During the midst of my darker days in the fall semester, I decided to seek out a creative outlet. I impulsively signed up for a ceramics class at the craft studio to help calm my anxious mind. It was a Tuesday night in November, and the air hung heavy with the last flush of fall humidity. I remember I had had multiple panic attacks that day and was looking forward to losing myself in the creative process. I figured I would be a natural, but I couldn’t have been more wrong.

Step 1: Knead the clay in a circular motion with the heel of your hand.

Step 2: Press the clay firmly into the wheel, dip your hands into the water, and press your foot on the pedal lightly.

Step 3: Create a “slip” at the bottom of the clay, and start working the clay into a cone-like shape while increasing the wheel speed.

Step 4: Use your thumbs to form an intent in the center of the mass, and gently pull outward to expand the walls.

Step 5: At this point my clay looked more like the Leaning Tower of Pizza than a bowl, so I usually had to start from scratch.

I don’t remember the old man’s name, or really much about him. What I do remember is the way his hand felt as I shook it for the first time: warm, textured, callused. He was an artist and he’d been making ceramics for years. He didn’t have to say it out loud; his weathered hands spoke for themselves. Underneath his nails was clay, on his jeans were rips and stains, and in his eyes was a twinkle -- rather, a spark. I asked him why he started, and he said to get over the girl who broke his heart 20 years ago. He said that whether or not we acknowledged it, we were all here for a bigger reason than just to make art. I felt overexposed, like a negative strip from a film canister.

“I think a lot of people come in here with so much baggage,” said my teacher. “When you come here, you have to leave whatever is going on in your life, whatever struggles you’re facing behind. You have to focus on the center and clear your mind, or the wheel will own you.”

That first day, and for the three weeks after that, the wheel owned me. I couldn’t keep the clay on the center of the wheel, so my work was always lopsided and thin. I watched as my peers made bowl after bowl, moving on to more sophisticated shapes.

Bottom line, ceramics was not my gig, but it was a very eye-opening experience. I didn’t realize that my teacher would become such a muse for me, or that his words would stick with me months later. I didn’t have any beautiful art to take home and display, but I did have a new sense of direction. My next step in overcoming my anxiety would be to find balance in my life.

For the past six months or so, I have been focused on obtaining a healthy balance in my life. I have grown so much throughout this year, and I can honestly say that I’m proud of where I’m at. I think it’s so easy for us to lose track of our goals and misalign our priorities from day to day, especially as school and work tend to take up our spare time. My advice would be to visualize the things that make you the happiest, then compare those things to what you actually spend your days doing, and then adjust accordingly. I’m not saying you should throw that textbook out the window and pour yourself a mimosa. (Actually, do that.) I just urge you to keep in mind that in order to live a full life, you must have balance.

With balance comes compromise. Yes, compromise is easier said than done. Yes, it is worth it. Compromise is burying your nose in that textbook during the week so you can pour that mimosa on Sunday. Compromise is rearranging your schedule to make time for the people who matter. It’s taking study breaks to hit the gym, giving yourself that nap you deserve, eating salad one day and ice cream the next. It’s recognizing that two negatives don’t equal a positive and that you don’t always have to say the last word. It’s letting go of the things that aren’t good for you, and holding on to the ones that are. It’s finding an opportunity for growth in every situation and never, ever settling for less than you are capable of.

I’ve come to realize that the laws of nature can apply to our lives in so many ways. One of these laws, which relates to the idea of balance, is symmetry. Take a look at any leaf, flower, or plant in nature. There is hardly a leaf that has incongruent veins or ridges on either side; this is intentional. We, as imperfect beings, are surrounded by God’s perfect symmetry. I encourage you to keep this image in your mind, striving to keep your life symmetrical. Give yourself what you want, in addition to what you need, and you will become like leaves, growing and bursting into brilliant color.