This year, we chose to have a different kind of Holiday decor in our home. Valeria used her hands and made ornaments with clay, fruits and nontoxic paint, and we used a cactus as our Holiday “tree”. This earth-responsible decision made much sense because 1) we live in Mexico and cacti grow everywhere, and 2) pine trees (whether real or plastic) have been shown to have a negative environmental footprint. Therefore, we chose a cactus with roots and a pot which we’ll use as home decor for years to come. Making the ornaments was also very therapeutic. Here’s why.

Pottery as active meditation.

In recent years, pottery has become a popular hobby and for some (like us) a way of active meditation. Nowadays it’s easy to find schools and courses everywhere, and starting your own ceramic studio at home is inexpensive. If you’d like to give it a try before you commit to buying your wheel, kiln, and art equipment, join us for our Casa Earth Slow Living Retreat, where we will be teaching participants and giving them all the tools necessary to create with clay!

In history.

Despite it now popping up everywhere, at one point in history, pottery was a practice reserved for only a select group of artists and artisans who dedicated their lives to creating objects from clay and other materials, which are then fired in a kiln to harden them. The history of ceramics dates back to ancient civilizations, where it was used for a variety of purposes, including sculpture, kitchenware, and decorative objects.

Ceramics have a long and fascinating history, with different cultures developing their own techniques and styles over time. One of the earliest civilizations to develop ceramics was Ancient China, where it was used to create functional objects such as pots and dishes, as well as decorative items such as figurines and vases. The Chinese also developed glaze, which is a thin, glass-like coating that is applied to the surface of ceramics to give them a glossy finish. Ancient Greek ceramics were known for their high quality and attention to detail, often decorated with intricate patterns and designs depicting theater or literary scripts. For thousands of years, India has designed pottery with bright, bold colors and intricate patterns, including images of gods like Shiva, Shakti, Parvati, and Ganesh. 

One of the most well-known forms of ceramics is terracotta, which is made from a type of clay that is fired at a relatively low temperature. Terracotta is known for its warm, earthy color.

Another popular form of ceramics is kintsugi, a Japanese art form that involves repairing broken pottery with lacquer and gold dust. This technique highlights the cracks and imperfections, turning them into a feature rather than a flaw. Mexican ceramics, also known as Talavera, is another well-known style that uses complex drawings in bold colors (usually blue paint over white clay that’s glazed and fired at very high temperatures). 

There are many different techniques used in ceramics, including hand-building, wheel-throwing, and slip-casting. Hand-building involves creating objects by hand (coiling, pinching, and slab-building, to name a few). Wheel-throwing involves using a pottery wheel to shape the clay, and is often used to create pots and vases. Slip-casting involves creating a mold and then pouring liquid clay, or slip, into the mold to create the desired shape.

There have been many iconic clay pieces throughout history, including both ancient and modern works. Some examples include:

1. The Venus of Willendorf: a small statuette of a female figure carved from limestone and dated to the Paleolithic period.

2. The Terracotta Army: a collection of sculptures depicting battalions that protected the first Chinese Emperor, Qin Shi Huang. These were discovered in the 1970s and are now on display in the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor in Xi'an, China.

3. The Elgin Marbles: a collection of classical Greek sculptures and architectural details that were removed from the Parthenon in Athens and taken to the British Museum in London in the early 19th century.

4. The ceramic works of Pablo Picasso: inspired by Etruscan pottery shapes and decorated with abstract face designs.

5. The works of Henry Moore: a British sculptor known for his impressionistic forms and figures carved from marble and other materials.

6. Contemporary ceramic: artists such as Grayson Perry, who is known for his politically and socially charged ceramics, and Jun Kaneko, a Japanese-American ceramic artist known for his large-scale, brightly colored works.

Why is pottery therapeutic?

Pottery is a practice that involves our full attention. We need to be present, and also create space to let our creativity run wild without self-inflicted judgment. It is the perfect opportunity to connect with a creative energy we might have numbed within us for years. Choosing to make things, rather than buying new ones, is not only nature-friendly but also very exciting and healing. Through this process, your mind and soul also get to connect with your hands and discover what they are capable of. It is beautiful!

But I’m not creative…

Valeria repeated that to herself for years. She comes from a family of artists but was always seen as the “Banker” or the more numerical person. She constantly felt she wasn’t good at arts, compared herself to her family members, and slowly numbed that energy within her. Until one day, during a dark moment in her life, she grabbed some nontoxic markers and began drawing mandalas on three old bar stools. Eight hours later, she finished and was not only surprised by what she saw on the bar stools but also by the fact that eight hours had gone by so quickly. This… she called her “active meditation”, and has been practicing it ever since. It began with drawing mandalas and later transformed into discovering the magic of pottery.

Here in Mexico, we buy “barro Oaxaqueño” or “Oaxacan clay” and make whatever our spirit whispers. Incense holders, Holiday ornaments, bowls, candle holders.  

Ready to give it a try?

When choosing clay for ceramics, it is important to consider the type of project you are working on and the type of material that will be most suitable. Different clays have different properties, such as plasticity, shrinkage, and color. 

What do you need?

To throw clay at home, you will need a few basic tools including clay, a ribbon tool, a sponge, and clay carving utensils. You can also get a pottery wheel if you are ready to give it a try but it is not necessary to begin experiencing the movement of your hands with clay. You can make many pieces by hand. The pottery wheel simply ads precision and smoothness to your pieces. We use the wheel to make cups, plates, bowls, vases but for things like incense holders, we use our hands.

Off you go. Fearless! Leave criticism behind and give this healing practice a try!