Actually an Artist

Maybe you think I’m being hyperbolic, however I don’t think we as a society are being serious enough. Personally, I don’t think I’ve done enough; I vote, I act, I do what little I can, but it’s a deluge and so I’ve been feeling quite overwhelmed, which is why I’ve been more quiet here. I wanted to pop over for a bit to share a little of what I’m doing in hopes that it will inspire you to create and resist, or at least give you a bit of direction and comfort for the onslaught we’re under in the US.

First, I’ve been doing a lot of pottery. My dearest husband got me some “Pott’d” kits for Christmas, including a ‘date night’ edition, so I made him sit with me and we played a clay game (highly recommend), and also made some pieces.

I forgot to get before and after pictures. And I didn’t get a picture of my droop piece before my two year old wrecked part of it. Ahh, the joys of motherhood. I deliberately kept my phone away when I was working on these pieces, because I just needed to be in the moment.

I’ve also been getting out to the library to throw pots on the wheel. It’s a fantastic sensory experience for me-the feel of the clay turning to slip, pushing the mound towards its center, smelling the earth in the air. Pottery is also a practice in letting go of control. Sure, part of my lack of control is because I’m pretty new at this skill. But even master potters will throw a fantastic pot then watch it shatter in the kiln, or accidentally drop it all. The entire process is so much in the air that I think it’s a fantastic metaphor for exploring our own feelings around control, fear, anxiety, and need for predictability. So instead of focusing on how “I should be better” I am instead focusing on embracing the process and the risks in hopes of having something that feels more real, more alive, than if it were just regular machine-thrown stoneware.

Lastly, as you can see in these pictures, I had another situation with a nice pot I threw with Theo a few weeks ago because I had left it in the car during the arctic blast we got. It was so interesting to see how the water in the clay formed ice crystals all around, leaving a beautiful decoration. Sadly, the ice holding the pot together obviously melted and it could not maintain integrity. I looked up after throwing that first pot in the above photos only to see the side of the frozen pot collapsed, as seen in the last picture. I like this lesson though, because I think in order to maintain some level of sanity in this second Trump administration, I’m going to have to hold on to those momentary glimpses of beauty before things fall apart again. Cherish what is despite what it could be. And then smash the pot (as I did), and remake it into clay that I can throw again in the future, which I actually did yesterday (pot on the left was made from salvaged clay from scrapped projects, the right is one that is drying a little more before I turn it into a yarn bowl):

Of all the forms of government, fascism is among the most unstable. It only works when we feel scared and give up our freedom in hopes of having someone who can protect us. Essentially, we freeze the clay and the ice provides us with a sense of stability. But ice cannot stand against heat, and as soon as the temperature shifts, it melts and things fall apart. There is literally no threat out in this world as serious as the ones we ourselves are creating right now: healthcare crisis, homelessness, climate change and major disasters, constitutional crises, economic collapse from withdrawal of government spending, to name a few… So if we can slow down, calm our nervous systems, and refocus on what actually makes us safe, or gives us ‘control’, then we will be resisting and fascism will have failed.

I will be doing more posts here about art, self-care, spirituality, and turning towards truth. So if you liked this, please subscribe and share this post. It helps me continue this blog and helps us all in feeling connection, community, and resistance. ~Heather