Clay Challenge

1) What were the challenges and rewards of creating your own project idea?  
Clay is always a challenge to work with but it is very neat to create something three dimensional. I usually don't like working with clay. It's messy, it leaves clay dust everywhere, it gets under your nails, it never turns out the way you planned, and did you get rid of all the air bubbles in the clay and did you wedge it right and is that going to fall apart or explode?
 But this time I actually liked it, for the most part I did anyway. I'm sure why, though. Maybe because it was something trying to resemble a structure rather than an object or animal-something structural and not more 'organic'. Breaking things down into shapes is much easier and doing something that's supposed to mirror the features of architecture is much easier and less frustrating than trying to, well, most of the other clay projects I've done.

2) How did you express yourself in your clay piece?
Architecture is something I've always loved and been interesting. Especially cathedrals and ancient Chinese architecture. There's really not a whole lot of ways to involve this interest into everyday life(with the exception of the occasional staring at cool buildings) and that project was one thing I could do where I could create something to reflect that interest.