POTTERY

I read recently in the Newspaper that Pottery can be therapeutic for people with Depression and Bipolar Disorder.  Watching the clay take shape is visually appealing as well as therapeutic.  Experts say Pottery has several benefits.  You can create several beautiful and useful objects from the very elements of Earth.  It is a wonderful feeling to create something with your own hands.  Once you learn the art it is also very exciting to see the endless ways of creating new designs and shapes with your own hands.  Once the clay pot is heated well in a furnace or kiln it gets finished into ceramic.  There are infinite designs and embellishments that can be applied into the ceramic after firing and during the glazing.  The shapes, designs, embellishments and colouring options that are created during the pottery makes it engaging and immersive.

When you sit on the Potter's Wheel and the clay spins and begins to form, your mind and body are synergised.  It provides a non-threatening environment in which people with mental or physical issues will feel calmer and less anxious.  Those seeking physical therapy too benefit from the enhanced motor skills, hand-eye coordination along with mental concentration.  You have to exhibit patience and you will rewarded with a great sense of satisfaction.  Engaging in Pottery or even just watching some one at Potter's Wheel is a very calming experience. 

Pottery will teach patience as if one rushes with the clay then it will form into the right shape that is desired.  Pottery kindles the imagination and creativity in every one of us.  It teaches you how to turn failure into success. 



I am not very artistic but after reading the newspaper article and various other material on Pottery I have now formed an interest to learn this art.  It could be a nice way to pass time and also help in relieving the mind which is very stressful at times.

T.P.Anand
Dubai, U.A.E.
15th May 2012