I just got home from our latest pottery camp at JCC Folk School. Dad started this tradition for me and Melinda by giving us a class each Christmas. Now that he has passed, we decided to continue this tradition in his memory.

This was my fourth clay class at the folk school; Melinda’s fifth. She took the first one on her own and called me to say, “I have found summer camp for grown-ups. You would love it!” So, we went back together and she was right, I do love it! Our latest class was textured plates, bowls, and platters. All slab built. Nothing on the wheel. I am always happy to learn new skills and get new tools for my pottery tool box. Usually, I also get life lessons and this week was no exception.

When you are hand building there are several challenges that are completely different from working on a wheel. Rolling slabs is a skill best learned by practice. Aren’t all skills this way? The more you try it the better you get. Rolling a slab that is the same thickness all over is harder than it sounds. Trying to get it the right shape and size for your project can be a challenge. I might roll it too thick, or not have enough clay to make what I am aiming for and have to start over or adapt my design. It’s tricky.

Putting my slab over a mold to shape it presents another long list of challenges; including cutting away any extra overlap. Cutting around the edge of the mold often leads to wonky shapes. A plate with a low edge. A bowl with wavy sides. An off-center platter that sits crooked. Our teacher, Ros, always has the best sayings about these things. This week it was: Lean into the wonk.

In other words, don’t get caught up in trying to make perfection. Let your wonk speak. If you carve a hole in your piece cover it with a clay band-aid. If your bowl sits sideways, shift your texture to incorporate the lean into the design. If you dent your piece, let the dent become a feature of the piece rather than trying to erase it. Each of these mishaps give personality to the piece, and oh what lovely features they have! Accidently splatter glaze on a bowl? It’s now a feature. Did it fly off the wheel and mess up the rim? An asymmetrical feature. It is these wonky places on our work that show they are made with love by human hands. Get your symmetrical items from China. Handmade items are valuable because of these imperfections.

Think of handmade pottery as a love language. Each touch of the clay is part of the artist’s soul. Each artist is different. No two pieces are the same. Using mud to create brings life from the dirt. Smooth or textured. Bold color or subtle neutrals. Every decision made is a part of the maker’s life on that particular day. In this way, the potter shares him/herself with you, the one whom the piece speaks to.

When you see a piece in a shop that catches your eye, it’s the beginning of a conversation. The artist’s creativity is calling you. Something about the color, or shape draws you in. You can’t explain why this mug and not one of the hundreds of others on the shelves. The artist’s soul is speaking to yours…through the earth. It’s a beautiful way to use mud, is it not?  Even the “features” speak. A random dent. A flattened handle. These imperfections seem authentic to life. Real in some way.

The life lesson? We try to hide our wonkiness. We mask ourselves. Stuff our idiosyncrasies. Push away our weird. We are desperate to fit in and feel a part of the group, whatever group it is. But instead, what if we leaned into our wonk? Celebrated the dents life has given us along the way? What if instead of covering our wonkiness we made it a feature? What freedom from expectations we place upon ourselves. How much happier could we be?

This week’s lesson takes some courage. It requires a shift in perspective and being brave enough to let your story speak through your dents, both the ones that are deliberate decisions and those that just happen along life’s way. You, dear reader, are as unique as the handmade pottery I make. Your own style. Your own path. Your own set of bumps, dents, and scars. It is those very things that make you…you. Please don’t cover them up and pretend they are not there. They are what make you so very beautiful. You are a one of a kind piece of art. Do not let anyone tell you otherwise. Lean into the wonk.

Check out the folk school here.