Jay Jasper's Blog, page 120
October 10, 2020
How Pottery Helped My PTSD
Today is World Mental Health Day and I wanted to reshare one of my earliest WordPress posts. I wish you all a beautiful weekend 
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I have a confession to make. This blog is, after all, Confessions of a Pot-a-holic.
This is a case where I have given everything away in the headline. I mean why not? I am going to get a little vulnerable here.
My confession is that I have PTSD.
Now my intention is not to get into the reasons behind this, or how much PTSD sucks sometimes. I want to talk about the one thing that has made the biggest difference in helping my journey of healing.
Throwing pottery on a wheel.
Putting the finishing touches on a vase.Probably not the answer you were expecting. And I stumbled upon this quite by accident.
It was never my intention to learn to throw on a potter’s wheel to help my PTSD. In fact, learning how to center clay on a potter’s wheel may have made it slightly worse some days! But yet there was something about it that kept me coming back.
Was I under the spell of the clay? Or was I looking to create some order inside me?
It took me awhile to find out. I was not a natural. To be honest, I kind of sucked. I was also not in a place of order.
Like the un-centered clay I was slightly off kilter. Some days, more so than others. But, I was determined.
I would center that clay. And one day I did. Perfectly.
And beyond my joy at actually doing it I felt something else. A calmness. A peace. And maybe a little bit of serenity.
And also fear. The fear that I would never be able to do it again. That maybe it was just a fluke. That maybe it was just a lucky coincidence.
But it wasn’t. I may have not centered the clay every time perfectly. But that became a more frequent occurrence. And then it became easier and easier, until eventually I could center the clay perfectly. Every time. And it became easy.
And as I progressed, I also felt a lot more centered. It felt like being in the flow, going with the tide, floating down a gentle stream.
I have yet to master the art of levitation, but have some pretty zen days!Was the clay a metaphor for my own journey?
I believe it was more than that.
There is a moment, just before centering clay on a potters wheel, where everything goes from chaos to order. Where the clay glides effortlessly through your hands. There is a certain stillness in that moment. Not only for the hands, but also for the mind.
There is a stillness in the clay once it is centered. And for some reason it cultivates a stillness within me and as I open up the pot, raise the walls and shape it, I am in the flow.
Things don’t always go how I plan. Sometimes I pull the walls too thin. Sometimes I react too quickly and the pot gets bumped. Sometimes I stretch the clay too much when shaping it. Sometimes the pot collapses.
But do you know what the beautiful thing about clay is?
You can wedge it back together. And get it back on the wheel.
The wheel still moves, but eventually, the clay is centered.
And somehow, so am I.
Wishing you all inner peace,
The Alchemist
**Photo Credit: Peter Reid Photography**
Before There Were Gods
Many of my regular Saturday morning readers know that I have shared many stories of the gods and those whose lives they have touched. In the tradition of the ancients, I have made vases to help tell and commemorate these stories. But what about before there were gods? Well brace yourself readers, because we are going to take a trip back even further in time.
Our raku pottery vase, The Titans, commemorates the gods of old and tells the tale of a paranoid father, a wife’s revenge, a dozen larger than life gods that shared power under their younger brother Cronus and a fiery end in the lowest levels of hell.
Before the gods of Olympus, times were much simpler. People were unaware of many things. Why the sun rose and set, how seasons changed, where we came from, or even a rudimentary understanding of how their own bodies worked.
As such, the Titans easily held on to their power and grew very comfortable from their godly perch on Mount Othrys. All except Cronus, the youngest of the Titan siblings. He had been told that in the future one of his children would topple his reign. This revelation would shape and change Cronus from a carefree king of the gods to a ruler that was rather wooden.
Rhea, who was also a Titan was not very excited about the prospect of marrying Cronus. He wasn’t a very good husband, let alone father. She was so unhappy that Cronus ate her first five children, that rather than hand over Zeus she gave her husband a rock. You might say she committed Nymphicide, as she gave the infant to the Nymphs to care for.
The Titans
$250
You can read more about the original ‘kids meal’ and how Cronus ate his own children here. Personally I could not do such a thing, but to eat their own. Cronus wasn’t the type to complain about an heir in his soup.
Cronus and many of the other Titans would end up in the lowest level of the underworld called Tartarus and be punished after their saucy behaviour in a ten year war where they were overthrown by Zeus.
But where did these Titans come from? Be sure to read our story next week and find out! Let me know what you think of this story and vase, which was done in a new glaze we’ve created. You can see more pieces in this glaze here. As well, of you enjoyed this story and would like to read more like it, you can buy a whole book of them here!
Have a wonderful weekend and thanks for reading!
October 9, 2020
Can you handle it?
Sometimes, life feels overwhelming! Sometimes it feels like you can’t handle what is coming at you.
Well here are some extra handles for you! Our mugs will be ready and available for sale before the holidays! If you’d like to reserve one, add your email address in the form below to let us know. Once these mugs are fired we will contact those who have and offer them first choice!
In the meantime, why not check out our selection of one of a kind jewelry, which makes a wonderful gift.
Yes! I want an Alchemist's Studio Mug!Interested to get on the list for first mugs? Add your email address!Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.NameFirstLastEmail *I would like to be added to the Alchemist's Studio Newsletter (we will not spam nor share your email address).Yes, please include my email on the newsletter subscription listPlease check "Yes" if you agree to have your email address added.NameSubmit
And remember, often times when it feels like we are overwhelmed, it’s not because we can’t handle it. It may just be that we are doing too much!
Sending good energy to all for a wonderful weekend!
In Case You Need More Sizzle!
In case you missed it, check out our short sizzling new video for our pottery studio. It summs up our work in just over one minute. In Case You Need More Sizzle!
In Case You Need More Sizzle!
October 8, 2020
Thursday Throwdown October 8, 2020
It’s vase-to-vase combat like you have never seen before!
How it works: We share two vases and YOU vote which is your favourite! The winner will then move on to the next round to face another competitor!
In an EXTREMELY tight battle, Sobek’s Tears has lost by only a SINGLE vote to Mount Olympus. Be sure to get your votes in!
Sobek’s Tears
$90
The Series so far.
Gorgeous Vases of No Contact Wrestling
Vase Name
Gossip Girl
Phoenix Reborn
Pillar of Atlas
Evangeline
Ogopogo
Iris En Ciel
Original Twin
Kermit The Vase
Haring’s Dance
White Walker
Sobek’s Tears
Mount Olympus
Wins/Losses
0/1
2/1
0/1
4/0
0/1
0/1
0/1
1/1
0/1
1/1
1/1
1/0
And so it was that A new competitor Has entered the ring!
and this time it’s Personal!
Argus
$225
‘Argus’ tells a story that could have been a script for the Real Housewives of Olympus! It tells the tale of betrayal, a jealous goddess, a many eyed monster, a beautiful reward and livestock. Okay, maybe livestock is not be a common feature on the ‘real’ housewives … YET!
A Humble Priestess
When your father is a cult leader and you’re a woman in the ancient world, your career paths are very limited. It seemed almost natural that Io would end up as a priestess in her father’s cult in Argos dedicated to Hera. She may have thought she was in the land of milk and honey, but all that would change when she was the one producing the milk.
A lustful God
When you’re an ancient god there’s so much to keep you busy. Watching down on everyone, maybe paying a little extra attention to the younger and prettier women, can sure get the hormones flowing. And Zeus wasn’t just any god. He was THE god. And when he saw young priestess named Io in a temple dedicated to his wife he knew he must have her.
You Know Your wife is My Boss, right?
We often think of workplace harassment as a fairly modern development, but Io would have valid reason to disagree. Io worked as a devoted priestess at Hera’s temple. Zeus was Hera’s husband. Do you see where this is going?
It must have been no easy task to say no to the head honcho god, but Io did. She refused him over and over again. Of course Zeus grew tired of this, so he convinced her father to throw her out through his Oracles.
Meanwhile, Back at Olympus
No one knows exactly how Hera found out that her husband was once again lusting and chasing after someone else. A mortal no less! I’d imagine she was sitting around with some of the other goddesses and one of them ‘let it slip’ that her husband was up to his old tricks.
Whichever goddess let the news slip, must have known that Hera could become viciously jealous. Hashtag #frenemies.
This ain’t the county fair!
Right then and there Hera would have summoned Zeus immediately. And knowing Zeus, he would take his time getting there, he must have had some idea what was in store. You know the other goddesses would wait, glued to their seats for the impending events about to unfold.
Straight away, Hera wasted no time once Zeus arrived. She demanded Io be brought before them. And once she was? Hera immediately turned her into a cow. Talk about Hera ‘milking’ the situation.
Rightfully concerned that her husband would not let this end here, she had her loyal servant Argus keep an eye or a hundred on the now bovine Io. Argus was literally a monster with 100 eyes, and the namesake of our vase.
If goddesses wore hair extensions, this is when Hera would flip her hair satisfyingly.
A womanizer gets a case of conscience
Hera was not wrong about Zeus not letting go of the mortal of his desire. Perhaps his role in the transformation of poor Io into a cow impacted his conscience. Or maybe it was he still hadn’t gotten the girl after all this trouble?
Zeus decided to send messenger god Hermes to kill Argus, which he did by enchanting him into a deep sleep by playing his flute and then smiting him.
But Hera knew! And prior to the smiting she had all of Argus’ eyes transferred to the tail of a peacock. She told all her friends it was to honour his loyalty and thank her friend.
Did I mention she had a chariot pulled by peacocks?
Mount Olympus
$240
Zeus was not like the other gods. He knew what he wanted and he would get it. And he knew all it would take is a little bit of Magnum, Ferrari, or a dose of Le Tigre.
Unfortunately, meeting his philandering goals also meant killing mortals and upsetting the other gods and – much more than once – his goddess wife Hera.
“Zeus is here to set the record straight! What was Zeus to do? It was not his fault everyone wanted him! He was blessed with being “Zeus’ gift to women” everywhere! Surely, nobody could blame him for that!”
“This is complete ZeuSlander!”
Indeed, It was true that the people simply couldn’t resist him – Mostly due to him being an all powerful god,
Zeus. was. “IT.”
Zeus’ tangled love life (including many rather questionable relationships) resulted in all of these children.
His harem included
Leto who was the mother of Apollo and ArtemisSemele who was the mother of DionysusMaia who was the mother of HermesDione who was the mother of AphroditeHera, the wife of Zeus was the mother of Ares, Hebe and HephaestusDemeter, the sister and lover of Zeus, was the mother of Persephone
One thing was perfectly clear: By gods, he knew how to pose!
It was no freak gasoline fight accident that brought this vase to life, but rather, the magic of raku and when the ash was cleared, Zeuslander was left to ponder life’s important questions alone on Mount Olympus – forever searching for an answer to “why male models?”
Who will be your victor? Be sure to get your vote in BELOW!
Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.I choose this vase as the winner.ArgusMount OlympusPhoneSubmit
Their fate is now in your hands!
We will share the winner (and update from last week!) next Thursday!
October 7, 2020
On The Wheel Wednesday
It is important to remain open to all the beauty that is you, including that belly!
Because like this vase, your curves are beautiful. You are beautiful.
You are perfectly imperfect! Which when you think of it, still means you are perfect, just the way you are. In this moment.
Self acceptance and care are beautiful things we can do for ourselves! This week, I challenge you to one act of self care! Tell us about something you are going to do for your self care in the comments below. This week I am going to be focused on my yoga practice and throwing!
You can learn more about our work here at the studio and what we are all about in just one minute. Check out our introductory video and subscribe to our youtube channel, which I am hoping to hitting 100 subscribers, so I can finally get my own link!
October 5, 2020
Monday Morning Motivation
Happy Monday! Some weeks this sounds like an oxymoron for many as we start a new week, which is usually announced by some jarring return to work. But Mondays can be powerful days.
I don’t know about all of you, but since the pandemic, remaining motivated is one of my biggest struggles. Everything I want to do seems so small in light of the many problems that 2020 has shone a light on. And these problems like lack of racial justice/equality, a global pandemic, leaders who tell people not to wear a mask and then gets a deadly virus because of his carelessness, and all the holes in our social safety net that said leader will likely to choose to ignore from his top notch medical facility.
It seems like the hits have kept coming. It’s hard to roll with the punches when they keep coming and it feels like you have a blindfold on. But I think I am finally learning.
Regardless of all the crazy the world is throwing at us now and the temptation to crawl into a prepper’s bunk, remember one thing:
We all have our own beautiful light to shine on the world, and that includes you. Together we can be a crack in the darkness where light shines through.
It may feel hard to accomplish anything moving forward blind. But when moments of being in the flow anything can happen. Including throwing a piece of pottery blindfolded like this one:
Tiresia’s ProphecyYou can see more raku pottery vases here.
What is motivating you these days and what are your dreams, hopes and goals for the rest of 2020?
October 4, 2020
This Week At The Studio In Photos
The studio outside in early fall
The first of the window boxes has been created inside the new studio building
After our last white owl flew south, we have created a new one to add to the flock
As the evenings become cooler, we found time to sit around the fire
Four Tree Topper Angels made their way to the Raku Christmas page
A new series of mugs has been thrown, and handles are being added.Are you a fan of handmade ceramic mugs?
That’s been the week here.
How’s your week been?
October 3, 2020
We Love To Share Pictures
And if a picture is worth 1000 words then Our YouTube Channel is a whole conversation!
We Share great content like our Highlight Reel
Throwing videos
and even special content like our RakU Christmas video
Our Raku Christmas page is now updated with items like Raku Christmas Trees and Ornaments and even includes the addition of a select few tree topper angels.
so if you like our studio photos . . .
And also enjoy the videos you have seen above, please consider subscribing here.
We are aiming to hit 100 subscribers so we can get our custom URL and are only 16 away from our goal!
We would really appreciate your support.
Sincerely,
The Alchemist
We love to share pictures
And if a picture is worth 1000 words then Our YouTube Channel is a whole conversation!
We Share great content like our Highlight Reel
Throwing videos
and even special content like our RakU Christmas video
Our Raku Christmas page is now updated with items like Raku Christmas Trees and Ornaments and even includes the addition of a select few tree topper angels.
so if you like our studio photos . . .
And also enjoy the videos you have seen above, please consider subscribing here.
We are aiming to hit 100 subscribers so we can get our custom URL and are only 16 away from our goal!
We would really appreciate your support.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
The Alchemist
