I used to go to a pottery class (I have a wheel in my garage that I haven't used in years) and what I really loved about pottery is that it enabled me to understand things about myself that I didn't know or understand completely before. Many things actually.
I'm reminded that there is art everywhere I look. From the frozen dew drops on a tree branch to the way a line crackled through the sidewalk. The color of Joey's eyes, the way Aubrey runs when she is happy. The sound of a lover's breath in my ear when he got excited. ... Now that's art!
Pottery has also shown me that it doesn't matter what people think of you, your actions or your values. It only matters what you think, whether you are showing integrity to your true self. This epiphany paralleled (strangely enough) my discovery that my favorite pots, mugs or bowls weren't the prettiest.
My favorites were the ones that felt good to my hands when I closed my eyes. If the piece told my hands a story then it held value to me. And I realized that society wouldn't have agreed with me on that.
Society would hold value in the pieces that weren't lopsided or have fingerprints in them. It used to be, once upon a time, (and sad to say I still fall off the wagon here sometimes ...) that I would agree with society on this point (or on any point) in order to avoid confrontation, being singled out or fear of being judged unworthy.
I have since learned that in order to live authentically, to truly enjoy yourself as a person, you must ignore society's values and create your own. And to truly believe that it is ok to believe differently than someone else. It's ok to like the logsided pots better than the straight ones. It's ok to believe in reincarnation. It's ok to sing in the rain, it's ok to cry at a movie that nudges your soul awake. And it's ok to be afraid.
Even though society doesn't agree.
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