I have often been overheard to say that when the pack up time for shows arrives I am jealous of the fibre people. I love all kinds of crafting, but sometimes I bemoan my lot as a potter because my goods are fragile and heavy.
The truth is I likely wouldn't trade my art form for anything else. I have been making and playing in the clay for 30 years this year, and while I have tried to retire a few times, I keep coming back. The physical process of making the clay has allowed me to have exercise without ever going to a gym, and the centering process of being in correct position in the clay is always good for my inner being. Centering is a great metaphor, but it does have a physical effect on the potter, as you cannot make a good pot until you and it are centered.
There are endless great metaphors, and I just saw this great one on lisa b. walker's blog, so I am reusing it:
The handle of a pot, he writes, “marks the journey from one world to the other; it is the suspension bridge from the world of art to the world of use.” Clay is protean, he suggests, endlessly malleable by human hands, and yet ultimately the potter must consign his works to fate and accident, to the ruthless caprices of the kiln." Adam Goodheart reviews "Red Brick, Black Mountain, White Clay" by Christopher Benfey in his NY Time 2012 article entitled ...The Shape of Things to Come
I will be off on vacation for the next few weeks, with lots of time for reflection--beware.
The truth is I likely wouldn't trade my art form for anything else. I have been making and playing in the clay for 30 years this year, and while I have tried to retire a few times, I keep coming back. The physical process of making the clay has allowed me to have exercise without ever going to a gym, and the centering process of being in correct position in the clay is always good for my inner being. Centering is a great metaphor, but it does have a physical effect on the potter, as you cannot make a good pot until you and it are centered.
There are endless great metaphors, and I just saw this great one on lisa b. walker's blog, so I am reusing it:
The handle of a pot, he writes, “marks the journey from one world to the other; it is the suspension bridge from the world of art to the world of use.” Clay is protean, he suggests, endlessly malleable by human hands, and yet ultimately the potter must consign his works to fate and accident, to the ruthless caprices of the kiln." Adam Goodheart reviews "Red Brick, Black Mountain, White Clay" by Christopher Benfey in his NY Time 2012 article entitled ...The Shape of Things to Come
I will be off on vacation for the next few weeks, with lots of time for reflection--beware.
Thank you Nancy for this inspiration - Enjoy your vacation!
When Nancy isn't soaking up the sun, she can be found in her little pottery studio making beauties for local sales and her Etsy shop.
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