Working at the clay field

I first fell in love with pottery in 2018.

Working at the clay field went beyond what I ever imagined. To say that it’s a powerful form of art therapy feels like it barely scrapes the surface of its potential.

There are so many aspects to explore in terms of the transformative process that takes place when we are working with clay- the physical benefits of hands in the clay (certain types of clay actually contain compounds that have anti-depressive properties), the physiological benefits (working at the clay field engages our haptic perceptions, creates powerful connections between our hands and our brains, and allows us to enter into a deep mediative state) as well as the creative and spiritual benefits (which some would argue are deeply interwoven).

(I was reading a book not too long ago that was talking about a culture from long ago, and their practices around spiritually raising their children, and the discussion was around this emphasis of creativity and beauty being the means by which we raise spiritual children- I believe the quote was something to the effect of “For children, these pure spiritual beings, experiencing beauty and spirituality are one and the same.”)

When my family moved north in 2023, it felt like it was time to set up my own home studio. So here we are. It took a few years to get the studio set up but we started running classes in the Fall, and we’ll be picking back up again for the spring in a few weeks.

In looking at my desire in sharing here on social media and in this space, to share opportunities for others to join me in the studio, opportunities to buy handmade pottery, I feel like it’s also important to share what I’m learning as I dive more deeply into this topic of healing at the clay field.

In reflecting on how to authentically show up and share what this journey looks like, I believe that these deeper discussions into why pottery is something that I fell in love with, is just so foundational.

There’s a phenomenal book on the subject, “Trauma Healing at the Clay Field: A Sensorimotor Art Therapy Approach” (Cornelia Elbrecht, 2013). This is one of my favourite sections from the book:

“Every movement of the hands leaves an imprint in the clay. Every impulse destroys and creates simultaneously. To creates requires the courage to destroy. Individuals who have been overwhelmed by destruction lose their inability to create. They freeze in terror; they dissociate, sometimes for decades to come.

Our life movements are mirrored by every imprint the hands leave in the clay. These life movements tell our story. They tell of the movements we were taught, those that were forbidden and those we shied away from in fear.

However, the same life movement…will always strive to heal and rebalance the psyche, especially if unhampered by the “should” of social conditioning.

The rectangular box filled with clay, the Clay Field, becomes a representation of “the world”. It is a safe place for the hands to explore and tell their story. To touch the clay- this primal material that plays a role in almost all creation myth- reconnects us with our learned ways of understanding and dealing with the world, but also without instincts and with our ability to heal.” (16-17)

When I first experienced pottery, it was a time in my life where I was deeply entrenched in what felt like heart-wrenching work.

I had recently moved back from Windsor, having just graduated with my Master’s in Social Work and my Juris Doctor (law degree), and recently finished my Master’s placement as a trauma-informed counsellor at a live-in facility for mental health and addiction. I was completing my law articles at a law firm and was sitting on the board of directors for a second-stage home for survivors of human trafficking.

Prior to that, I was coming out of 8 years of working with survivors of human trafficking, both internationally and domestically. I had worked with women and children in Pogradec, Albania, then Kiev, Ukraine then eventually Tijuana and Ensenada Mexico, who were victims, survivors or at high risk of sex trafficking, organ trafficking, forced labour and begging, amongst other forms of human cruelty.

When I came back from working abroad and began working with a team in Toronto to set up then staff a safe house for survivors here in Canada, which led me to seeing the need for individuals who have the knowledge in how to navigate the Canadian legal system. I soon found myself at law school completing my Juris Doctor along with my master’s in social work. I did my masters placement as a trauma-informed counsellor at a mental health and addictions live-in facility and was on the board of directors for a second-stage home for survivors of human trafficking.

Then one evening, I did a drop-in pottery class with my husband and a few friends and that was it. I sat down at the pottery wheel and everything went quiet. The endless spiral of thoughts slowed down. The endless heartbreak all felt like it was focused into the vessel between my hands.

I don’t think that I realized the impact of the secondary trauma until I began to heal from it.

That first night I did pottery, the teacher, Nina told me to come back. And so I did.

I went on to complete my articles (legal internship), write the bar (law exam) then got hired by a law firm that focuses on social justice issues and found myself working on case after case of charter and human rights violations. By day, I would speak with and advocate for survivor after survivor of heart-wrenching experiences, and in the evenings, I would find myself back in Nina’s class, sitting at the pottery wheel for hours.

When Covid hit and I had my daughter, a lot of things shifted. We decided to leave the suburb we were living in and move north, to a multigenerational home, on a beautiful three-acres with the perfect heated workshop on the property. It felt like it was time to set up my own home studio.

And as this sacred healing space begins to form, on this beautiful land, I invite you to come and join me, to experience for yourself the healing that comes in working at the clayfield.

And I also want to say, thank you. Thank you for joining me in this space and being a part of this journey. Thank you to everyone who has walked me this far, supporting me, and