A regular weekday for senior Ian Taylor is not that of your average PHS student. He wakes up, goes to school, and then makes his way down to Kids ‘N’ Clay in Berkeley, where he has taught ceramics to kids of all ages for the past two years.

One of Ian’s main joys that comes with his work is the ability to work with kids.

“It’s really fun to get to know all of them,” Taylor said. “You just kind of set them free. We make sure that they finish whatever they started, and that they have the skills to do that.”   

Not only does Taylor teach at Kids ‘N’ Clay, but he was taught there too.

“When I was 6 or 7 my parents signed me up for a weekly class, and I ended up really liking it,” Taylor said.

During his first few weeks, he immediately recognized the challenge of the art. However, he was also intrigued by the complexity and precision necessary in order to be successful.

“It takes a while to get to the point where you’re comfortable with it and you can make things without them falling apart,” Taylor said. “If you think about it, it’s kind of tricky. You have a ball of clay spinning, often very quickly, and you have to shape that into something.”

One of the things that caught the attention of ceramics teacher Susan Simonds was Ian’s exceptional skill, considering that this is his first year in the school program. Previously, he had been pursuing his hobby solely through his job at Kids ‘N’ Clay, but he wanted to extend his learning even further with the help of Simonds and her ceramics program. 

“She’s a very talented ceramics artist,” Taylor said. “I’m learning new things from her all the time, and if you have prior knowledge, she gives you a lot more free reign with what [projects] you want to do.”

Taylor said that Simonds has helped him grow as an artist in more ways than he had ever thought possible.

“As his own person, he’s so curious about everything, and that’s such an artist’s quality,” Simonds said.  “It’s such an awesome quality.”

Taylor’s creative and inquisitive personality is evident in the classroom as well as outside the classroom.

“Ian has his own artistic imagination that is unique to him as a person,” senior Bryce Waggener said. “He is very passionate about what he does,” senior Bryce Waggener said.

Because he has free reign that other students in the class do not, Taylor chooses to exert most of his time and energy towards making cups.

“I like making cups because they are useful, and you can do a lot of interesting things with them,” Taylor said.

Although cups are currently Ian’s main focus, Simonds has encouraged him to explore other categories, in order to expand his knowledge.

“I am trying to branch out more and make larger structures, maybe even do some carving or