If You’re Using Something…

A wonderful friend of ours gave me Master Class on my last birthday. It’s an online series of classes taught by well known people in so many different disciplines. It’s been very interesting. I thought I would study different business classes, learn about negotiation and presenting yourself. Well, during my recent brush with COVID, I had a lot of time at home and I watched some classes.

Since I was having a stay-cation, I turned on the Alice Waters cooking class just for fun and it was so inspiring! Part way through her talk on the basic tools she uses in her kitchen she said something that I had to write down. It resonated with everything I feel about making functional ceramics. She said ‘if you’re using something every day, it should be both useful an beautiful’.

That sentiment taps right into the heart of what I feel about making work for people to use in their lives. I want people to have a mug or bowl or plate that makes them feel good when they use it, that can bring a little moment of joy and comfort and beauty into their life. The best thing that anyone ever says to me is that they use my mug everyday, it’s their favorite. That’s so satisfying.

This is my favorite mug. I use it every day-multiple times. It’s big enough to hold a lot of coffee, sturdy enough to take outside in the studio, and stable enough that I don’t have to be mindful of where I set it 🙂

Find the everyday beauty in your life. Notice the things that you use all the time and let them bring you a little joy!