After graduating with my studio art degree, I was visiting a friend’s ceramic studio back in my hometown. My friend and I each sat down at a pottery wheel, and she showed me how to mold clay for the first time. No class, no grades—just learning a new skill. I cupped my hands to form the base of a bowl and then pressed my thumb into the lump of clay to form its center. Wet clay pressed against my fingers and dripped over my hands as the wheel gained speed. It was soothing, rejuvenating, playful.