the art of being clay.

“Yet you, Lord, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.” – Isaiah 64:8

For the last few months, I’ve been taking pottery classes with my mom at a new local studio in town. You may recall that I also took some pottery classes back in 2020 when I’d written about the art of non-attachment, which you can read HERE.

Well, I’m back at it and I’m happy to say I’m getting better with each class (except for last week when I got distracted, turned my head and my ponytail got caught in the piece I was making WHILE it was spinning on the wheel subsequently pulling my hair, giving me the worst neck-ache ever AND absolutely demolishing the piece I was making (tragic)… but we won’t talk about that LOL. I am still getting clay out of my hair, though.) Anyway, even more than improving my mug making skills, once again, pottery is teaching me so much about life, too.

Now, I could easily do 10 posts on the pottery process alone, but I am a very amateur potter, and this would be a mediocre how-to guide. HOWEVER, let me tell you what I’m learning about clay and how we’re a lot like it.

Clay is cool. There’re several types of clay to choose from (some softer/smoother, others groggier and more dense, some light, some dark, some reclaimed, some brand new). There’s also various stages of clay:

·      Slip – liquid clay (aka potter’s glue) – used to decorate, or join pieces of clay together (i.e. mug + handle)

·      Plastic/Wet – the block of clay you start with, good for throwing

·      Leather Hard – best for trimming, carving + adding a handle

·      Bone-Dry – ready to be bisque fired, can be broken down and turned back into wet clay

·      Bisque – clay that’s been fired once and is ready for glazing, can never turn back to wet clay

·      Glazeware – clay that’s been fired twice and is ready for use

Lesson #1 of good claymanship is: 👏 clay 👏 has 👏 to 👏 be 👏 wedged 👏. If you don’t wedge your clay before you throw it on the wheel, you’re likely setting yourself up for some real hardship and inconsistency. Some would argue that wedging clay is just as important as any other step in the pottery making process. Wedging (similar in form to kneading dough) prepares the clay to be thrown. It removes air bubbles, incorporates softer parts of the clay in with some harder spots, warms it up and makes it uniform in consistency to get it ready to throw. Once your clay is wedged, it’s time to start at the potter’s wheel. An overarching and central theme of pottery is to keep your clay centered.

Lesson 2: You have to get good at centering your clay. Now, shock, surprise, centering is easier if you’ve wedged your clay first. BUT, the main point here is you can’t really get started in the forming of whatever you’re hoping to make until your clay is centered. In order to center clay, you do a process called ‘coning’ where while the wheel is spinning, using the force of the wheel and your hands, you direct the clay upwards into a long cone shape and then push it back down into a puck shape. You repeat this a few times and if you cone correctly, you’re set up to get your piece of clay centered. And trust me on this, you KNOW when your clay is centered. It spins in a perfect circle. If it isn’t, it wobbles, and it spins unevenly, and you have bring it to center. There’s a lot of science to it that I’m not clear on, but I do know that the centrifugal force of the wheel spinning makes it so the clay always wants to move off center, steering itself outward, which means it’s up to the potter to constantly make sure the clay stays centered as they’re throwing their piece. If you don’t stay centered, your piece isn’t going to be circular.

Lesson 3: Take. Your. Time. And. Be. Gentle. And. Slow. Nothing about pottery is done aggressively. When you touch the clay, you approach it intentionally, but not with too much force. When you release your hands from the clay, you remove them slowly and gently. When you take the piece off the wheel, you do it unhurriedly, careful not bump it, or mis-shape it. Pottery is an art of slowing down, being gentle, and being intentional yet graceful.

So, let’s say we’ve made a mug -- we wedged, we centered, we opened our clay up, we pulled the walls, did some shaping and voila! A mug! At this point, the clay is still in the ‘plastic’ stage of being clay. Once you’re finished with your piece, you let it dry until it’s ‘leather hard’. Then, you’re ready to trim it, carve it, add a handle, etc. There are various trimming tools you can use, all that serve a purpose. Once again, you put the piece back on the wheel, this time upside down, center it and get started. Trimming is really satisfying, and it’s typically done to smooth rough edges from throwing, remove excess clay, give it a ‘foot’ or make it more aesthetic in shape. It’s easy to get out of hand with trimming – trim too much and you can trim right through your piece, trim too early while it’s too soft and you can gouge your piece. When you’re done trimming, you let it sit until it’s bone dry and then it’s ready for bisque firing! After that, you choose your glaze, send it to the glaze firing, and bam, a finished mug, baby!

There’s so much work that’s invested into one single vessel. From wedging, forming on the wheel, trimming, kiln firing (between 1,800 – 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit (!!!), glazing and firing again, the clay has been worked, molded, trimmed, buffed, refined and strengthened by fire (twice). Potters have such a close relationship with their pieces. And if God tells us He is the Potter and WE are the clay, do you see how much time and work He invests in us? I know the level of attention I give to my pieces and this doesn’t even compare to THE Potter.

Sometimes I walk into the studio and nothing goes right. I can’t get my clay centered, I went too fast, or I let go too quickly. I’ve ruined piece after piece and just called it a day. But He never throws in towel. His tools are always sharp. His attention to detail is pristine, He knows His work (us) inside and out and keeps us centered even when we begin to go wayward. He prepares us, shapes us, refines us, helps us endure the fire, and ultimately, He molds us into exactly who He created us to be and for whatever purpose He intends. (Romans 9:20-21)

If you’re fresh new clay awaiting God’s molding in your life, know He will prepare you well and form you into exactly who you need to be.

If you’re clay spinning in the Potter’s hands right now, take solace knowing this forming, pulling, and stretching of you is your becoming. Don’t fight it, trust Him and let Him mold you into what you’re intended to be. He has the vision and you are His workmanship (Ephesians 2:10).

If you’re unsure if you’re centered on the correct thing, stop what you’re doing examine yourself. You’ll know if you’re off balance. If you’re feeling off-center, or feel wayward, I encourage you to slow down and allow yourself to be re-centered. Sometimes it’s easy to think we’re both the potter and the clay. Let go of control, lean into God and let Him be the Potter and center you.

If you’re in a season of being trimmed, where certain areas of your life are being scraped away exposing soft spots underneath, remember that it’s difficult and necessary work, but the end result is worth it.

If you’re feeling bone dry and think you’re too far gone to be trimmed or made into something worthy of being used, remember that even clay in its ‘bone-dry’ state can be broken down and turned into reclaimed clay again. You’re never too far gone and it’s never too late to start over.

If you’re going through fire and feeling the immense heat right now, I pray you’re equipped with strength to withstand the fire and come out stronger and more resilient, with any blemishes burned away. I pray you’ll let Him strengthen you. We are made to withstand fire and come out with more grit for the days ahead.

If you’re out of the fire, freshly glazed and ready for use – trust God, do what He has called you to, let Him fill you up with truth, love and goodness and let others be the recipient of your overflow.

If you’re feeling broken or cracked, know you are not useless. He can repair the chips, mend the cracks (i.e. kintsugi: the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery by mending area with gold), and use you for His purposes.

Like pieces of pottery, we are made to be useful and to stand the test of time. In the same way clay is made from the dust of the earth, so are we. In the same way clay needs to be centered on the wheel, we also need our lives to be centered on Him. When we let Him be the Potter in our lives, take solace knowing He does not skip steps. Wherever you are in your clay stage, remember that potters delight in their work, they know their work well, and they care deeply for it from start to finish. Our job is to stay willing — to be molded, to be refined, to endure the heat of the fire and to come out shiny, new, and ready to be filled up (preferably with oat milk vanilla lattes).

Here's to mastering the art of being clay, my friends. We’re in good hands. ♥