I made a bread loaf pan for a friend from high school who bought it as a gift for her daughter who was graduating from college. She sent me a lovely photo of her family with her daughter holding the loaf pan.
As I looked at this photo, I imagined the joy I felt making this piece flowing from the pan to her & her family. And this is the highest hope I have for my pottery: that the joy I feel when I’m making pots radiates to those who receive them.
I can still remember when I first started my pottery journey, I looked down at one of my first owl pieces & felt such a spark of delight in my heart. I thought how happy I would be if I could make something like this every day! And that is where the name Delighted Owl Pottery originated from.
When you do things from your soul, you feel a river moving in you, a joy.
– Rumi.
So my pottery practice is all about the joy spark!
Following the joy: This starts with paying attention to what forms, textures, & glazes spark joy for me. Then following that thread on to the next pot & so on. It’s like a slow, steady progression down the road of delight. And on this journey, I may not always know whether a piece of pottery is good or bad, but what I know for sure is when a pot sparks joy in me.
Sharing the joy: Giving some of those pieces to family & friends is one of my absolute favorites parts. I recently had fun making chip & dip plates for my mom for her birthday. Another aspect of sharing is selling my pottery on Etsy so someone who may feel that joy spark too can buy the pot for themselves or as a gift. Then that revenue helps the circle of delight to continue.
So perhaps my pottery journey is all about opening myself up to the joy spark, letting it travel through me & my pots, & then releasing it into the wild with hopes that at least a residue if not a deluge of delight travels with my pots.
How about you? How are joy sparks showing up in your life & how are you following them?