How a pottery class changed my life for the better

By Rachel Sankey

At the beginning of June, I found myself seated at a pottery wheel alongside a handful of others who were interested in learning the fundamentals of ceramics.

I’ve always been a creative person, but it was my roommate who encouraged me to try out a class. At the time, I found myself taking my work home with me more often than not, and it seems my stress and exhaustion were palpable throughout our apartment. She was hoping ceramics would provide me with an outlet that would help both my mental and physical wellbeing.

And she was right. For the last six months, I’ve remained a studio member. There is something so meditative about the act of throwing on the wheel. Once I get into a flow state, I’m paying attention to what the clay wants to do and follow its movements, almost like a sort of dance. By participating in an open studio, I’ve also become part of a community of other local ceramicists who enjoy making pottery as much as I do.

In light of recent events such as the Nov. 5 election and the impending doom that is the busyness of the holidays, I’ve been spending more time at the studio than normal. It’s led me to wonder what kind of research has been done on the physical and mental impacts on creating, and what avenues have been made to bring people together under that same act of creating to improve each person’s livelihood.

After a little bit of research, I stumbled across the concept of ‘social prescribing‘ – connecting people to activities and groups, often around arts and culture, to improve their overall health and wellbeing.

Typically, social prescribing starts with your doctor, which leads to a referral to a “link worker,” who then learns more about your situation and recommends certain activities that could help improve the problems at hand.

For example, in an article from the University of Florida, married couple Keith and Stephanie Early attended a pilot program where they were “prescribed” to attend a blacksmithing class once a week.

The act of connecting the couple to arts and cultural activities was meant to help them and heal from the PTSD they both have as veterans.

Not only did Keith and Stephanie have a positive experience, but Keith continued working with the blacksmith from the program after the pilot ended.

Blacksmithing is just one example. Participating in a community garden, attending a musical performance, going on a group nature walk, or – you guessed it – joining a ceramics studio, are just a few examples of what someone’s “prescription” could be.

Now, I’m not saying you should schedule an appointment with your doctor to learn if social prescribing is an option for you – especially since the U.S. does not yet have any policies set in place yet. However, I do think there are some fundamental ideas we can cherry-pick from social prescribing to implement in our daily lives – such as engaging in an arts or cultural activity, finding a community within that activity, and being consistent with that activity.

I’ll use my experience of joining my ceramics studio as an example.

I started ceramics to help cope with the abnormal amount of stress I was dealing with. The new hobby became an outlet for me to build something with my hands, which I found both liberating and stress-relieving.

However, a new hobby meant a new skillset to learn. I’d be remiss if I didn’t admit that the first few weeks of class I was more frustrated than not. It took time and a consistent effort on my end to become more comfortable working with clay and therefore enjoying it.

It didn’t happen overnight, but as time has gone on, I’ve also developed my own little community within the ceramics studio. To be surrounded by others who have the same passion has become half the joy of going to the studio. We learn from one another and are all better potters because of it.

My example may not work for you, and that is okay. The great thing is that there are so many different options you can choose from that provide both an activity and a community to help your overall wellbeing. It could be starting a book club with your friends or going on a weekly nature walk with your neighbor.

With finals and the holidays on the horizon, and any other stressors that may come up, I highly recommend taking some of the practices of social prescribing and implementing them into your routine if you can. I hope it helps you as it did me.

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