WHAT CLAY TEACHES YOU
Beyond the community, the craft itself keeps Chua humble. Kilns, after all, have their moods. “Sometimes you apply glaze one way, it comes out black. Sometimes it’s not as you want. But you retest, retweak. That’s the fun,” he explained. A 1 or 2 per cent tweak in glaze composition can swing an entire colour.
This is why he believes clay teaches respect. “You treat it with respect, then the clay will kind of say, today I’ll let you do this to me. Every day, the clay humbles you.”
For him, pottery is also about focus, and being fully in the moment. “When you make clay objects, you have to free your mind from whatever’s bothering you. Just focus 100 per cent, do it nice, do it properly. Once it’s done, you can move on.”
