A friend took a beginner pottery course in the fall and had the satisfaction of a using a bowl made by her own hands aaand the disappointment of a pot that goes awry. As potters, we’ve all been there. She asked me what I do with pots I make that don't work out.
Today, I re-encountered the phrase "kill your darlings". I first heard it in my earlier career as a magazine editor. The advice suggests that self-editing requires an unsentimental mindset, regardless of attachment you feel to your creative projects. Just now, I read about a college pottery instructor who admonished students with the same phrase.
Over time as an editor, I became happily unsparing with a proverbial red pen. As a potter, I'm aiming to detach myself from less-than-desired results more smoothly. I do find chucking a pot more difficult than pressing the delete button.
I was curious how many pots other ceramicists discard. So I googled it. In a Reddit thread, I discovered other potters' estimates range from 5% to 90%! A discard rate of one in five pots seems common. One commenter described: "Smashing pottery is one of my favorite things...I mean is there really anything as satisfying as taking a hammer to brittle clay?"
Is there? What do you think? For pots that are at the bone-dry stage (thrown but not fired), here's my process to smash, I mean, recycle the clay. Take a look!