All Fired Up!

“Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.” – Pablo Picasso

These are the words written boldly upon the walls of All Fired Up!, a paint-your-own pottery studio at 310 East State St. on Wabash Landing just over the river into West Lafayette. Admittedly this is a location that I have been to many times already, but I think it is a highly valuable place for Lafayette area residents and Purdue students alike to know exists.

I think one of the most damaging ideas in the adult life is the belief that in order to do something or to call ourselves something we must be considered good at that thing by others. If my watercolor painting wouldn’t merit entrance into an art exhibit, I am not an artist and should not do art. If my poem would be met with condescension or distain at a poetry reading, I am not a poet and should not do poetry. If I would get laughed off of American Idol, I am not a singer and I should not sing. If I am not good at it or I cannot profit from it, than it is not worth doing. Something like that would be considered play, and adults don’t play (another idea on my list of most damaging ideas for adults).

If you suffer from either of these ‘damaging’ ideas, I challenge you to go to All Fired Up!. If not, I also challenge (or invite, which sounds less threatening) you to go.

Upon entering, you are immediately accosted (but in a good way) by bright oranges and greens and purples and a wall lined with not-yet-painted pottery. This is a place to socialize, to relax, and to find sanctuary. Here there are no deadlines, grades, or inspections. Here you can play.

Art has always had an important place in my life, although I am not necessarily ‘good’ at it. I was what one might consider a nerd in high school, taking joy in math classes and attending a math and science summer camp four years in a row. But Mrs. Lindberg’s art class was my sanctuary. Even when I wasn’t enrolled in an art class, she still let me go there to make pottery and to paint.

Mrs. Lindberg was the type of teacher who, for me at least, found the perfect balance between being a mentor while still making me feel like an equal. Even when you made what you might consider to be a mistake, she always had a word of encouragement. She often said that a so-called mistake ‘added character’ to the piece. (This included the time I was painting a watercolor landscape to sell at our class trip fundraiser and a first grader decided to help me by painting a streak of brown paint all across the bottom of it). I still remember that she used to play the same CD over and over again in the background, and it never got old. I can’t hear Dreams by Fleetwood Mac (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrZRURcb1cM&noredirect=1) without looking around for a set of paints.

Being in her classroom taught me one of the most important lessons I have yet learned: Art and creativity are essential to a fully, and perhaps sanely, lived life. All Fired Up! provides the perfect opportunity to begin or continue a life of creativity.

They have so many options of what to paint: mugs, figurines, plates, and even full chess sets on occasion. My favorite is what is called the “sushi bowl” which I have a couple of now and use to eat stir-fry. Once you pick a piece to paint, it is time to choose your colors.

The tricky thing about choosing colors is that the paint, or more accurately ‘glaze,’ is not the same color in the bottle or when you put it on the pottery as it is when the process is completed. The pottery, once painted, is fired in a kiln which alters the colors and seals in your work.

So, it is very important to look at the samples they have on the wall of what the colors will look like as you make your decision.

Once that decision is made, all you have to do is paint.

They have fabulous deals each day and some classes that you can find on their website: http://www.allfiredupwestlafayette.com/. I went to Midnight Madness this past Friday and painted the sushi bowl pictured above. Midnight Madness happens from nine to midnight about one Friday per month and includes 20% off of your purchase.

I encourage you all to try out All Fired Up!: make a gift, take a friend, take your family, take some time for yourself, and maybe even post some pictures of what you end up painting! It doesn’t matter if you aren’t a ‘good’ painter. Make a little time for play.