POINTS OF ENTRY

MEGAN DOING ROKU

I recently began something new…a class called INTUITIVE HAND BUILDING. My best friend has been doing ceramics and invited me to join her in this class, so I did. The name alone caught my attention. I am an intuitive artist, so I thought this would be the right approach for me to begin something new. When I approach anything new it is important to find A POINT OF ENTRY!!!!!!!!!!!!

ROKU KILN (new things)

Ok, lots of things are new about this experience. First off, it’s from 7-930 PM…now if you know me, you know I love to be in bed by 9pm…I like to be home at night and in my pjs early. I am an early to bed early to rise kinda gal. So, this time frame of creating is different and a bit disorienting, Honestly. I like it.I am almost in a dream state when I am there AND it is reminding me that creativity can THRIVE in disorientation and disruption.

THIS IS THE ANDREW WHO TOLD ME TO JUST, “MAKE SHIT”….he also taught me the process of firing and roku

The class room is full of people who sign up over and over again. They all know each other. There are MEN in the class and they are all named ANDREW…not kidding…everyone sits in the same place every time. They are extremely kind in that they all share information and are very helpful when I need to know anything. The class is called intuitive hand building and let me tell you…there is a facilitator and she will help you, but, truly, you’re on your own. You get a bag of clay and you go. So, the generosity of the students and their experience is very much appreciated.

So, the first night I got my bag of clay and I was OVERWHELMED by the room. The work space is cluttered. FILLED with all the things you use with clay. I heard the facilitator say, “how you do anything is how you do everything”. I honestly am not sure if I can apply that to all…but in this case it was my POINT OF ENTRY. When I approach anything creative I do it intuitively. I am bringing my interior experience to the medium. I simplify. I find a place that I can begin and I challenge myself to be BAD at it. Make the worst piece of pottery ever….release the pressure to know or to be good. Be new, explore and pretend you are a primitive person…the first to ever touch clay, what would that be like….boom, I am on my way.

What became interesting to me was the synchronicity of working with CLAY. In my personal development I am really attuning to nature to help me attune to my insight. My current focus internally has been about GROUNDING. Learning how to be more embodied and ground my energy. I have done my birth chart and I have NO EARTH signs anywhere in my chart. Which means I am way more in the spirit realms than in this body and in this realm. So, I smiled when I realized, oh, I am here to really work with EARTH material. My approach is what does CLAY have to teach me? That first class I stripped everything away…all the chaos of being new and new materials and all there is to learn and I just SAT WITH CLAY. The work was tuning out of what was happening in class (chaos/whateveryone else was making and doing/no direction/new people/new class/new materials/etc) and tune into my experience. I have to get acquainted to this new material, space, people. This is a new sensory experience. Embodiment work is a lot about ORIENTATION and sensory. Being inside this body and being present with what happens on the inside when my surroundings are new. I find my breath, I tune into what this clay has to teach me. I decided to ENJOY this new experience. In so doing, I set an intention. All I have to do is introduce my whole self to this new experience. I took everything off the table that felt overwhelming and found the place where I could find stability.

That orientation felt so inwardly kind to myself. Just to be new. Be humble. Turning towards something and allowing it to be small. Allowing exploration and play. Dare I say enchantment. Just BEING in a chair with clay in my hands. I made NO THING that class. I just felt the clay and literally began to build a relationship with the material. I am curious about what IT WANTS TO BE. Same way I am with paint. When I work with a material it comes with it’s own nature. I am collaborating with it. So, I think it is always important to humble myself to take the media in and understand that it has a say in the creation of things.

One of the Andrews said to me the first night, “just start making shit and fire it.” It was an incredible point of entry. His point being, don’t be so precious with it. You can get stuck there…just begin making and firing. Shit is gonna break and turn out NOT the way you originally desired…so be loose. Play open. I liked that. He showed me 100 things that had been fired of his that didn’t work ou the way he had planned and he told me that he works with the “mistakes”. He is in relationship with it in a way that I understand. Andrew has oriented himself with the materials in a way that feels sacred to me. So, class number two I just made a bunch of shit. With my hands. It was very intuitive and playful. I made a bowl, a mug with a face, a pinch pot with a lid…I’ll share pics when I get back to the studio….they may all blow up in the kiln…that’s a thing…I release the outcome. I actually love the element of surprise. It reminded me of a time before digital cameras and waiting for film to develop. So, good of a practice to wait. To allow for a process to take over. Humility of knowing I’m not in charge, I played a part, but there is so much more happening that isn’t in my hands.

I was grateful to begin this class before I facilitated, “The Nature of Creativity”. It gave me great insight on what it is to be new at something. How courageous it is to not know and show up vulnerable. I have deep respect for people when they allow themselves a new experience and approach it with humility and curiosity. I want to be able to facilitate in a way that holds space for new orientations and process. I love the work that comes from that place. I often look back at my first painting and see GENIUS. It is the the place I am trying to get back to. It was so pure.

Being new, beginning is RAW. I feel like it is the best place to be. The not knowing and allowing for discovery. To begin to witness yourself in new things and being able to find a point of entry that is YOU is where the magic is. I encourage everyone reading this to bring yourself to new experiences in this way. Know yourself and how you approach anything and apply it to everything, this is your POINT OF ENTRY.

Many blessings to you all and much love in your new endeavors.

L E S L I E