At first these bean-shaped salt forms seemed like a failure because the pastel glaze kept cracking, and I can’t figure out why. My theory is that the salt is reacting with the glaze. The salt wants to stay open, expansive, and flexible–like a living thing–and the glaze wants to close pores, restrict movement, protect, and stay firm. These two elements refuse to negotiate a mediated peace despite all my diplomatic finesse. I could do some research into the chemical properties of the individual agents then find a neutral agent to eliminate the enmity between these warring factions, but I’m already moving on to other experiments.
I started removing the candy-colored beads from their drying sticks, and decided this experiment was a failure. “What a waste”, I thought as I lay the pretty bean-shaped beans on my steel work bench. Then I remembered: polymer clay!! Maybe I can save these beads after all.
All this salvation thinking reminded me of other studio experiments where revelations were disguised as failure, which brings me to my point: in art, as in life, every thought, 
gesture, and action has significance, no matter how small. And when you embrace Chance as an active participant in your artistic process, you open yourself up to the magic of possibility. In this way, you come to understand that in life, as in art, there is no failure; only experience and deeper understanding.
