introduction to the Arts and that allows me to inspire and give back to my community. I enjoy helping students form a deeper mind-body connection through clay. When teaching someone to throw on a wheel, you gain this sense of appreciation--appreciation of your surroundings, appreciation of human connection, and appreciation for the present moment. You are given an opportunity to be engaged in something that extends beyond yourself. Rather than ruminating about things in life that are out of your control, you instead focus on the present moment, the clay on the wheel. Although it is hard, and can be frustrating, especially at first, the process is rewarding. Eventually, working with clay and feeling a true connection to dirt, minerals, salt, wood— all in your hands becoming a useful piece of art, can give a person feelings of security and tranquility. I have been doing ceramics for 5 years and I know that if you yourself are not centered, the clay itself won’t center either. In other words, if you are unable to let go, unable to shift into the exact present moment without attachment to the end result- rushing to finish, to see that success, then your work will reflect that. If your hands and body are tense and your mind is not at peace, if you are not content with what is, you will not progress. If you are distracted or not able to focus on being present with the clay, shit will happen. Literally. You will go nowhere good with that piece. Ceramics requires a kind of openness; it requires you to sit with open hands and accept whatever comes your way--including failure. We are human and we make mistakes; however, the act of accepting the outcome and embracing the process carries over into my daily life and can impact the life of beginning students as well. Pieces break. They warp, they get dropped, damaged, misfired. Kilns are not an exact science. All ideas don’t work out for the best. Whole firings can go wrong. But all of this- every time and every loss- helps me to be less attached to the product and more attached to the process.
