01 Living Clay
June 11, 2025
The idea of ‘being in the moment’ seemed to be a recurring theme throughout my time here, I found that this very philosophy was at the heart of pottery. Rather than pottery as a means of creation, it served as a reprieve from external voices, shifting my focus towards a forgotten inner being – my inner being.
The practice of pottery fulfils my need to reconnect with my once inner child-like creativity and wonder, while effectively allowing me to receive self-gratification with a sense of achievement. Furthermore, the space of Claydence has an alluring character which invites individuals to slow down – and focus on the present.
“Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.”
— Lao Tzu
The multi-sensorial nature of pottery, simultaneously fills and calms all the senses. From feeling the subtle weight of soft earth pressing against your palms as it glides across your fingertips, hearing the constant hum of the spinning wheel, to watching the clay gradually take on the shape of your hands.
The first act of centering clay on the spinning wheel before forming a vessel is an intimate ritual of stillness and intention. Any neglect in this stage of preparing your body of clay would gradually reveal itself as the vessel begins to grow with each pull.
And yet, this act is just the beginning. Like a living body, clay requires gentle coaxing. Not putting too much pressure, and not too little. Only pushing it ever so slightly at the right times, with each touch and release harmonising into a sort of breath.
Clay does not lie, it acts as a reflection and conversation between you and your inner being. In moments of distraction, it falters. It teaches you to slow down, to notice the subtleties, to become aware of each tremor and breath from your mind and body that breathes life into the body of clay in front of you.
Ultimately, clay is what you make of it. It holds your breath, your stillness, your struggle, your grace. In shaping it, you are shaped in return.