Monkey Mind

I first heard the term 'monkey mind' in yoga class and could relate right away. This Buddhist expression is an apt description and humorous visual of a racing mind. I’d guess most people are afflicted with this syndrome at one time or another. Some people probably experience it more often than others.

Here are some new (to me) texture stamps I made at a friend's clay studio while I was away from my own.

After a month away from my studio, my chattering creative mind is in full swing. It’s exhilarating and paralyzing at the same time. So many ideas swirl in my head, it’s hard to know just where to start. What I’ve learned from past manic creative episodes is to just get in the studio and begin. The ideas will settle and begin to organize themselves as I get back to the routine of clay. Writing a reference list of new ideas is helpful as well!

Stepping away from routine can be hard and rewarding. For me, new environments give time and space to think of alternate creative expressions.

Monkey mind can be tamed and made useful. Yoga’s practice-ending savasana is a fantastic reminder that letting go of racing thoughts is restorative. I think mindfully practicing meditation provides similar results. My daily knitting habit is one of the ways I conquer my own monkey mind. It is meditative and active at the same time. Do you have an activity you use to help you settle those racing thoughts and 'to do lists'?

Here's the project on my knitting needles right now. I'm trying to use up some of my left-over yarn, so this interesting shawl project is perfect! The jumble of colors (monkey mind) will result in a useful expression of creativity (meditation)!

No Glaze, No Foul!

Clay and glaze go hand in hand. Usually, a finished piece does not feature one without the other. Glaze provides functionality to the clay as well as a decorative finish. Recently, I’ve been playing around with the finished surface of my textured clay minus glaze. It has given me a chance to play with and blend color. Here's how the process works:

I make a piece and then fire it once in the kiln to its normal bisque state (cone 04 for the pottery geeks out there). Next is when the fun begins. Instead of applying glaze or underglazes to add color and finish the piece, I use acrylic paints to decorate the surface.

Sometimes I use a brush to apply the color, but I usually end up spreading the paint with my finger. It seems to be the perfect tool for blending and 'mashing' the acrylics into the nooks and crannies of the design. This method seems to work well with any raised texture on the surface of each piece.

After the first color is applied, I wipe the surface with a damp paper towel or sponge. This is where some of the magic starts to happen. Just as the pooling effect of glaze changes how the surface of a pot will look, the dark and light features of cleaning off some of the paint changes how the texture looks on these pieces. 

Next, a second layer of color is used to add interest to the surface. More wiping and paint application will embellish and highlight the textures. I end up using several complementary colors on one piece. 

Metallic wax is another material that lends itself to this process. It adds a final sheen and a bit of glitz to the surface. It is rubbed on and rubbed off with a paper towel to get the final result. 

As a fan of color, this method of decorating clay has been a fun exploration. It provides immediate gratification but changes the functionality of the piece and determines what I would make for this kind of situation. Think decorative rather than functional. I'd like to achieve this color blending method on my functional creations too, so I'm going to try to play with the underglazes I use to see if I can make that happen. I'll keep you posted!

Want to join in the fun? I'll be teaching a class at The Muse in Frederick, Md. on Wednesday, May 3! We will make a garden bell. I'll provide all the necessary supplies (including the bisqued, textured garden bell) and you'll do the painting! You'll go home with your very own creation. Click on this photo for class details.

Mixing It Up

Clay is one of the primary materials I use to make art. But, it’s not the only one. I often embellish the pieces I create with unrelated components to complete the idea that started in my mind. Using a mixed media approach often helps flesh out the functionality of a piece. Plus it’s fun!

The aisles of any hardware store are one resource for materials I use in a project. Copper pipe supports outdoor totem stacks or becomes the perfect perch for a bird feeder; some binding wire is bent into kickstands for recipe holders or flower stems for colorful flora; springs become hair on several angel projects.

Notions like buttons and beads found at the fabric store or an antique shop, accent a design and provide the perfect finishing touch. Fishing line from a sporting goods store supports a hanging creation.

I might combine some of my passions like clay and fiber arts. Leather cord crocheted along the edge of a basket shape converges two of the creative skills I like to practice. I’m even working on an idea with a well-known fiber pattern designer to create a bowl and pattern combination kit so other yarn enthusiasts could create their own unique project. 

Mixing materials to achieve a finished piece helps stretch the artistic element of every object I create. It opens the door even wider to possibility and challenges me with ever changing and new ideas. Lately, I've been playing with making jewelry. It's one more way I've been able to mix it up, make something I love, use up collected materials, learn new skills and combine it into a final product. 

Decisions, Decisions!

Not everything related to my clay endeavors takes place in the studio. My website is a good example of this. It is an important component of marketing my creations and requires continual attention, creativity, discipline and a leap of faith. 

Squarespace is the template provider for my current website. I switched to them about four years ago for numerous reasons and have been happy with that decision over and over. Most of all, it is easy for a non-computer literate person like me to use, the customer support is fantastic and I like the professional outcome. 

I’m in the process of updating the content and some of the look of ClayByLaura.com. It’s important this electronic representation of me and my clay art is accurate, concise, and easy to navigate. It also needs to look good and encourage sales to my customers near and far. Click on the ClayByLaura link to see some of the updates I've made!

Over the next few weeks, I’ll be posting new photographs, playing around with different font styles, adding or subtracting website pages and editing the information on the ClayByLaura website. Your input is important to me. How can I improve your experience on my website? Click on this photo to fill out my survey and provide some feedback! What's important to you?

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!

Why Buy?

Why buy? This question probably has a very simple answer and one that delves deeper. I ask it because it’s on my mind. I saw a post in a pottery group recently that asked why a potter would purchase anything from another potter. I buy pottery from other artists all the time. So I started thinking about why I buy stuff. In turn, it makes me think about why someone would pay for items I create. 

I made this series of masks using a quilting technique I learned when we lived in Charlotte, NC. I had fun designing the 'hair' of each one using the bristles from a scrub brush, twigs from the yard, buttons, copper tubing, coiled-wire and beads. I have kept them for my own art collection. I try not to make something just because I think it will sell, I make what I love -- that's usually when sales follow. 

Emotion quickly comes to mind as a reason behind a purchase. When I buy something I want, it makes me feel good. This often includes pottery made by others. I use my own pieces all the time, but I appreciate and covet clay objects created by other artists. I like to support fellow crafters and I cannot make pottery the way they do. 

I've just created a wrap bracelet incorporating a decorated piece of my clay and recycled bits of old jewelry. Here's the prototype I've made. You'll be able to create one of these too in an upcoming class through The Muse in Frederick, Md. If you can't make it, would you like me to make one for you?  Click on this photo to let me know!

Need is another reason to buy. Whether it’s perceived or actually fulfills a necessary function can be debatable. Do I need another pair of earrings? No. Will it complement an outfit I have in mind? Yes. Purchase made. 

I love how these square bowls look and nest together! Now I'm going to perfect the production process. I'll add them to my shop in the Spring. Any thoughts on colors you'd like to see? Click on this photo to let me know. 

Ease of sale. Computer clicks make it incredibly easy to buy these days. It is fast, but you must rely on a written description and a photo. I’ve shopped this way numerous times, but I think I still prefer a brick and mortar experience in person. 

It's hard to believe the same blue glaze can look so different depending on the color that lies beneath! Here are some new mugs fresh from the kiln.

Price. I’ve fallen victim to buying something because I couldn’t pass up the low price. I may not need it or even want it. But feeling as if I’ve gotten ‘such a deal’ has overridden all the other reasons to purchase. 

I’m sure there are numerous studies on the psychology of sales. I’ve even succumbed to some on-line courses on improving my skills in social media and website construction. I'd like to hear your opinions on this subject too. Tell me how I can improve the buying experience for you. Photos of my pieces in use? Pricing? Ease of sale? I look forward to hearing from you! Click this photo to let me know.

Outside The Box

Often, after I’ve had a big creative flurry I hit a bump. Occasionally this might be a creative block when I can’t think of anything to make.  Usually, it’s a case of mishaps. Two steps forward and one step back. Growth can be messy and frustrating. 

I was asked to make a napkin holder by a friend (one on the right) and decided to also try another shape (one on the left) too. I like both of these and am working on adding these shapes to my inventory. Do you use a napkin holder? Do you have a preference of shape or function? Click on this photo to tell me!

It’s been that kind of week in the clay studio. A figurative wheel spinning has been in place. For me, the creative process works like this. I’ve learned to accept it and not get caught up in the failures. I try to learn from the mistakes and fold that knowledge into the ultimate success of making a piece. 

All the napkin holders I made this past week have been condemned to the recycle bucket. I need to rethink my assembly process to make sure the walls stay straight as they dry.  Since they had not been fired, I can reuse the clay to make something new.

When I’m developing a new (to me) shape in the studio it takes several steps before it becomes part of my ongoing inventory. I first make a prototype of a piece from start to finish. This way, I can double check its functionality, observe how the glazes work and tweak the design for multiple production. Making more than one item at a time not only helps with efficiency in the studio, it helps keep the final cost down for the customer. 

The good news is that I completed several knitting projects this week. Some of the hats (on the left) had been made and just need a final pom-pom or edge sewing. The sweater (on the right)  was soaked and blocked to dry for its final step. 

Based on the failures in the clay studio I’ve experienced this week, I have some ideas of how to improve the production for future success. As frustrating as this process can be, it’s also rewarding. I’m constantly thrown ‘outside the box’ to think of a new approach to a problem. Of course, I like to apply this lesson to my daily life as well. Battle those doubts when you don’t succeed and try, try again!

Check out the studio tour and interview published in The Muse Blog last week! It was fun to share my 'happy space' with Whitney and talk about my creative process. Click on this photo to read.

In Great Company

ClayByLaura was listed among The Top Pottery Blogs of 2016 according to Pottery Making Info this week. It always feels good to receive affirmation from peers. The clay world is comprised of a generous group of artists where sharing is the norm. In the age of electronic communication and the internet, the ability to communicate with fellow clay artists has exploded worldwide.

Click on the photo to explore many of the wonderful clay blogs being written. 

Reading the blogs of other clay artists is always helpful. Surrounding ourselves with like-minded thinkers can boost our own ideas and confirm our actions. It’s important to explore other ways of approaching a problem and listen to alternative ideas.

This new, small jeweled box has just been listed in my shop. Each one of these containers is decorated with bits of jewelry and beads making it unique. Click on this photo to shop!

Writing this weekly post is a way for me to track what I’ve been making in my clay studio, explore new ideas, communicate with fellow artists AND most especially enlighten people who will use one of my clay pieces in their daily life. I think a peek into the process adds to the value of the art.

I'm working on a new idea for a craft party workshop at The Muse in Frederick, Md. Here's my first attempt. I created a textured clay medallion that I decorated with acrylic paints. I assembled pieces of recycled jewelry I've collected over the years. Finally, the bracelet is tied together with leather cord. Voila -- a one-of-a-kind wrap bracelet is created.  Interested in making one for yourself? Click on the photo and send me a message.