Taking Up The Four Agreements

Alright, enough talk about work and pots already! Another project I’ve taken up recently is to TRY and live the Four Agreements as best as I can. At the same time, I’m reading the book (yes I am late to join the movement – the book was published in 1997 – but now is a good time for me!).

If, like me, you’ve never heard about the agreements up till now, here’s a summary I found:

The Four Agreements

1. Be Impeccable with your Word; Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. Avoid using the Word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others. Use the power of your Word in the direction of truth and love.

2. Don’t Take Anything Personally; Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won’t be the victim of needless suffering.

3. Don’t Make Assumptions; Find the courage to ask questions and to express what you really want. Communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings, sadness and drama. With just this one agreement, you can completely transform your life.

4. Always Do Your Best; Your best is going to change from moment to moment; it will be different when you are healthy as opposed to sick. Under any circumstance, simply do your best, and you will avoid self-judgment, self-abuse, and regret.

Even the first agreement will be a challenge. Like sculpting clay, I shall try to shape my mind and world with the words I choose. I’ve realised that many of the ways I phrase my questions and statements are ingrained – the result of habit – but why see things the same way always? Every experience and every instance should be treated separately. And so I shall try.

Read more about the book here: Toltec Spirit and find the book on Amazon

Painted Sake Cups!

A few weeks ago, I sold a set of sake cups to artist Abbey Ryan, who has a project – to paint a painting a day. And now it’s been painted! Here are the cups before painting:

And here is the piece at Abbey’s blog (click to the blog home to see even more paintings that she’s done). I am stoked!

I was so happy to wake up and see this… and now it is back to work… busy busy day, with lots of work to wrap up before going diving in Kapalai. It is just the storm before the lull

2010 Updates

Mug with a Galaxy on its side

Awesome Drip!

Steppes - Trio of Manta Plates

Like the desert sands, and seabottoms

My First Teapot!

The First Teapot's Less Successful Brother

Mushrooms For Your Windowsill Garden

More Unassuming Bodies

Dark Bodies

It’s been a lean and mean past two months, with lots of high-pressure work in a lot of a hurry, and not much time to pot, and pots coming out all whack. But some turned out good… like the cup with the galaxy on its side, which I am using myself for rosebud and oolong tea in the afternoons, and the painted and dimensional surface of the faceted brown vessel (the result of some half-brained glazing), and two first teapots, from which I am learning much – I could have watched some tutorials or read up more before making these, but instead I am learning firsthand that spouts have to reach up to the top of the pot (water level… duh…) and that the lids are best made with a foot that lodges it nicely into the body (safer to pour)… I’ve got some new, more interesting neti pots on the way, and some experimental cut and fold pots too … just give me another month or so

Imaginary Homes

In Malaysia, we’ve got these really charming old shophouses that are special to this region. Because of the intense sun and heat, architects back then devised the 5-foot way, a public walking area built into the front of commercial lots. The top floors would overhang the ground floor, creating a shady lane for people to walk in, passing from shop to shop without getting in the sun. I also learnt from a art history teacher that some early versions of these shophouses had little peepholes with a sliding door on the floor above, looking over the front of the shops. With this, the shopowner, who would normally sleep on the front room of the first floor, could easily peek at who was knocking on the door. If you didn’t like the person and wanted him to go away, you could just empty your chamber pot into the hole.

Thinking of this and herb gardens, I made these little houses one weekend afternoon. Scientist sis helped too – you can kinda see that different hands made the first three houses on the left.

Tiny thumb houses, with names of herbs stamped on the back, just in case you need pot markers

They are handy as pot markers for herb seedlings. We have ‘mint’, ‘thyme’, ‘rosemary’, ‘curry’, ‘basil’ and I can’t remember what else. I always think it’s a shame to see a empty pot, so these do to fill in the landscape while the seedlings sprout! If I ever start making terrariums, these would be really cute too.

But, they aren’t accurate shoplots… I think I should make another architecturally correct batch of wee shops

Why Clay Gods, WHY?

I had such happy hopes and high expectations for these casseroles, but they came out of the last firing WITH SKIN DISEASE! WARTS! GADDANGIT! Arrrr! Like magic they appeared, and now I am wondering if it is from the clay I recycled, and did not knead enough. Well that is most likely the case. I don’t think it is because of iron in it which is one of the possibilities teacher put forth. And they are also deformed for some reason. OH WELL. Letting it go…

Wartapop takes the lead in the race to reach the rim of the bowl

Would you run and hide if this creature showed up at pot luck?

Which brings me to a thought I’ve been nursing for a while. I want to write a book or at least a short paper on ‘Pottery Thought’ or ‘Lessons learned from potting’ or something like that. Maybe I need a snazzier title… but the point is, in learning how to work with clay, I feel I’ve learned a LOT about what it is to be human and dealing with the world.  For one, I’ve learned to let go I’ve learned to work with great faith and hopeful expectations, yet deal when disaster strikes. I’ve learned to listen to the personality of the material i’m working with, instead of insisting with my will (a useful skill when dealing with other humans too!).  I’ve learned to think before doing, to imagine before starting. I’ve learned to breathe as I work. The more I work with clay, these little epiphanies happen!

Which leads me to wonder…  and want to spend even more time with this material that asks for just a little understanding, and then gives and gives and gives.

And now, to think of a use for warty pots, or else to the smash and crash with it!

Touch of Clay Exhibition at Badan Warisan 2009

Works by teacher and students

Sculptural work by Cheah Yeow Seng

Bowl by Margaret Fenn

Some pieces by James Seet

A nice and lopsided square pouring bowl...

Good cuppas for sale...

Beautiful candle-light dispersers

Lumpy urn - I like!

Lacework on clay...

Badan Warisan, an organisation that champions Malaysian heritage, is housed in a converted colonial bungalow just down the road from the Petronas twin towers

Now I’m inspired again. But, weirdly, also slightly dampened… I have so much to learn, and there are so many techniques I’ve yet to even try, let alone master!

You can find out more about the exhibition and Badan Warisan here.

Yoga Set

Yoga Wisdom Stones

Rustic Broth - Oil Burner

Shadowplay Oil Burner

Cauldron Oil Burner

Hamsa Incense Holder 1

Hamsa Incense Holder 2

Ahimsa means to do no harm

Stones to hold in the palm of your hand, each a reminder of a pillar of wisdom

Just fired, the yoga pieces. I was slightly disappointed at first that the red clay fired to different colours, and that the oil burner parts were not matching because of this, but now I am attuned to the delights of this difference – look at the hues on the stones, they are beautiful.

Snap Crackle Pop! Raku Workshop at Gaya Ceramic

Oi. It’s been a week since I got back from Bali, almost, and finally, a chance to catch my breath I had the most amazing time at a raku workshop – for all of two weeks, it was non-stop making and learning and firing and smoke. All this was accomplished in the best of company – there were in total 6 of us at the workshop from far-out corners of the globe, with three of the most passionate and knowledgeable teachers ever – Marcello (throwing sensei), Michela (glaze sensei) and Hillary (all-around sensei and world-traveler) at GAYA Ceramic & Design. I am still reeling from the massive amount of information I’ve absorbed, and itching to get my hands in clay to practice what I’ve learnt All this workshopping was sustained with some excellent two-hour lunches at the GAYA restaurant, mostly Italian and some local fare, and delectable cookies accompanying coffee. We even got to see a bit of Bali on two days out, bouncing over narrow roads with views of ricefields and mountains to take your heart away.

What I will remember most fondly though, is the utter sincerity of the teachers in conveying their knowledge, and the inspiring space all of it took place in. The factory space downstairs was FILLED with beautiful work, all handmade by a troupe of the most cheerful Balinese boys to incredible finish and precision. The space we participants worked in was completely equipped, a bamboo plateau open on all sides to let in sun and wind. Bliss! No wonder I was so bummed out on coming home…

Hillary, Marcello & Michela talking glaze and rrrraku

Mixing glaze with a TOILET BRUSH effective

Learning about 'naked raku' with Michela. Many of us spent whole afternoons burnishing patiently away with a little bit of coconut shell or a black marble pebble to get the perfect surface for this effect.

Playing with fire and smoke: Marcello demos some of the combustible materials used for raku. You can see the kiln at back.

Like performers revealed on stage, the gleaming hot pieces are the centre of attention!

Making stuff to fire in the workspace... look at those shell bowls Hillary is making...

This is where I was throwing...

It wasn't all work... we saw some beautiful sights. HOWEVER this guy asked us to take a picture of him... and then asked for money -_- disgustos.

Some of the objects I made yayyy

Treasury Feature: LOVE Fall by munieca

Only until Friday Oct 23rd, click here to follow up any of these Etsy treasures.

School of Hard Knocks, Royal Selangor Visitor Centre

This Saturday, scientist sis and I attended the School of Hard Knocks. If you’ve never heard of it, this is the Royal Selangor visitor centre in Setapak, Kuala Lumpur, where you can go on a tour of the history/facts on pewter, see how skilled craftspeople make pewter parts and baubles (fascinating stuff!), do some expensive shopping (optional) and for a small fee of RM50, bang out your very own pewter plate.

That’s my idea of a good weekend

We were greeted by a friendly tour guide at the base of the building. The guides come in multiple languages – I remember hearing some Korean and Japanese the last time I was at the factory. This one had memorised all the facts and figures and could tell us anything off the top of his head. And he talked very fast! Walking through the factory, we got to try our hand at hammering a design on a tumbler. You have to hit the same spot TWICE to make a nice indentation, and then move on to the next spot. Not as easy as it looks… our guide told us that most apprentices have to practice for 6 months before mastering this exercise.

There was also a station where you can see how pewter is cast… kind of like a slip mold, except that pewter solidifies in about 2 seconds, so you have to be very quick. It was gratifying to see each pewter handle drop out of its mold with a solid CLUNK. I think at some point of my life, I wouldn’t mind being a factory worker here…  except that the starting pay is something like RM800

So what happened at the School of Hard Knocks?

First things first, we were introduced to a hand-sized disc of pewter, still flat and untouched. This, it was explained to us, would become our plate after some amount of hammering.

Then we had to knock in our words/names on the discs with these:

Every workstation has a set of these neatly labeled alphabet stamps

Then the merciless malleting began!

We hammered to heart's content - almost! It was no place for a hangover.

Simple yet effective tools

Mayne's plate xoxo!

My plate. Next time I am bringing a nice long favourite passage from a book

Mayne and her 'certificate'

Our plates were hustled into tissue wrappers and cardboard boxes. Then we were hustled into the store downstairs! It was 5 mins away from closing time, so we were running around like chickens taking pictures here and there…

The largest beer tankard IN THE WORLD!

Sis tries to take a sip...

We'll be back!

I wish I could bang out a couple of these plates every day…