I Hate When That Happens...

Comedian Billy Crystal used to perform a funny sketch on Saturday Night Live where he and Christopher Guest would compete with each other about painful things they would do to themselves, always ending with the laugh line “I hate when that happens…” The images they conjured were awful, but we laughed. Fast forward to our current news headlines and that catch phrase from the past takes on a whole new meaning to me. I hate when this happens. 

Daily knitting results in finished projects and the anticipation of creating more.

I have lots of time to think in the studio while I have my hands in the clay-making process. I often say that art is my personal therapy. Hate is such a vile and powerful emotion that I try hard not to dignify it with any wasted energy. Instead, I focus on its opposite — Love— and try to embody that in every way. But hate exists and is fostered and emboldened when we tune it out or ignore it. I hate when this happens. 

My Annual Open Studio Sale on December 9 this year will benefit the Moms Demand Action local chapter. I have created a special little logo dish to sell at this event. Keep your eye out for details.

What is the solution? How do we tamp down the hate and return to compassion? We begin by watching our own language and actions. Are we contributing to the problem or combating it? For me, I think about the people and icons in my lifetime who have embodied love and kindness and try to emulate their example. Anger begets hate; love disarms it. Be kind to one another. I love when that happens. 

Love and Approval

I realize that many people consider Valentine's Day a manufactured Hallmark holiday. Personally, I like it. For me, it’s a yearly anniversary to acknowledge the deep feelings I have for friends and family

February 14 also acts as my reset button. I examine love on a personal and professional level and how to expand it in the coming year. This time around, I’ve been thinking about the connection between love and approval. Seeking and receiving these two important emotions seems to work hand in hand. Since clay is such a big part of my daily life, what I create often tangles with how I feel about myself. 

Click this photo to see and follow my Instagram feed.

In an era where social media rules how people choose to promote themselves, counting the number of clicks, likes, and messages can define this search for artistic and personal approval. Judging one's success based on these stats alone can be an addictive and misleading measurement. Like me, do you sometimes measure your happiness based on input from on-line resources?

Note to self: it’s good to step away from the electronic approval machine on a regular basis. Social promotion can provide a positive sense of self-worth, but it can also do the opposite. Before seeking outside validation, it’s important to seek our own internal acceptance.  

It’s natural to want approval from others. But treating the swings of likes, shares, followers or clicks as the only measurement of success is not healthy and not really a true reading for approval. Start by staying positive and loving yourself. Treat others with the same kindness you seek. This year, I'll be working on taking my own advice!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Remember The Golden Rule

Art class in high school was a haven for me. It was one of the first places I got to touch clay, explore other mediums including batik-fabric dying and drawing with pen and ink. I am still in contact with my high school art teacher Winnie Owens-Hart who continued her teaching career at Howard University.  Her encouragement helped spark my artistic voice that continues through this day. 

High school in the 1970s coincided with many social and political issues including the continuing struggle for minority rights, the Vietnam War, the Watergate Scandal and the Oil Crisis. It was the beginning of my awareness of the larger world outside myself. I participated in protests, listened on my battery-operated radio to the Watergate hearings as a lifeguard at a local hotel pool an entire summer, and sat in long lines waiting my turn to fill up my Volkswagen station wagon. 

I make clay art. It’s what I love and can do. So when the world around me feels out of control, I often head to my studio to sort out my feelings and find solace. I think about how I can affect a positive influence when so much conflict swirls beyond my own door. This weekend I hosted a FUNdraising Open Studio to help raise money for a local charity that feeds hungry kids on the weekends. Several people attended, shopped and helped me raise enough money to feed more than one child for a year. It feels good to know I can help even one person through my art. 

The election results have brought out strong emotions on every side of the political spectrum. For me, the overwhelming prevalence of hate speech is unbearable. It’s disturbing, unkind and divisive. It’s not the way I want to or choose to live. It's important for all sides to take a breath and listen to each other and then sort through a way to compromise and move forward. That is democracy. 

So what can one person do to counteract the vitriol? It’s hard to know. Stay kind. Treat others the way you’d like to be treated. Listen to opposing views. Stand up for others who are marginalized. Don't participate in the hate. Spread love.

The Golden Rule is paramount in my family and is a good reminder to bring back empathy which is lacking in our discourse today. Coloring by adults has become 'a thing' these days. One of the reasons I like making art is that it gives me time to think. I invite you to copy this image, fill it in with pencils, crayons or markers and remember its positive message. Then, send me a photo of your drawing. I'd like to add it to my own collection of art!

Made With Love

The key ingredient of everything I create is passion. It pulls me to the studio regularly and sustains me even when I have a creative failure. I love the artistic process; forming a variety of raw materials into a useful and attractive item is exhilarating and satisfying all in one. 

This past week in the studio was filled with endings and beginnings. This garden bell will top one of the five individual totems I've made to adorn a backyard garden and supplement several pieces I created several years ago. The complete installation is scheduled for early November.

The cornucopia I created as a surprise gift was revealed.  The recipient was indeed surprised and pleased with the results. The gift-giver and I were happy too!

One customer asked me to create a large flat tray with two serving bowls. I was pleased to receive a photo text of it already in use the day after it was picked up. 

Many new projects are in the works. Some of the pieces are familiar shapes. The dog-treat jar pictured in the upper left corner is a new idea in the making. It is stamped with the words "Home Is Where The Dog Is." It is a thank you gift for a very special dog-lover.

Here's one way I 'spread the love' from my studio! ClayByLaura Club member Kelly Davis just won this sponge caddy. Want to have a chance to receive a gift from the studio? It's easy. Click here to sign up!

Every piece I create in the studio begins with a dose of love. It helps guide the creative process, supports me when an idea does not turn out as planned and resides in every item that leaves the studio for a new home. Love. Remember to express it daily!

Strength In Numbers

I’ve been thinking of the value of numbers this week and this quote from Martin Luther King, Jr. above sums up the power a group of people can wield for a positive outcome. 

Although the business of clay -- and really any craft for that matter -- boils down to one person creating and communicating through an artistic medium; it really ‘takes a village’ to move that art form into the world. Teachers, students, fellow artists, patrons, shop owners and other artistic promoters all share a hand in the life circle of any artistic endeavor. 

I'm working on a new tumbler shape to sell during a yarn pop-up sale in a few months. It took me several attempts to get to the size, shape and design I desired. After these are fired, I'll continue to tweak with glaze application to achieve a final product. 

Numbers are important to me in the studio, especially if I am developing a new shape. It may take me several attempts to achieve the form I imagine in my head. Risk, failure and ultimately success are all part of the process. Once I achieve a desired outcome, the repetition in making multiples helps refine the process and the artistry. 

I've been working on another project in the studio this week. I'm preparing wind chime pieces for a class I'll teach through The Muse in Frederick, Md. in May. Pieces will be bisque-fired, painted with acrylic colors and assembled with beads and buttons. It will be a fun project!

I’m learning that numbers matter in the business side of clay art as well -- and not just the hard numbers of sales and supplies. Making connections to other artists and art organizations has become an integral part of my journey. Discussions, idea exchange and goal setting with other potters through groups like The Potters Mastermind are helpful in gaining new insight into how other clay artists approach their business. 

This weekend, I joined a trade association called CRAFT (Craft Retailers & Artists For Tomorrow). This group extends my number of art connections, opportunities and education on an even broader scale. It is another great organization of people dedicated to promoting the business of art. I'm looking forward to exploring more new connections I make with this group.

Finally, I'm thankful for the number of customers who purchase and support my art endeavor. Hearing from the many people that are using and enjoying ClayByLaura creations is my ultimate reward.