In this episode of Curiosity Over Fear, Sharmaine reflects on her first pottery class and the unexpected life lessons she learned while working with clay. What began as a simple creative activity quickly turned into a deeper exploration of perfectionism, control, impatience, and the fear of failure.
Through stories from class, reflections on the creative process, and the famous pottery experiment from the book Art & Fear by David Bayles and Ted Orland, this episode explores why growth rarely comes from obsessing over getting things “right” and why real mastery often comes through experimentation, mistakes, and participation.
This conversation dives into:
perfectionism and overthinking
fear disguised as productivity
learning to collaborate with the process instead of controlling it
curiosity as a tool for growth and self-awareness
why being willing to be a beginner matters
Sometimes growth doesn’t come from trying to create the perfect outcome.
Sometimes it begins the moment we’re willing to touch the clay.