The Guide
I grew up in a culture different from my parents. They say this makes me a Third Culture Kid. Neither a product of my parent’s American roots nor purely shaped by the Taiwanese culture in which I grew up, I stem from a potpourri mixture of both: a Third Culture unto itself. What this upbringing did for me was open my eyes to appreciate the details unique to the situation in which I find my self.
While still in school my roommate, Brian Crispin, brought me up to West Virginia to do a whitewater trip down the New River Gorge on Bridge Day. I enjoyed my self so much that I decided I would come back and learn to guide that river and its little sister the Gauley. Now three years after coming here I find that other natural attractions hold me here as well as the family I’ve started.
Clay entered my life in high school where I was taught to center a ball of clay by a Chinese man known to his students as Mr. Jong. His appreciation of the technical mastery of the skills of the trade pushed me to develop those skills. I used to leave a window unlocked so I could sneak in the studio after hours. His love for the spontaneous beauty that can come from a wood fired kiln kindled my aesthetic eye and sparked a sense of mystery in me for the beauty that can be achieved with clay.
Later at Berea College in Kentucky I was honored to be accepted into the Ceramics Apprenticeship Program. Studying under Walter Hyleck, professor of ceramics, and resident potters Trent Ripley, Phil Wiggs, and Ashley Kim I learned to appreciate the patience and sustained creativity it takes to be a studio potter.
Now living in Fayetteville and having worked as a raft guide for three years I’m enjoying fleshing out seasonal work with pottery in the off season. Thanks to God and family I feel like I’m living my all around dream: working and playing in a beautiful mountain environment where I have the opportunity to enjoy the beauties of nature while stretching my own creative bent.