Handmade ceramics: Why are you doing this to yourself?

Why do you start with handmade ceramics? What is handmade ceramics? When is something handmade? Is it art, is it design, is it craft?

Questions I had when I started making ceramics myself. But these are also the questions of the ceramics collector. And whoever has questions must look for answers!

It has been about 30 years since I took my first ceramics out of the kiln (burning my hands, because I couldn’t wait for it to cool down completely). Do I have all the answers by now?

Okay spoiler alert, I don’t … but I can give you my thoughts about it.

How do you get started?

How do you start making or collecting (or both) handmade ceramics? In my case, it was an urge to make and work with clay. I find both fascinating, but I think I’m especially captivated by the material. Not only for shaping the clay in my hands, but also the technical aspect of drying, firing and finishing techniques.

Clay is not only a unique material, there are many technical aspects to it. More than with other artist materials, there has been a huge technological development since people first fired ceramics some 30,000 years ago. And this technological development continues, even in the 21st century.

In addition, ceramics have an enormous cultural component. It is so closely linked to the origin of humanity that many cultures from the neoliticum (the new Stone Age) are named after the pottery they made. And rightly so: because making ceramics is one of the highlights of human civilization…

When is ceramics “handmade”?

This seems easier to answer than it is. As soon as you put your thumb in a ball of clay to make a pinch pot, isn’t it handmade? Yes, but… what if someone helps you make the ball of clay? Or if you use an automatic “pincher” to form the clay (or a potterywheel). Is it still handmade?

These don’t seem like such relevant questions, it’s more of a feeling. But these are the questions that are discussed daily by the Etsy community. The makers on Etsy, the site where “handmade” (and vintage) goods are sold by thousands of creators around the world, often disagree.

Admittedly, business interests also play a role here. But it does indicate that it is not that simple. I shape my clay (usually) on the wheel and develop my own slibs and glazes. Is that more handmade than ceramists who buy glazes ready-made? And what about the clay? I buy it (usually) ready-made. Do you have to shovel that out of the ground yourself to really call it “handmade” ceramics?

Handmade ceramics: art, design or craft?

A craft is the production of goods and services, which, in contrast to industry, is (largely) performed by hand. In addition, a certain degree of professional knowledge is necessary. That ceramics is a craft, you learn quickly enough if you start working with it with your own hands. It looks easy, but it’s a lot harder to achieve.

Whether the handmade ceramic is or can be design is more difficult to answer. With design, the focus is not on the handmade, but on the design. This can be made in series. But also handmade unique pieces can be design or have elements of it.

And whether it is art, is in “the eye of the beholder”…

Handmade ceramics: How do you put an end tot it?

Handmade ceramics are always a craft, usually with design elements and sometimes art. Does that matter? No, not as far as I’m concerned: handmade ceramics are fired clay, with the blood sweat and tears of the maker fused into it.

Whether you dive into the world of handmade ceramics, or gently wet your toes, you’ll immediately notice how addictive it is. The question is therefore not why you start, but how do you put an end tot it!

However, I think it is impossible to get rid of the ceramic virus, no vaccine can cope with that 🙂