Apprenticeship (2019)

The daily work of the apprentice never changes: make tea, prep the wheel, sweep the studio, bring in supplies, manage the kilns, and on occasion, sneak a peak at his teacher's pottery-throwing. Only once the potter is done working on the wheel each day may the apprentice use it to practice his throwing skills. Each morning, the apprentice presents his best work to the potter from the night before, and each morning the potter is unimpressed, crushing the apprentice's work. Over three days, the apprentice's frustration grows until he crushes his own work before the potter can. Immediately, the potter challenges his apprentice to make a pot in front of him and is pleasantly surprised by his apprentice's progress on the wheel. Bolstered by the challenge, the apprentice presents a fine mug the following morning and the potter gives his approval to start a new pottery lesson the next day, "We start on handles tomorrow." Elated, the apprentice runs off to make tea, continuing their daily routine, while the potter steals another look at his apprentice's craftsmanship.