An Instinctive Consequence | The Art Of Ceramics.

After many years of meditation and yoga practices, it seems so now as a natural progression, to approach the ancient manual art of pottery.

A quiet mind and the willingness to allow your hands to gently caress the material, guiding it through its rotational motion, infringing slight pressure to modify its form is perhaps a great analogy to the plasticity of human behavior and the process of self-awareness and growth. This selective isolation of our senses can be a very nurturing activity. As if it were a type of self-hypnosis, one can become mesmerized by the dynamic manual work of pottery, while allowing the mind to drift in thoughts of abstract contemplation or even remain white-balanced as if it was a blank meditation exercise.

Iwona Kratochwil, our partner, and Yoga & Meditation Instructor encountered the Art Of Ceramics as if it was a logical consequential step in her path, for the implementation of the fruits of a calm, focused, and disciplined mind. Shaping clay can become a tool for the process of personal transformation; as the material is stretched and re-formed, mesmerizing ourselves with the wheel plate while applying chained decisions throughout the shaping process until, slowly but surely, a more concrete final form-decision is reached.

This organic incremental creative process is in so many ways analogous to neuroplasticity and the operation of the mind. Furthermore, the process of allowing the mind to wander in the decision-making process at the same time in which the act occurs –marked by the unstopping motion of the wheel– in a way forces us to go with the flow and implement minute decisions with not much time to ponder, accepting changing variables as the form unfolds and allowing us to focus on the task at hand without much planning; integrating unexpected results as they occur. Very much like living in the moment without much thought or worry about down-the-road decisions or consequences of the chain of events.

It’s then also relevant to mention that, if one pays sufficient attention, the physical attributes and dynamics of the material itself unveil all of The Principles of Natural Laws, from which one can decipher and further understand, where the same qualities/laws that apply to matter are in-fact applicable to our own nature, our personalities, and characteristics as cognisant beings.

A Mindful Creative Action.

Undoubtedly, focusing on the plasticity of clay induces the mind into an altered state which enables oneself to focus on the exclusive sensory data coming from this specific action. Resulting in mindful action. Potentially facilitating the discarding of any pre-planned trains of thought not directly related to the task at hand. In practicality, a type of selective sensory-depravation therapy.

Iwona describes her experience and learning process with ceramics as a stimulating organic creative process that helps her balance mind and body, by not only ‘living in the moment’, but also incorporating insight into The Concept of Beauty. Throughout her path, Iwona ponders and strives to observe and discern beauty. Recognizing that what we call ‘im-perfection’, is in fact a rather inaccurate negatively-loaded linguistic connotation of the process of describing the relativistic organizational nature of matter.

After all, Beauty seems to be a result of Appreciation and Perception. And although this can be a matter of great ponderation, and as we recognize (in a more obvious manner in the area of physics) that Truth is Independent from Perception, it is my interpretation that one can indeed reflect –even inflict– beauty with the sole act of observation and appreciation; realizing that the more we observe and appreciate and contemplate on something, i.e. a person, animal or object, one is able to ‘discover’ the inherent beauty within. Although I do realize that Creation already gives birth to and generates objects and entities that are beautifully complex and harmonic, we can’t ignore the added beauty which is bestowed by the appreciation of the observer. Like in quantum mechanics, particles i.e. matter seem to exist and/or express their nature and characteristics with a more apparent intensity when they are observed with increased attention and time.

Somehow, I intuitively come to the conclusion that we indeed convey beauty by the mere act of observation/appreciation. This perhaps seems even more plausible and obvious when we reflect upon the Japanese concept of Wabi-Sabi. Which somewhat describes the emotional added-value we confer to an object (or person or animal) just because we have allowed our appreciation to ‘grow’. Inevitably resulting in the so-called feeling of infatuation, falling in love, or caring.

Rings Of Proudness – By Iwona Kratochwil

The Wabi-Sabi Of Ceramics.

As described in the book ‘Wabi-Sabi: The Japanese Art of Impermanence, its author defines wabi-sabi as “an intuitive appreciation of ephemeral beauty in the physical world that reflects the irreversible flow of life in the spiritual world.”

Wabi-sabi, to put it succinctly, is the beauty of things that are flawed. Indeed, that would be an unduly simple explanation for a concept that is so deeply and profoundly ingrained in the Japanese psyche. Wabi-sabi, which is somewhere between an aesthetic idea, a way of living, and a personal sentiment, permeates many aspects of Japanese society.

Iwona is unfailingly insistent on The Importance of Appreciation of Beauty. She strives unto others that beauty is inherently found everywhere; in all things and in all people. And she’s right! Somehow, in a magical way and in accordance to the creative aspect of the observer we should remember that we indeed convey beauty just by searching for it. As everything exudes beauty. Perhaps due to the creational harmonics found in everything around us; from a stone, to a tree, or a whole solar system. This inherent fractal nature can be mathematically observed and measured or calculated; as we see, with patterns such as The Golden Ratio, The Fibonacci Sequence and other highly-ordered multi-dimensional holographic aspects of the mysterious and fascinating template that seems to be underlying all of Creation.

Another beautiful aspect that is engulfed in the concept of wabi-sabi, is the recognition that ‘flaws’ or weaknesses, when worked upon, mended or repaired, convey even more meaning to an object (as seen below) or a person, in a way, representing the historical progressive growth and struggle for improvement, through the duality of the experiences in our lives, where we become more, after we experience brokenness or difficulties.

Kintsugi: The art of using gold to mend a broken piece.

The Art Of Ceramics As A Tool for Transcendence and Personal Development.

As the Appreciation of Beauty, Introspection and Care are all objectives of our work in The Trivium Association, we shall incorporate The Art of Ceramics as a tool and exercise where, through workshops and studies in pottery, meditation and yoga, Iwona will inspire you with exciting opportunities to discover Your Beauty, among breathtaking nature; encouraging Balance, Peace and Awareness.

Join us on the path of self-awareness, through the prism of Natural Law, combining enriching Mind & Body experiences.

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