This past week, the past few years really, have held a lot. A lot of collective grief, a lot of unknowns and uncertainty. In seeking ways to take care of myself and my little community, I almost always turn to pottery.
The process of bringing a piece of pottery to life takes a great deal of care in itself. I’ve heard fellow potters describe the medium as akin to babysitting, watching over your pieces throughout the entire process. If they don’t receive constant care and attention they’ll never make it. A potter’s job, once a piece is designed and formed, is to carefully aide it through a slow drying process and fire at the perfect temperature to avoid cracks. Next are decorations and color, which could mean hours of handpainting or dip glazing - the options are truly endless - all before at least one more firing, even hotter this time. If they make it through the creation process safely, they need to be packed snug and secure to be shipped to their new home.
In return for the great care that it takes to bring a piece of pottery into existence, handmade pieces provide moments of care for the humans they are entrusted to. A gentle mug of tea to calm a swirling mind mid-afternoon. A tender gift to mark a friend’s birthday. A vessel to hold thoughtful flowers from a loved one. A cozy home for a plant that also needs care, a reminder that steady devotion brings growth.
Handmade pottery holds an energy from the maker. If you’ve ever sipped from a handmade mug or eaten out of a handmade bowl, I’m sure you’ve felt it. Something to care for, to hold a little closer and wash a little slower, something to bring a little extra love into a day.
May the handmade pottery in your home provide space for you to feel cared for, especially on the hard days.
In search of inspiration on combining multiple creative endeavors (which I have a tendency to do), I’ll be listening to this podcast in the studio this afternoon.
A short visual meditation to calm nerves.
I’ve been feeling the urge to send hugs to all my friends, especially the ones far away, so I’m workshopping comforting blob hug imagery. What are we but moving, thinking, loving blobs, wanting care and warmth from loved ones. Sending extra hugs your way.