Ouchieee... I was watching one day an interviu with a master in pottery, Daniel Les. He has a place where you can go and have some days of creation designed to teach you how to work with clay. It is on my wish list to get there. I would shorten my nails for this kind of experience , I bet it can feel so relaxing to work with clay
https://casaolarului.ro/casa-olarului-tabara-de-ceramica-adulti-seria-5/

Here it is