A "Professional" Potter

You might remember that I had the very good fortune of finding a beautiful pottery studio during my first week in Berlin.  Then the owner, Cordula, gave me the incredible opportunity to run her shop while she was on vacation with her family.  If you forget that story, you can always read it again.  It's basically one of the best things that happened to me in Berlin.  And the great news is, my pottery story has continued to get better and better!

At this time, I would really like to formally introduce you to Cordula... well, as formally as one can introduce another person via blog post.  

Here she is, standing in front of her beautiful pottery!  Cordula has owned Feuer Zeug Keramik for about 13 years and opened the shop after finishing her degree in ceramics.  I don't know if this is actually true, but from my perspective, she is a bit of an institution when it comes to pottery in Berlin.  She has taught countless pottery classes to people all over the city and she provides a firing service, meaning she will bake other people's raw pots in her kiln.  A month ago, I went to an art exhibit featuring sculptures by a local artist that Cordula had fired!  

Outside of her pottery life, Cordula has a lovely family and a very sweet one-and-a-half-year-old that keeps her on her toes.  Which brings me to my next point...

Running a pottery business and raising a child can occasionally conflict with one another.  The waiting list for Cordula's classes had been building up, so one day, I took a leap and mentioned that although I had never taught a class before, I would be very interested in trying if it might help her.  Admittedly, I have never studied ceramics the way Cordula did in a university, but I do have 5-6 years of experience under my belt, I have had 3 terrific teachers (Erica, Tom, and Audry), and I have quality educators in my family tree.  I can't think of a better way to share my love for pottery than teaching it to other people, and I had confidence that I would be able to explain the process to a group of beginners.  

Cordula took me up on the offer.  

Two weeks later, I was opening the graffitied shutters to Cordula's brother's wine shop.  

The teaching studio is in the room behind the wine shop.  Just past that white door is a magical world of clay!

In the studio, there are five wheels where I taught my very first class of five students for 2 hours every Wednesday at 11am.  

It was quite an international group.  We had representation from Germany (obviously), Switzerland, Spain, the US (that was me), and Austrailia!  I taught in English which worked well most of the time.  Every now and again I'd say a less common word and get some confused looks.  "Spin the wheel" was a minor issue... I guess spin isn't at the top of the English vocab list.  But generally I'd say it went pretty smoothly!  

My students were lovely people and very eager to learn pottery.  I made sure to arrive at least 30 minutes early so I could get set up because a few of them would be waiting at the door by a quarter of eleven, anxious to dive into the clay.  

I started each class with a demonstration of how to throw a bowl or a cup using the wheel while providing verbal instructions so my students could absorb the techniques visually and auditorially before trying it out themselves.  Cordula was in the studio during my first class and listened in on my instructions as she unloaded the kiln.  

The next time I saw her she gave me one of the best compliments I may have ever received.  

She casually asked, "Do you know who Bob Ross is?"  

YES!  I LOVE Bob Ross.  If you've never watched his show, "The Joy Of Painting," you just gotta do it.  Particularly if you are feeling stressed in any way, or maybe a bit overwhelmed and you just want to bliss out for thirty minutes (I mean that in a drug-free way) while feeling truly empowered a the same time.  Bob Ross has a magical way of making everyone feel like they too can be the most incredible artist as well as the happiest person on the face of the Earth.  He's simply mesmerizing.  

I'm not sure which components of my pottery instructions were Bob Ross-like, but I don't think it was my hairstyle that caused her to draw the comparison.  

Student pottery before glaze

Although my students each learned that pottery is much harder than it looks, in the end, all five were able to take home at least 3 pieces that I think they deserve to feel proud of!  I certainly was proud of each of them. 

I was glad to be the one to unload the kiln to reveal their finished products.  

Vases, bowls, and cups came out in a rich assortment of colors.  I might be a bit biased, but compared to other new students, I think my class's pieces were among the best!  Not bad for first-time potters!

Meanwhile, I've continued to work on my own projects in the shop.  Cordula lets me open the store and work on the wheel during the days that she is home with her little son.  Even though I have several years of pottery behind me, I still feel like my work gets a little bit better with each piece that I make.  The walls of the mug get a little thinner, the handle becomes better proportioned, the whole thing is a bit larger so you can have an adult-sized cup of coffee rather than a shot of espresso. 

I like making cuvier mugs with a big bottom and a skinny neck toward top like the collection in the picture above.  I think it helps your beverage stay hotter a little bit longer since there is less surface area exposed to the cool air.  

I've been working on teapots too.  They are a bit trickier and definitely a time-consuming process.  There is a reason why handmade teapots cost upwards of $75.  Attaching a spout is no joke!  

I'm quite pleased with my unglazed collection!

My mugs work well too!  They are the perfect size for a latte macchiato just the way I like it: 

2 ounces of espresso

a solid cup of foamed milk

 and a generous portion of cinnamon and sugar!

Helping Cordula in her shop and working on my projects has lead to an incredibly fulfilling existence in Berlin.  It's a rare and special opportunity when a person is able to create an entirely new identity for themselves.  I don't mean that I have become a different person.  Of course I am the same "me" that I've always been, but I realized that a huge part of our identity, at least in the US, is defined by our occupation.  I've always been very proud of my job as an Occupational Therapist, but I wasn't going to be able to do that during our time in Germany.   That lead me to the existential questions of, "Why am I here?  What is my purpose?"  Well, here my time and energy that isn't going to my wonderful fiancé has been fully directed at my art. 

Toward the end of pottery class one day, my student Chris asked me, "So are you like, a professional potter?" 

I had to think about it for a second.  My instinctual response was to laugh and think "No, I'm an OT!"  I've spent over a decade either in OT school or actually working as a therapist, so the idea of being something other than that hadn't ever even crossed my mind.  But as I considered Chris's question, I realized that I was spending a significant portion of my week covered in clay and now that I was teaching, my only source of income (besides Fritz) was through pottery.  I don't know what it takes to be classified as a "professional potter."  Perhaps I need to sell some of my stuff instead of giving it all away.  Perhaps I need to teach a few more classes to be a true professional.  Or perhaps it's as simple as feeling it as a significant part of my identity.  

The truth is, I absolutely LOVE making pottery.  There are few things that cause me to feel more relaxed (lying on the beach in the summer sun might take the cake but I don't think "professional beach bum" counts as an occupation) and simultaneously accomplished than making a piece of art that is fully functional.  And isn't that what pottery is?  Functional art.  It's perfect!  Being able to share this love with my five students as they learned the magic of transforming a messy blob of clay into something they can use and feel proud of brought my enjoyment of the craft to a brand new level.  

Cordula could not have known the impact of her decision to entrust Feuer Zeug Keramic to an American stranger when I showed up on her doorstep the last week of January.  But for some reason, she decided to trust me.  She decided to give me an opportunity.  And in so doing, she gave my life in Berlin purpose and meaning.  Life in Frankfurt was wonderful: reading, exploring, taking pictures, blogging...  But Berlin is different.  Here, I have a schedule.  I have a place to go, a responsibility.  I wake up each morning thinking about what I'm going to make!  I have work to do.  

Here, I am a professional potter!

The Definition of "Coincidence"

Coincidence: noun 1. a remarkable concurrence of events or circumstances without apparent causal connection.

And remarkable is certainly what it was.  Please allow me to explain. 

Upon returning to Berlin, I knew Fritz would be spending most of the weekdays buried under documents in the archives.  Therefore, I would need to find my own purpose and assume responsibility for filling my own schedule during our 4 months here.  Entertaining myself has never been an issue for me.  Still, I aspire to be very intentional about how I execute each day in this lovely city.  Living life "on purpose" has always been important to me.  While moving to a foreign city can make intentional living a little easier, it still takes a conscious effort to stay fully engaged, especially since I am not allowed to get a job while we are here.  In order to accomplish this purposeful living, I set two priorities for myself.  

1.  Join a pottery studio.

2. Attend yoga classes 2-4 times a week.  

As my third day in Berlin began, Fritz and I initiated the search for a pottery studio.  Actually, I really should say that Fritz initiated the search while I slept off my jet-lag.  We assumed that most of the Berlin studios would have websites in German, but after he had spent over an hour using his German vocabulary and reading skills, he hadn't gotten very far.  At this point, I woke up refreshed and ready, fired up my own computer and entered "Pottery Studios Berlin" into the search bar. 

Feuer Zeug Keramik popped up as the first hit.  The website indicated that they have a pottery shop, they offer classes, they seem to have available studio space for experienced potters, and they speak English.  Conveniently, the studio is located one neighborhood over from our flat.  Well that was easy!  I wasted no time in emailing Cordula, the owner of Feuer Zeug Keramik, explained my desire to join a studio and wondered if I could stop by to meet her.   

I must have refreshed my inbox one hundred times in the 24 hours that followed.  Waiting for a response is always the hardest part.  Fritz had to remind me that if she owns a pottery studio, she probably isn't doing a ton of desk work and checking her email every 10 minutes.  Hands dripping with wet clay don't mix well with electronics.  He had a point.  So I had to be patient. 

The next afternoon, I opened my email and discovered the message I had been waiting for!  Cordula indicated that I was welcome to stop by the shop the next day around noon.  

I woke up that Thursday morning totally jazzed and ready to start my Berlin life.  With the first of my two Berlin priorities in motion, I decided to initiate the second; finding a yoga studio.  With any luck, I thought I might just be able to follow my pottery meeting with a zen-tastic yoga class!

Again, I returned to my laptop and typed in "cheep yoga Berlin English."  I actually even spelled cheap incorrectly.  Luckily Google doesn't discriminate against poor spellers.  I was a little worried that finding yoga in English would be tricky.  I wasn't totally opposed to German yoga, but so much of the experience comes from the meditation and dialogue a good teacher provides in combination with the physical challenge of the class. 

Unsurprisingly, Berlin is LOADED with yoga studios.  My search revealed several blogs where other young yogis had provided lists of studios that had English-speaking instructors, as well as classes that weren't too expensive.  I clicked on one of the top hits.  Yellow Yoga.  The website was inviting and clearly met all of my requirements.  This was going well.  

Now the location.  Berlin is a huge city with more yoga studios than Vietnamese restaurants (which turns out to be quite a lot!).  If this yoga studio was even in the same quadrant of the city, I would have considered myself very lucky.  Looking at the website, I found Yellow Yoga had two locations, one of which was in the very same neighborhood as my pottery studio.  How perfect!  And you won't believe me when I tell you it gets better than that.  

I had already plugged in walking directions from my flat to pottery.  It would take 1 hour and 4 minutes to walk there from my home.  I could also take public transportation and be there in 20 minutes, but it was a beautiful day and I thought the walk would be a great way to get a sense of my neighborhood.  

I switched back to Yellow Yoga's website to identify the address of the studio.  For a moment, I thought my computer was playing tricks on me.  I rubbed my eyes and refocused on the address.  It was EXACTLY the same as the pottery studio.  Was this a mistake?  

Apparently not.  Somehow, my random search for two completely unrelated activities in a huge city was bringing me to the exact same point on the map.  If this isn't the definition of a coincidence, I don't know what is.  

Of course, I still had to seal the deal with Cordula at Feuer Zeug Keramik.  She hadn't accepted me yet.  

Cordula said I could come anytime between 12 and 5pm, so I started my walk at 11am.  

Naturally I took pictures along the way.  The day was perfect for walking and discovering Berlin.  For example, I learned that Berliners love to make pole-warmers as you can see above.  Someone took a lot of care in knitting this multicolored, cozy pole-warmer.  If you look closely, you might even notice that decorative buttons have been added for extra pizazz. 

The bright Berlin buildings looked quite cheery under the blue sky. 

I must have passed 15 playgrounds on my walk today.  Fritz told me that Germany has an aging population, but Berlin seems to be crawling with young families.  And therefore, loaded with playgrounds like the one in front of this church. 

I crossed over a lovely river.  Many of the Berlin sidewalks are made from cobblestones or bricks.  Here the street is also nicely cobbled.    

There were a bunch of people taking pictures on this bridge. 

When I looked over the other side of it, I saw that it was loaded with swans!

For a short time, I was strolling along the canal.  I was impressed by the apartments on the opposite side.  

The street art and murals of Berlin continue to catch my attention.  Some of them are so vibrant!

I was almost sorry to reach my destination after such a  lovely walk, but at last, I had reached Feuer Zeug Keramik.  Cordula was waiting for me inside.  It was a cute shop with lovely pottery on display and two potter's wheels in the middle of the showroom.  Cordula and I talked for a few minutes and I explained that I'd be living in Berlin for the next 4 months.  I was very interested in spending as much time working on the wheel as possible. More than that, I wanted to be a part of a studio where I could help with upkeep; carry out the laborious and often dreaded tasks of recycling clay and mixing chemicals for glazes.  "Sign me up for mopping floors," I told Cordula.  Really, I'd do just about anything to be a part of a studio.  

"I'm not really in a position to pay anyone," she said.  I quickly assured her that I was not looking for a job.  She told me she would think about it seeing as the studio was quite small and the space was limited.  In the meantime, she invited me to check out her other studio space that has a few more wheels.  It's where she teaches her pottery classes.  

"It's only about a 20-minute walk from here.  It's in the back of a wine shop that my brother owns.  He opens at 2 today and will let you see the studio if you want to check it out.  Just tell him I sent you."  Of course I wanted to see it!  She gave me the address and we arranged to meet again later in the week after she had some time to think about whether she might have a place for me in the studio.  

With my pottery goals in motion, I checked the schedule for Yellow Yoga.  An "advanced beginners" class was starting soon so I headed to the back of the building and up the stairwell to yoga.  

Appropriately, an open yellow door with a meditating buddha statue marked the entrance to a bright open room.  The signs on the door and floor indicated that visitors should remove their shoes and put them on the rack before entering the studio. 

That class was perfect.  Equal parts relaxing and refreshing.  If I didn't already have good energy flowing through my body, I did now.  We ended the class with a love meditation, during which we were invited to focus our attention on sending loving energy out into the world.  I try to do this regularly, but it helps to be reminded sometimes and it seems more powerful when I'm doing it with a group.  After the traditional exchange of "Namaste," my fellow yogis and I quietly shuffled out of the studio. 

Time to find the wine shop.  

Here I met Constantine, Cordula's brother.  He was lovely and happy to show me the secret studio in the back.  It was glorious in that it looked exactly like a pottery studio.  Potter's tools were neatly stacked on a shelf, the kiln was nestled in the back corner of the room, and five wheels sat in the middle of the floor, throbbing with potential if only the right potter would sit down and set them spinning.  

I thanked Constantine for the tour and asked if he could recommend a white wine to go with a vegetarian meal.  Conveniently, perhaps even coincidentally, I was planning on cooking a meal when I got home with a recipe that called for 2 tablespoons of white wine.  Funny how the day brought me directly to a wine shop, don't you think?  Will the coincidences never cease?  

Constantine was quick to select a lovely German riesling.  After paying him, I packed the wine away in my bag and started home.  

I'll share a few more photos before closing out this post. 

You might have noticed that in Berlin, bikes are parked almost everywhere.  

Similarly, you don't have to look far to find a little graffiti... or a lot of graffiti.  Here is a Berlin phone booth.  I haven't ever seen anyone using one, but they are still scattered around the city. 

Colorful children's art is also scattered here and there. 

Basically, if there is something to paint, it will be painted.  

Well, that about sums up my start to Berlin life.  I promise there will be more to come soon on how the happenings of this serendipitous day played out in the days that followed.