Pottery as Therapy
Clay Therapy
Therapeutic benefits of clay:
1. Self-esteem:
You need very little skill to sculpt with clay – it is all about practice. Pottery can help increase self-esteem for people who believe that they lack creativity. There are no limitations, boundaries or expectations to deliver the perfect piece of art – it is in any event never possible to predict exactly how the finished product will look (glazing is still a mystery to me…). Making something useful (plates, cups) gives a sense of accomplishment – you create something that will last, something that will benefit your environment and help the people around you. Pottery can lead to a sense of accomplishment.2. Relaxation:
The sensation of rolling, pressing, moulding and squishing the clay is very enjoyable for people of all ages. It relieves stress and often opens up discussions within the pottery group, I believe that this will also be the case for children opening up to therapist…3. Anger management:
Nothing beats the feeling of man-handling a piece of clay on a bad day; and to be honest there are times when you have to be rough with the clay to get the effect that you want. The pounding and smashing is not purely for my emotional benefit, but also a vital step in removing air bubbles (yes, I am sticking to that theory).4. Increased creativity:
Imagination is key for pottery, you express your creativity though your art. You can create whatever you wish out of the clay and if you don’t like it – you start over! The group dynamic in our pottery class is such an encouraging, open one. Tips, tricks and suggestion often get bounced off each other and there is constant synergy between us. Clay leaves an “imprint” of oneself; feelings move through hands into the clay making the invisible visible.5. Other benefits:
Improving Problem Solving Skills – no picture or piece of inspiration comes with a how-to guide.
Improving Decision Making Abilities – you have to make hard choices and let some of the control go (especially when glazing as an amateur).
Developing and Utilizing Patience – doing pottery as a once a week activity does require patience, a single piece can take up to a month from start to finish.
My Pottery Experience
We are sometimes trapped in the hustle and bustle of everyday life, so creativity is a necessity for me in the battle against conformity. I recently started pottery classes as an escape form the mundane. The clay offers a very therapeutic release of tension. As much as music and my choral singing can offer hope and freedom of thought, pottery offers me that same sense of inner peace.
Pottery offers me a way to express my love for family or a friend as it is a very time-consuming, intense labour of love. These are just pieces I made for friends. It is definitely a learning experience with a steep learning curve. I will try do some nice shots of the finished products in a future post.
I hope to take this new hobby further in the future.
“Love what you do and do what you love. Don't listen to anyone else who tells you not to do it. You do what you want, what you love. Imagination should be the centre of your life.”
― Ray Bradbury
A Brief History of Pottery
Pottery can be traced back more than 10000 years back. The transition from nomadic hunters and gatherers to the more stable lifestyle of farming changed the needs of people. Pottery was born out of necessity – the necessity to water crops. Early pots were “disposable” and they were built by stacking rings of clay and firing the end product in a hole in the ground, under a bonfire.
The major shift from pots for drinking, watering and pouring to an established art form is credited to the Greeks. The Greeks experimented with characters from Greek mythology and the use of colour. From there pottery saw the invention of the potter’s wheel around 3000BC; this first potter’s wheel was known as the slow wheels. During the next century the slow wheel developed into the better known fast wheel that was by then largely used in most parts of Europe and Asia.
Pottery evolved from there to the Chinese Porcelain breakthrough 600AD, this porcelain was made from white kaolin clay combined with ground granite and yielded a fine, delicate artefact. The move to mimic porcelain (which was expensive to transport due to its delicate nature) intruded unique, colourful glazes.
The potential for clay in the modern world is still endless. New shapes, techniques and compositions still wait to be discovered; an example of this will be to see how 3D printers integrate clay, porcelain and stoneware to create unique never before seen bespoke items.
Pottery is here to stay.
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Capital Craft Beer Academy Review
Capital Craft Beer Academy
“Capital Craft Beer Academy is a restaurant which specializes in serving quality foods together with the best craft beers that South Africa has to offer.”
I recently converted to the craft beer lifestyle, and Pretoria is abuzz with craft beer prospects. Capital Craft in Menlopark hit the nail on the head (or you can say they capped the beer potential) by launching Pretoria’s first dedicated craft beer eatery.
Capital Craft boasts a wide variety of Craft Beers, special imports and even some ciders and wine for the non-beer drinker. I found a special liking to the Pumpkin Ale that they have on tap, but the choices are truly endless. The beer is perfectly matched with pub-style food; baskets and burgers are the foodstuff of choice and they supplement the beer and atmosphere superbly.
It is still a new restaurant so there are some glitches to work through; new staff that get overwhelmed at times (especially if you need to find a reserved table) and on one occasion they ran out of some of the more popular beers. But these issues are minor and they will definitely iron them out in future.
I recommend:
The Pumpkin Ale and Mushroom burger.
Trading hours:
Wed – Sat: 10:30am – 12:00am
Sun – Tue: Closed
Contact:
Tel: 012 424 8601
E-mail: info@capitalcraft.co.za
www.capitalcraft.co.za
Photos by I Love Pretoria
Chic Geek Part 4 - Doctor Who Inspired Decor 2.0
Doctor Who Decor and my 5 Favourite Doctor Who Quotes
Doctor Who is a historical factually accurate depiction of a time-traveling genius. It shows his need to love and be loved. He explores the universe with his companions in a Sexy (blue) TARDIS. The Doctor believes in Humanity and our ability to see love and hope in all situations.
All of these products are from Etsy. Have a look at www.etsy.com and be inspired.
Top 5 Doctor Who Quotes
“In 900 years of time and space, I’ve never met anyone who wasn’t important”
“I am and always will be the optimist. The hoper of far-flung hopes and the dreamer of improbable dreams.”
“I love humans. They always see patterns in things that aren't there.”
“For some people, small, beautiful events are what life is all about.”
“There’s a lot of things you need to get across this universe. Warp drive… wormhole refractors… You know the thing you need most of all? You need a hand to hold.”
Bonus Round:
7 Styling Tips for Interior Shoots
Styling tips:
It is often required in the Interior Design Industry to
style photo-shoots. A styled shoots brings an ordinarily flat, two dimensional
interior scene alive. With the proper use of props and design principles you will
be able to make a clinical space feel inviting and ultimately inspire someone
with ideas that they can more freely translate into their own home.
Clear out all unnecessary items that do not add to the Interior. Keep fashionable/décor items out and showcase them. Examples include to keep your La Crueset pots in the kitchen or the designer coffee table books in a lounge, but lose all excessive clutter.
2. Use props to compliment a theme:
Whether it is citrus fruit or perfectly aligned bottles in a kitchen or antique books in a study, make sure you stick to one central THEME.
As a Stylist you can bring along your own props, some must have items include: · pillows and throws in many different colour options
· books, lots and lots of books!
· stacking boxes, trays and baskets to help organise clutter
· unique décor items e.g. ceramic vases, globes etc
· fresh flowers
· various vases (clear options match everything), you’ll need short , tall, large and small containers and vases
· white towels for bathroom shoots · white dishes, fruit (citrus fruit adds nice interest to kitchen shoots), food props like Italian bread
3. Balance:Use symmetry; draw a mental line through the centre and mirror-image items. Keep enough different elements to keep the image interesting.
I would advise to sharpen up on the classic design principles just to have some background knowledge. Click here for a quick recap on Balance, Emphasis, Rhythm, Scale and more.
4. Arrangements:
Create interesting focus areas. Use a tray to help streamline grouped items. Play around with colours, textures and themes.
5. Tell a story:
An interior shot should represent a lifestyle. Add reading glasses on an open book; light the fire in the lounge. It is advised to keep the dining table simple (don’t OVER tell a story just to create a model home). Use shoes, sweaters and throws to create a homey, relaxed atmosphere.
6. Use people, animals and furniture to your advantage:
Pull out a chair, show mom and daughter working together in the kitchen. A successful interior feels natural and welcoming.
7. Experiment:
Experiment with layouts. And most importantly: HAVE FUN!
Links:
5 Tips on How to Display Collectables
Tips for displaying a collection
I am a collector of various things, but my passion lies in collecting toys and artwork especially my brother's (check out JohDel by clicking here). My toy collection includes Star Wars villains, a magnificent TARDIS, a sad little WALL-E and many more little creature that bring me joy to look at. It is always so much fun to display them and have people take notice and smile.
5 Tips on Displaying Collectables
1. Group ColoursTo display collectables effectively you can group items in terms of colours. White vases, red vintage toys or a pencil collection arranged by colour.
2. Variety within collection
Use items that are similar, but still different. A variety of shapes, fabric textures, odd sized vases, themed toys, key designs all add some variety within the collection. A collection of identical items is boring, so make sure the items differ in some way.
3. Display collectables systematically
Make sure not to have too many items as this can look too busy and you lose the essence of the display. For something more unique and more substantial, like globes, hats or vintage cameras, you only need three or four or the collection may start to look boring and overdone. Display bigger items systematically; lined, “framed” or grouped is always a good starting point.
4. Display what you Love
Do not just buy bottles or vases just to fill up a collectables display. Make sure you love each bottle, vase, toy, or piece memorabilia.
5. Play and enjoy
Create scenes, artworks or even let the collectables interact. If you like collecting toys, let some of them interact in fun, creative ways.
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