Clay

Behold the artist and her work (haha):

In this photo: a bag of clay, an attempt at creating something with said clay, and me in my dressing gown (and the corner of a padded envelope, for no particular reason)
En la foto: una bolsa de arcilla, algo que traté de crear con la arcilla, y yo

I was worryingly oblivious of the fact that another week had gone by in a blur, when this pathetic attempt at sculpture should have served as a reminder. I was recently given a big bag of clay, and after looking at it longingly for two months or so (the potential contained in this bag!), I thought it was time to give it a go. I haven't worked much with clay (or anything 3-D, really), although in my ideal world, with finances to match this dream and a large studio, I would be a sculptor, chipping away at large marble blocks... But you need to start small. So I decided to make very small sculptures with clay.
I love using clay; the smell, the grounding effect -it is very much like gardening. And for a few minutes, I was in that blissful state where you truly enjoy the process, the FLOW, without thinking about the result. Then, unfortunately, I started to think. And a nasty voice in my head said, "well, it looks just like the stuff you made in school, ten years ago. You haven't made any progress at all." So I stopped and decided to leave it for a day and then go back to it. Only I didn't. And since I didn't put a wet cloth over it, it has now dried. And this little clay female greets me every day, symbol of my failure, procrastination and lack of discipline. That's why we both look so dismal in the picture.
Time to go for a run, I think.

El hecho de que había pasado otra semana me escapó, y ahora se manifesta en esta escultura patética. Alguien me dio una bolsa de arcilla recientemente, y después de contemplarla cada día durante dos meses y enamorarme de todo el potencial que contiene, pensé que debería hacer algo.
No he trabajado mucho con arcilla (o en 3-D en general), aunque en mi vida imaginada, con el dinero y espacio que se requieren, yo sería escultora... Pero hay que empezar paso a paso. Así que decidí hacer esculturas pequeñitas con arcilla.
Me encanta la arcilla... el olor, el efecto calmante -es como la jardinería. Y durante unos minutos, me encontré en este estado de FLOW, disfrutando del proceso, sin pensar en el resultado. Pero empecé a pensar. Y una voz interna me dijo, "esto es tan parecido a las esculturas que hiciste en el colegio, hace diez años. No has mejorado nada." Así que paré y me dije que lo dejaría hasta el día siguiente y volvería. Pero no lo hice. Y ahora ha secado, ya que no la cubrí con un paño húmedo. Y esta mujer de arcilla me saluda cada día, símbolo de mi fracaso, mi procrastinación y falta de disciplina. Es por eso que las dos parecemos tan miserables en la foto.
Ahora voy a hacer footing - a escapar de mi cabeza.