Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance · chapter 3 · id grit-c3-04-a-ceramics-class-experiment-sh
“A ceramics class experiment showed that students graded on quantity produced higher quality work than students graded on quality, proving that iteration beats perfectionism.”
CONTESTEDconfidence: medium⚠ extracted by pipeline, re-audit pending
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Austin Kleon - Origin of the ceramics parablesource alive
The ceramics story is indeed true, allowing for some literary license. Its real-world origin was a gambit employed by photographer Jerry Uelsmann to motivate his Beginning Photography students at the University of Florida. In Art & Fear they replaced photography with ceramics.
Excellent Journey - Art & Fear ceramics story analysissource alive
The story comes from Bayles and Orland's book Art & Fear. A ceramics teacher divided the class: one side graded on quantity, the other on quality. The quantity group produced the best pots.
Kottke.org - Investigation of the ceramics parable originsource alive
The original experiment was in photography, not ceramics, and was conducted by Jerry Uelsmann at the University of Florida. Bayles and Orland changed the medium for their book.
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