The last week have been freaking productive, as promised in the last blog entry.

I converted the third table into a bird bath because I felt I didn't really want a third ceramics side table and plus I had this idea of doing a Secret Garden themed third table. (I loved the Secret Garden book when I was little, I used to read it repeatedly.)

The bird bath is now waiting for its first firing, there's a long queue at the COFA studio as it's nearing the end of semester and everyone's frantically trying to finish up their works. I've had to cut down the size of the top and bottom pieces of the bird bath, to avoid the chance of a bird drowning while using it!

Once I finished the bird bath I moved on to the stuff I'm making for the November exhibition, Transcendence. I made 85 angel tiles in about 4 days, that is starting at around 8am and finishing at 10pm. I was so intensely immersed in the work, I don't actually remember much of what else happened in those 4 days.

Picture on this posting is of a stack of tiles without the angel wings. In the background is my iPad, I watch Agatha Christie movies on YouTube while working. :)

Finally, one of the tables is finished!

I'm making 3 of them - I really don't know where to put them once I'm done. (Note to self: next time I decide to make something, make sure I know where to place them at home)

I have 3 more weeks of uni before I get assessed on my work. Yesterday told my teacher that I will be starting on Project 2 today. My plan had always been for the tables to be Project 1 and the stuff I'm making for the November exhibition as Project 2. But with everything that's been going on, I was demotivated with my ceramics work and so Project 1 lagged on.

This coming week will be super, super busy. I have to complete the third table, make 70 angel wings tiles and get them fired, assemble the tables, get the tiles framed... and try to fit in a short trip to Jakarta before I start work in the beginning of November.

Okay, better get off the computer now and start working.

In my whole life, I have developed interest in different things, at different stages of my life. When I was at uni, I liked tutoring children and was doing a degree in Computer Science - that's how I started in eLearning, a combination of educating people and computers. At this point in my life, I like eLearning and ceramics. They are a bit too different to combine, but I am thinking of ways to do that.

When I was looking for a job, I listed ceramics as part of my Other Interests section... along with travelling, reading horror books, 3D animation and cooking. One of the job applications I did called back and the person must have Googled my name because he asked me about my ceramics work. (If you Google my full name, you'll get this website as the first result.) I was fortunate enough to get called in for an interview and was really keen on the position as it was eLearning plus multimedia.

At the interview, the word ceramics kept coming up. I mentioned that ceramics is one of my passions and throughout the interview I tried to convince them that eLearning is also one of my passions. I felt that it was important for me to assure them my passion in ceramics will NOT hinder or disturb my work performance in eLearning. Short of telling them I have split personality - Irine the eLearning person vs Irine the ceramicist - I felt I failed miserably. As I was leaving the interview, one of the interviewer wished me luck with my ceramics exhibition.

I had mixed feelings. Was I being penalised for having a serious interest in something else other than my professional work? I didn't get that job, and the reason why was because the person who got the job showed a more decisive interest and enthuasiasm in the career path.

Any thoughts?

So... good news, I got myself a job! What a relief... and to make it even better, I don't have to start till November! Yay. Perfect timing.

I've been really busy and productive in the past month. Getting a job was my number one priority and now that's done, I'm concentrating on the art stuff - getting ready for my group exhibition in November. I just recently made a website for the group. That did take up a whole weekend, but I think doing so benefited me in that I reacquainted myself with HTML and CSS coding.

I also went to a couple of ceramics related exhibitions last week. I went to the opening of Offerings (7 - 25 October 2011) at Kerrie Lowe Gallery in Newtown which showcases the work by nine ceramic artists inspired by a workshop experience in Ubud, Bali in July 2010. It's quite intriguing how Australian artists are interested in ceramics in Indonesia, and yet, as an Indonesian, that is something that I have just started noticing. My plan someday is to actually go back to Indonesia and explore ceramics there (maybe that's why I've kept my Indonesian citizenship?).

I also went to the Object Gallery for HYPERCLAY: Contemporary Ceramics (8 October 2011 – 8 January 2012) exhibition. Two of my previous teachers at COFA are taking part in the exhibition. Jacqueline Clayton is showcasing her work of ceramic flowers made of clay and face powder and Rod Bamford with his ceramics 3D print machine. I liked how they had iPads available around the gallery space that visitors can use to watch videos of the making of the artwork, the background story and the people involved in it.

*Picture on right by Paul Wood*