A dig supervisor told me I was brushing artifacts wrong for 2 seasons

She said my brush strokes were pushing dirt into the pore spaces of the pottery instead of lifting it off, so I switched to a softer brush and lighter touch, and now I catch way more detail during cleaning, has anyone else had to totally re-learn a basic field skill after getting harsh feedback?

3 comments

3 Comments

logan_young297d ago

Honestly, that bit about "pushing dirt into the pore spaces" hits home because I had a similar deal with a flint knapper who told me I was hammering my cores all wrong. I’d been hitting them like a caveman for months, just smacking away, and he sat me down and showed me how each strike actually sends shockwaves through the rock, ruining the flakes. Took me a whole season to unlearn my heavy hand and get that soft touch down, but now I can read the grain way better before I even swing. It’s crazy how something you think you’re good at can get flipped on its head by one piece of harsh feedback.

taylorellis7d agoMost Upvoted

So you were basically the Hulk of flint knapping for a whole season? Glad you finally talked that inner caveman down for good.

wendyg436d ago

WAIT hold on, SHOCKWAVES through the rock?! I had NO idea that was even a thing you could mess up! I always just figured you hit it hard enough and good flakes come out, like magic or something. That is WILD to think every little smack is sending some kind of invisible force through the whole stone, totally wrecking your chances. So you basically had to unlearn EVERYTHING your instinct told you, like you were fighting your own hands the whole time. That is so much more complicated than I ever imagined, I thought it was just being careful and having a steady aim. Hats off to you for sticking with it and learning to read the grain, that sounds like a whole other language you had to teach yourself.