5 essential mindset tips before your first wheel-throwing class
Learning how to throw pottery on the wheel is one of the most rewarding (and surprisingly meditative) experiences you can have in a ceramics studio. Whether you're signed up for your first wheel-throwing class or just curious about how pottery is made, having a few beginner-friendly tips to center your mind can make your first session a lot smoother.
Shift Your Thinking, Center Your Clay
If you’re stepping into a pottery studio for the first time, chances are you’re excited—and maybe just a little nervous. That’s totally normal.
The truth is, wheel throwing isn’t just about technique—it’s about mindset. How you approach the clay, your expectations, and how you respond to challenges will shape your experience just as much as your hands do.
In this post, we’ll share five key mindset tips to help you feel confident and grounded before your first wheel-throwing class.
1. Focus on the Process, Not the Outcome
It’s natural to want to walk away with a “perfect” pot, but real progress in wheel throwing comes from engaging with the process—not fixating on the final product.
This aligns with research in art education: when beginners focus on exploration rather than execution, they learn faster and retain techniques longer (Hetland et al., Studio Thinking 2, 2013).
A 2020 study in Frontiers in Psychology further found that engaging in hands-on art—particularly in supportive environments—increases self-confidence and satisfaction in adult learners (Tymoszuk et al., 2020).
✅ Tip: Go in with a curious mindset. Every piece you make—even if it collapses—teaches your hands something new.
2. Use Your Whole Body for Control
One of the most common struggles in wheel throwing is centering clay. It’s not just about hand strength—your entire body posture plays a role. It personally took me 6 months of daily practice to learn how to center consistently, and even so, some days it just doesn’t happen. Think about your posture more than your clay, and the clay will naturally respond more easily.
Use your core, lean in from your hips, and keep your elbows locked close to your body. Good form reduces fatigue and helps you work with the clay, not against it.
Potter and author Robin Hopper emphasizes that “posture and balance are foundational in throwing. The body becomes the tool that shapes the clay” (Functional Pottery, 2000).
✅ Tip: Think like a dancer or martial artist—grounded, balanced, and present.
3. Learn a Few Key Pottery Terms Before You Start
Keyword: pottery wheel terms for beginners, stages of clay, pottery glossary
Okay, this one isn’t so much a mindset tip, but a little vocabulary goes a long way. In your first class, you’ll hear terms like:
Centering – Aligning your clay in the middle of the wheel so it spins evenly.
Pulling – Gently lifting the clay walls upward to form height and shape.
Trimming – Refining and shaping your piece, usually when it’s leather-hard, using loop or ribbon tools.
Leather-hard – The stage where clay is firm enough to hold shape but still moist enough to carve or trim
Greenware – Unfired clay that has dried completely but is still fragile. This is the most delicate stage before firing.
Bisque – The first firing that transforms greenware into ceramic. After this, the piece is ready for glazing.
Familiarity with these terms will make your first pottery class much smoother—and give you the language to follow demonstrations with confidence.
✅ Tip: Curious about more? Ceramic Arts Network has a helpful glossary of pottery terms and stages of clay.
4. Watch Your Water—Less Is More
Clay loves water—but not too much. Over-watering is one of the most common beginner pottery mistakes. Too much water softens the clay, making it hard to control, and can lead to collapsed forms.
In Mastering the Potter's Wheel, ceramic artist Ben Carter writes: “Beginners often flood the wheel, thinking water equals control. In reality, less water builds better tactile awareness and stronger pots” (Carter, 2016).
✅ Tip: Keep a sponge handy. Wet your hands—not the wheel.
5. Let the Clay Teach You
Wheel throwing isn’t just a technique—it’s a conversation between your hands and the clay. Your job is to listen as much as you shape.
In The Unknown Craftsman, Soetsu Yanagi writes that the best pottery comes not from forcing clay, but from understanding it. That mindset builds both skill and confidence.
Ceramic instructor Steven Hill echoes this, telling students: “Don’t fight the clay—listen to it. It’ll tell you what’s possible.”
Scientific research backs this up too: a 2015 study in NeuroImage found that art-making activates the brain’s default mode network, which boosts creative insight and intuitive learning (Beaty et al., 2015).
✅ Tip: Your first pot might wobble. Good! That means you're learning how clay reacts—and that’s where the growth begins.
Bonus: Practice Builds Confidence (and Calm)
Studies have shown that ceramics improves mindfulness, reduces stress, and increases creative confidence (Kaimal et al., Art Therapy, 2016). Just sitting at the wheel—even for 30 minutes a week—can help calm the nervous system and foster creative flow. Now that’s cheaper than therapy!
Okay, ready to give it a spin? 🌀
Sign up for your first wheel-throwing class today!
At à la mud, we welcome beginners with zero experience and guide you through every step. Our beginner-friendly pottery wheel classes are a great way to explore creativity, build confidence, and maybe even start a new lifelong hobby.
📚 References
Hetland, L., Winner, E., Veenema, S., & Sheridan, K. (2013). Studio Thinking 2: The Real Benefits of Visual Arts Education. Teachers College Press.
Kaimal, G., Ray, K., & Muniz, J. (2016). Reduction of cortisol levels and participants’ responses following art making. Art Therapy, 33(2), 74–80.
Tymoszuk, U., Perkins, R., Fancourt, D., & Williamon, A. (2020). Effects of arts engagement on self-esteem, life satisfaction, and wellbeing in older adults. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 585467.
Hopper, R. (2000). Functional Pottery: Form and Aesthetic in Pottery. Krause Publications.
Carter, B. (2016). Mastering the Potter’s Wheel: Techniques, Tips, and Tricks for Potters. Quarry Books.
Yanagi, S. (1972). The Unknown Craftsman: A Japanese Insight into Beauty. Kodansha International.
Beaty, R. E., Benedek, M., Silvia, P. J., & Schacter, D. L. (2015). Creative cognition and brain network dynamics. NeuroImage, 118, 255–261.
Ceramic Arts Network. (n.d.). Glossary of Pottery Terms. ceramicartsnetwork.org