Embracing a Beginner’s Mindset

Every few years I like to dive into something that I know NOTHING about. Once it was a literal dive, as I took swimming lessons as an adult (I knew how to move through water and not drown, but I wouldn’t call it swimming). I knew I didn’t know what I was doing, and listening to my coach was literally a matter of life and death. I listened. I learned. I comfortably swam a mile many times. 

This year I’m getting my hands dirty. I took my first wheel-throwing class last night. I have a long history in both arts and crafts. in my camp counselor life I made amazing friendship bracelets. I used to draw pet portraits as a side hustle. But I’ve never done anything in clay. I’ve never touched a wheel. The closest I’ve come was watching a few seasons of a pottery reality competition show. 

Last night I watched the instructor give a demonstration, sat down at my wheel and felt more lost than I’ve felt in a long time. I smooshed the clay around a bit. Followed the instructions I could remember (there were a lot of them), made a rounded lump. Flattened that lump. Squished it around a bit more. Caught the instructor’s eye and had him walk me through the first few steps again. Improvised the next few steps. Had a total structural collapse. Made clay soup. Cleaned my wheel and started over. Watched another demo. Floundered. Got more help. Made something that looked like it could turn into a mug. Smooshed it. Started over. Another demo. More help. Then I felt a shift in my mind and hands and was able to throw a few shapes that were recognizable. Then class was over. I didn’t think about anything other than trying to form something out of a lump of clay for two hours. 

As someone who works with ideas and intangibles, it was so gratifying to see and feel immediate progress, and to channel my mind and body into work that’s so different from what I do every day. And as someone who spends much of her time in the role of instructor it was delightful to formally take on the role of student. 

How are you going to make space to embrace the beginner’s mindset? What’s something totally new you want to learn in 2022?