Pottery Making Process and Life

The picture above is a bunch of tea cups I made a few weeks ago. I finally started the glazing process yesterday.

Given a lump of clay, you can mold it whatever shape you would like within certain limits. You need to make sure there is no crack on the piece before putting it into the kiln for firing. You cannot make the piece too thick either because it might not be able to survive in the heat. You also need to consider the structure of the piece to make sure it is sound.

Some people like to plan while some like to wing it. I am learning to let go of my plans and wing it. Things do not always turn out as planned. The cups above are not really round. They are triangular. I held a soft round shape tea cup with both hands. It was molded to be a triangle. Dumb luck makes me realize a triangular tea cup might be more ergonomically sound. Besides, it warms my hands better in the winter.

Pottery trains me to let go of the minor details. Sometimes, minor mistakes can be salvaged after firing. You might still fill the small cracks. It is not guaranteed to work, but it is worth a try. Others might not even notice any flaws on the piece. In a grand scheme of things, little flaws do not matter. They build characters. It is miserable when someone is hung up on little things. Work with it, do not fight it.

This reminds me of Ben Stiller in the movie, Keeping the Faith. Rabbi Jake (Ben Stiller) told a Jewish boy who could not sing, “Embrace the suckiness! Say it - I love that I suck!” It is a challenge.

Before the heating process, the paint colors do not look like what they will become afterwards. For example, in this case, the cups should have the oatmeal color at the bottom and reddish copper on the rim. The glazing process is actually a chemical process. Away from a strictly controlled environment such as a chemistry lab or a factory, it is very difficult to predict what the pottery piece will look like at the end. After all, it is one of a kind.