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 class times each day working on our current project. In this example of my occupation being also a co-occupation, we shared the physicality of helping one another with certain parts of their project. Emotionally, we were all connected and invested in what we were making but also the social interactions present during class time. Along with this we all had the same intension of being creative while still receiving a grade on our projects. Looking at my occupation and how I have been engaging in it currently, I would not classify pottery as a co-occupation. I do not have a specific time I go to the craft shop each week but instead whenever best fits into my schedule. Along with that there is a different set of people present each time, or perhaps I am the only one there. If others are present aspects of a co-occupation can be present in that we both have the intention to create and an emotional connection to what we are creating. I enjoy that my new occupation can be done alone or with others because of the dimensions and choice this brings into how I want to engage in my meaningful occupation.
Hello Brenda! That is exiting that your jack-o-lantern is almost finished! It is always good to see hard work pay off. I can't wait to see how it turns out. When it is finished, do you know what your next project will be? When we can include others into our occupations they can be more meaningful and help reduce stress. You mentioned that you have done pottery in both a co-occupation as well as by yourself, do you prefer one way over the other? Do you find it hard to concentrate on your piece when there are others around you trying to have a conversation?
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comment Julicia! I think next I will try to throw something on the pottery wheel although I am not exactly sure what just yet. I think I prefer my occupation alone unless it is a very scheduled and regular co-occupation just because I find there is better flow that way compared to sometimes having someone there who isn't on the same page as you. I think I do concentrate better on my piece when I am alone but sometimes I would be okay trading that to include a social aspect.
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