An infinity of shapes are inherent in the clay—and if you don’t like what you get you can always mush it up and start again. The clay only becomes rigid and fixed once it is fired. That, of course, is the point at which it becomes useful.
Are you more engaged by possibilities or results?
Possibility (or process) holds my interest over product. I’m willing to let the clay take its form as I proceed. One never knows exactly what will result using this reasoning and I like that. However, one needs to know what possibilities are inherent in the clay, the material.
One important step to insert in the forming process is to let the clay dry completely before firing in the kiln. Otherwise it may shatter or explode while being fired.