BENNIE HAVENGA: Pottery allows one to be as creative as they like, some stuff do require more practice than others but anyone can get into it. Most of the work I do is on the wheel and I love making big pots and vases that you can use at home and a lot of the time I gift them to friends and family.
A place to relax and destress while making something beautiful.
Pottery Lane in Darrenwood has become an escape from the hustle and bustle of the city to many of its attendees.
Founder of Pottery Lane, Michelle Custer said that in the years she has run the classes and taught the craft, the one thing people enjoy most is its ability to destress while making an item that can be put in their home or gifted to a loved one. Custer added, “It’s a craft that anyone can do, you don’t have to be creative or artistic. Anyone can make something beautiful, from a little bowl to a sculpture. It’s also something you do with your hands so it’s very therapeutic and I believe it’s becoming a popular craft.”
Those in attendance of her recent session on a Saturday morning agreed. They differed in how long they had been doing pottery but shared the same feelings of mindfulness, peace, calm and relaxation pottery gives them. Custer said, “Everybody needs a place where they feel comfortable and relaxed and do something without judgement. I really try make the experience something they cherish and want to come back to.”
Have a look at what some of them had to say:
Pottery Lane founder Michelle Custer talks about pottery. Photo: Andile DlodloLEE-ANN SCHMIDT: Learning new skills in pottery keeps me coming back here. Just when you think you’ve mastered something new, you discover there’s more to it. It’s also not as easy as it looks and therefore requires you to focus on what you’re doing, taking you away from things that stress and disturb you.ALEX METCALFE: My friend once brought me here and it helped me with the stress of school, it was quite therapeutic. It also helped express and explore my creative side. I’m currently making a dish with a face on it and so far it’s going well.CHANEL MORIAS: Being here is when I get to be my most creative. I love the people I’m with because we are all on the same wave length. It’s relaxing and calming.CLINT PAYNE: It’s really just a creative escape from sitting at home. It’s also very mindful as when you are doing it you have to focus on what’s in front of you and what you are doing, not all these other things that stress you.KATHLEEN MCNAUGHTON: When you work with the clay it’s meditative and it’s incredibly relaxing, it’s like mindfulness practice. It’s also a really great social activity, everybody that comes her is very nice and relaxed so you immediately feel very welcomed.BEV NEL: I love the fact that you can do anything with clay, sometimes it’s successful, sometimes it’s not but that’s the way life is. I’m currently making a glass bowl with frog details in it and I’ve been working on it for the last week.
