Sometimes the clay just refuses to center, no matter how much water or force I use, and that's exactly when I have to ask myself what I'm fighting so hard to control. There are times when the glaze just won't cooperate, crackling and crawling no matter how carefully I mix it. It's a signal, I think, to shift my focus from the 'what' to the 'why' – why am I so attached to THIS outcome, THIS color, THIS finish? Usually, it's vanity whispering in my ear.