Centering. I began my crafts career as a studio potter, and spent many long hours learning the craft and developing my skill. I totally enjoyed what I was doing, and I have often felt that I could return to my former life as a potter without loss of stride. I know that is illusion, however. Throwing pots on the wheel really requires practice and lots of it. It is interesting that we "turn" wood on the lathe, but we describe what we do on the potter's wheel as "throwing." One is an extractive process, cutting away, and the other is a process of shaping a dense mass of plastic, near fluid material into larger shape and form.

While the processes are completely different, there are internal requirements for the artist that are the same, and throwing a pot is a great example of how we first shape the quality of our attention before shaping the material. This is related to the attention required to engage the working surface as described in the last post and can actually be applied to nearly every human activity.

The potter first carefully wedges the clay in a process similar to kneading dough. The purpose is to make certain that the clay is uniform in texture and even in moisture content and density throughout and also to make certain that there are no air bubbles that could appear later in the process to weaken the walls of the pot as they arise from the wheel. Wedging is a very physical process requiring strength and attention.

Next the potter places the clay firmly at the center of the wheel and presses or pats it down to adhere. A bit of water on the wheel prior to patting the clay in place will help it to stick. Some potters throw the clay down at the center of the wheel.

After starting the wheel in motion, the potter braces his or her arms in closely to the body to form a rigid structure, allowing the strength of the hands to "center" the clay. This process, called centering, creates a perfectly uniform hump of clay on the wheel that is essential to all that happens next.

When the hump of clay is perfectly uniform the potter uses his or her fingers to make a hole in the center of the hump and begins to squeeze the clay between the fingers, slightly pulling the clay outward and up to begin shaping the pot.

While only one part of the process is actually called "centering the clay," every part of the process can be called "centering the potter." If the potter's mind should move away from the intense requirement for attention to the working surface, the clay revolts. If the potter's mind moves away from centering on the working surface, the clay moves off center as well. Let the mind wander...the pot wanders. Wander for more than a moment and the pot fails.

While the lathe is a different tool, the centering is the same. If the mind wanders, the tool slips, often damaging the surface and forcing the craftsman to adopt unplanned changes in the shape of the object. Intense concentration is required to get good results. While many materials are less demanding than wood or clay, centering is the same. In working with many materials, the off-centeredness of the maker may not be as clearly visible as the failure of a pot. But being centered, in control of attention and its placement on the working surface can be a tool that adds significance and meaning to everything we do. Talking with a friend... writing or reading a blog.

Are you able to recognize when you are on or off center? Working with your hands in making beautiful objects is a means to find your center and develop your powers of attention, and what you learn can be broadly applied to nearly every situation in life... Just one more reason why we need to be teaching woodworking in schools.

The mug in the photo above is one of the few pieces remaining from my former life as a potter. It was made in 1976.