Become an Apprentice
Engaging in an apprenticeship is a unique way to experience the reality of life as a ceramic artist firsthand. Making a decision to submit to the rigors of working in a professional studio for minimal pay while putting off one’s own work requires belief in the long-term goal of gaining skill while deferring self-expression. Make sure you've looked over the models of apprenticeship that we've developed and take a look at the questions below to help you determine whether training as an apprentice is right for you. Don't forget to check out our listing of apprenticeship opportunities by state.
10 Questions to Ask Before Doing an Apprenticeship
Why do you want to do an apprenticeship?
Specifically, what are you looking to gain from the experience? Technical expertise, aesthetic development, business training?
Do you have academic training in clay? If so, what do you hope to gain from an apprenticeship that your education did not provide you with?
What kind of time commitment can you realistically make?
What is your financial situation? Do you have an outside source of income? Will you work another job during your apprenticeship? Do you need to find an apprenticeship that pays?
Are you willing to travel? Are you willing to live in a new place for an extended period of time? Do you need or want to be in a specific place?
Are you interested in learning to make work in an established or traditional aesthetic or are you comfortable with deferring your own individual creative path?
Do you want formal critiques of your work?
Will there be time to make your own work?
- Where do you want to be creatively and technically at the end of your apprenticeship?