When I started Kinetic Becoming: The Beginning, my confidence was high. I had a clear concept, a strong creative impulse, and that familiar feeling every artist knows: I’ve got this.
What I didn’t have—at least not yet—was competence.
In no time at all, the project showed its true purpose. It wasn’t just about exploration, but about revealing gaps—gaps in skill, understanding, and experience. I was venturing into new territory—using clay as my main sculptural medium—and although my ideas came easily, my technical skills hadn’t quite caught up with my enthusiasm.
This initial phase was all about exploring the landscape rather than creating perfect finished pieces. I started to see different forms emerge, testing various systems along the way. Some ideas worked out well, while others didn’t quite make it — and that was exactly the goal. This was a creative laboratory, a safe space to fail and learn, to discover what the materials could do, and importantly, to understand what I still had to learn.
Looking back, I found myself right on that familiar slope of learning—the point where confidence gently bumps into reality. It’s that moment when you suddenly see just how much there is still to discover. Humbling? Without a doubt. But also essential for growth.
Now, the project is entering its exciting second phase: Tension.
This is where things become more intentional. If The Beginning was all about discovery, Tension is about growth. I’ve pinpointed three key areas where I can develop my skills further to add more depth and meaning to this work.
- Structure – Understanding how sculptural forms support themselves, physically and conceptually. How internal frameworks shape external expression.
- Assembly – Moving from single objects to constructed systems. How parts relate, connect, and depend on one another.
- Illusion of Motion (Tension) – Creating a sense of movement, strain, and becoming within static forms. Making clay feel like it’s mid-action, not frozen in time.
Tension isn’t just a technical phase—it’s also a deeply psychological experience. It exists in that delicate space between what I can imagine and what I can bring to life, between feeling in control and facing uncertainty, and between confidence and competence. Embracing this tension can lead to growth and discovery on our journey.
And truly, that’s where the exciting part starts!
If Kinetic Becoming is all about transformation, then Tension is the gentle friction that sparks that transformation. It’s the resistance that challenges us, the stretch that helps us grow, and the exciting moment where learning truly shines through in the work itself.
Less comfort. More construction. Fewer assumptions. More intention.
The journey moves forward—this time with a touch less confidence but filled with even greater purpose.
