Thursday 12 July 2007

A Mugs Life



Beauty does not cease to be beautiful merely because were are inured to it.





I know that to many people who live "important" lives that my career as a potter is nothing more than a glorified hobby, and that the things which I make and do are trivial and mundane. Well, maybe they're right, maybe I could have done "so much more" with my life.



But maybe they're wrong.



Maybe the important thing about being human is to bear witness to the beauty of nature, to revel in the wonder of life, to give expression to that joy in our everyday lives, every day. I do not wish to change the world, I only wish to draw attention to it.
There is something marvelous about a bowl of fresh vegetables, something miraculous about a delicious meal, something moving about a simple days work. The pattern of light and dark that the rising and setting of the sun leaves upon the tapestry of our lives is ever changing and wondrous. No two mornings are the same, no two evenings, and every day is a precious gem embroidered on our soul.


Every pot, every coffee mug that I make is a moment of my life, a piece of my spirit. No two are the same, like the leaves of a tree, and like a tree I make them so that I can grow. They are not copies of nature, but new expressions of the beauty of nature. When they are finished they will find new life in the hands of others, enriching other peoples everyday lives, carrying the joy that I feel in being alive into the lives of others for years, perhaps centuries, potentially millenia to come. If I only have one life to live, then I will live and love life everyday until all my days are done, and simple though they may be, I will not regret one of them.

5 comments:

  1. Thank you for writing that.
    I wish more people could understand how it is

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  2. Thank you very much, anonymous, I am glad that someone else understands how I feel. By all means consider me a friend and ally in your journey. All the best to you,
    Euan

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  3. Glad you posted your blog link. Beautiful pots, beautiful photos and beautiful sentiments. Thank you for sharing.
    dk

    p.s. I have been working as a programmer and research lab administrator to pay the bills and to support my spouse in his work for over 30 years. I am view as important in what I have done but I value it far less than the pottery I have done. I envy you your path.

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  4. I have always thought that art was the representation of matter and that life is its veiwer it's memory .the beauty of a sunrise to me will still be here when there seices to be something to watch it , to feel it, to remember it and most of all to love it.I tried to put meaning into my art but it just looked back at me saying I am what I am just colour and shape and movement, even though it was made by my hand
    , It still wasn't mine or me it had it's own place and I and I had mine.some day I would love to have more of a union with any of my work, but for now all I can do is apreciate what's around me.

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  5. Thank you. Did I ever post those books to you?

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