Blog #10 My occupation went well this week and I finally tired out throwing on the pottery wheel for the first time since high school. The techniques and difficulty of throwing vs just molding clay with your hands is so much different. There is a lot of trial and error in this and I definitely had a few failed attempts where my pots got lopsided and I had to start over. I am so happy I tried throwing again even though it was a little daunting to try it without an instructor as I had the last time I threw. In the end I made a small bowl that I will let dry a little and carve some designs into. Even though this is my last blog post I have experienced so many benefits from my occupation and it brings me a lot of happiness, so I plan to continue my pottery and continue to create to pieces. Being a first year grad student has definitely played a role in my participation in my occupation. In the beginning of the semester I thoug...
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Blog Post #9 During my life I think there have been times I have been in occupational balance but also many times in which I have been out of occupational balance. Reflecting back, I think that my senior year of my undergraduate degree I had great occupational balance. There are a few reasons this time in my life stands out to me, but I think the main reason was the many different activities I was involved in. I was still in school although my classes at this point were slightly more relaxed, and I was in less credit hours allowing me freedom and flexibility. Along with my schoolwork I had a job and was on the exec board of my sorority which brought a lot of value into my life. Finally, I enjoyed going to the gym and had a good friend group at the time. All of these factors contributed to my occupational balance during this time in my life. Really, I was able to be involved in so many things that made me happy because none of my activities were too time consuming or all encompassi...
Blog Post #8 Time is really flying by this semester and each week I find it moving even faster. My occupation is going well, and my pumpkin is pretty much done. I really want to begin a new project especially as time is coming to an end on this semester. Throwing is fairly hard, or at least I remember it to be difficult especially because I won’t have someone teaching me. Thinking about how I could make my experience more positive when I try to throw next week, I plan on watching some videos reminding me of the basic form and techniques. This way hopefully my pots wont fall apart on the wheel! My occupation is one that I find is congruent with my valued goals but also has low demand +low resources. This would put my occupation in the category of F: enjoyment (low boredom) (Westgate & Steidal, 2020, p. 6). Diving d...
Blog #7 Participation in my occupation this week felt really good because I was able to use it as an escape from all of the other stressful aspects of life such as school. I love creating things and seeing them become something out of nothing. This week I carved my jack o lantern face into my pumpkin and set it out to bone dry. If you are unfamiliar with pottery that means it is almost done and only has some finishing touches left. This is probably my favorite part of the process because now I have something to show for the time and hard work I have spent on my new occupation. Overall, my occupation is feeling more natural the more I practice and spend time getting engaging in it. I think generally my occupation is not inherently a co-occupation although it can be if made one. Personally, I have experienced it both ways depending one the time of my life examined. In high school I took pottery classes and we sat at a table during specific cla...
Blog #6 Wow, it is hard to believe that we have hit the halfway mark of the semester. I always feel time moves slowly in the moment and then so fast when looking back at what has passed. Knowing that I have done my occupation for half of the semester already puts into perspective how fast time goes. It also makes me think about the progress I have made thus far in my project but also the progress I have made in my skill level. Reflecting on how hard it was for me manipulate the clay when I first began my occupation, I remember working on forming a simple pinch pot for about two hours in order to make one I found satisfactory. Now I am confident that my basic skills have improved greatly, and I can use basic techniques far more effectively than when I began my occupation. As far as considering my occupation in regard to engagement vs performance I think that I am about at the same level as I was a few weeks ago. For me, the possible shift from engagement ...
Blog #5 This week for my occupation, I again went into the craft shop. I made some more progress and am almost ready to carve in the jack o’ lantern face but I’m conflicted on if I should do a scary or happy face! I am feeling more confident in my technique and abilities and things are begging to move a little faster as it becomes more second nature. I remember the old techniques I used to use and have gotten better at making the clay do what I want it to. Hopefully I can get my pumpkins bone dry and fired in the next couple of weeks and move on to glazing it! Flow is an interesting topic that I have not thought too much about previously. However, on closer consideration and reflection I do think that there are times in my life where I have experienced flow. To be in flow one there must be a balance of challenge and skill where it is not a mindless task but is also not outside of a persons skill level (Wright, Sadlo, Stew, 2007 P 136). The ...
Blog Post #4 Starting out this week I was feeling a little lack luster on my occupation because of how much I had going on the previous week but I was determined to make some progress on my pumpkin and have something I was more proud of by the end of the week. I did end up making a good amount progress and now when someone looks at my project they would be much more likely to know what I am attempting to make. I also went into the craft shop in person which I think really aided in my motivation and ability to enjoy my occupation. There were a few other people there and It added a social aspect. It was also neat to see what they were making and the different steps that they took to get where they are now. Self-determination and motivation play a large role in the occupations we choose to embark on and even a larger role in actually continuing to participate in them. When choosing my occupation I knew that there would have to b...