Back in Los Angeles
Upon my return to Los Angeles, I realized how transformational my visit to Kasama was. Experiencing the traditional Japanese pottery environment, the kiln firing, the old pottery set up in the studio, the natural clay to make pots, all was tremendously exciting. I was fortunate to make friendships with many genuine Japanese potters. They accepted me as a “member” of their community and although there is a significant language barrier, I felt that I have a new home in Kasama. I was determined to build on my experience. Before I left Kasama, I had a discussion with Okudasan about me purchasing a small house where I could live part of the year and make pots. This was an idea that I wanted to explore yet I knew that I would need a lot of help from my friends in Kasama. However, sometimes it is important to have dreams that one keeps in mind so one can develop a new vision for ones future.
When I got back to my wheel and the stoneware clay I use here in California, I also felt that even though it’s a much different clay body I apparently had made progress with my throwing technique. I was much less uncertain about my manipulations, had more confidence in making challenging shapes and overall felt as if I made a huge leap forward. I began to pay a lot more attention to small details, worked on consistency in shapes, forms and learned to make that same piece multiple times. To do so requires a lot of practice, but equally important one needs to have a firm grip on the shape and purpose and expressive characteristics of the pieces that one wants to create. In the traditional Japanese and perhaps in the general world of folk pottery, shapes and forms of a particular ceramic workshop (kiln) developed over centuries and were handed down through generations of potters. Thus the shape, decoration and size and functionality of traditional Japanese pots are deeply embedded in history while my search for the form and shape seems like the search for my identity. Who am I? What is my destiny in pottery? Why am I so “infatuated” with the Japanese esthetics? Where exactly would I like to go with my pottery making? My exposure to the traditional Japanese pottery world stirred up deep existential issues and I admit I have no answers. Yet, one of the deeply rooted spiritual approaches to life in the Japanese culture is to trust the “Universe” and focus on the journey rather than the destiny. I have work to do in this regard as in our Western culture, the product is more important than the process.
