A classroom where clay transforms into art and every piece tells a story, Ceramics has become a class that many students have learned to love, thanks to Mr. Barnes.
I sat down to interview him on his career choice. He gave some of the coolest insights about creating a piece of perfection, as well as the challenges that artists face when pursuing their career choice.
Celebrating Failure in Art and Life
After working at Patriot High School for nine years, Mr. Barnes has found that the only way to become perfect, is to fail. He believes that failure is so necessary that it is to be celebrated in his class.
“We celebrate when someone fails 14 times.” he says, with a smile on his face. Failing becomes such a necessity to create your perfect piece and to connect with yourself. Failure is needed to take the next forward step.
I ask him, “What does one do when the failing becomes overwhelming?”
He replied, “ You need to step away from what you’re doing. I like to destress by hanging out with my wife. We could do anything, she just makes me feel better.”
“We celebrate when someone fails 14 times.” - Mr. Barnes
So what made Mr. Barnes choose to become a ceramic teacher? Mastering and understanding ceramics is all about trying and failing, and bringing that into the classroom to teach students as a concept is very valuable, he says.
What has kept him motivated all of these years? He says that the truth of the matter is that the career-choice availability for artists is slim and the money needed to continue to make art was just one more vile thing needed to be an artist.
One of the reasons Mr. Barnes chose to become a teacher was due to the few options available with his degree. But once he became a teacher, he didn't just only choose to teach, but he also chose to inspire and motivate the younger generation with his craft, which is something that many of his students appreciate.
CLAY CLUB
Mr. Barnes always helps students find ways to make what they imagine come to life, as well as help them better understand the history and meaning behind creating art with clay.
He is the Clay Club Advisor which is just one more opportunity for students to learn more about clay, practice failing and re-doing pieces, work on their own projects, perfect their creations, and enjoy creative time with others.
Stop by on Fridays after school and turn your imagination into reality!
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