The Importance of Playing

ByJoseph Travis

Last time I wrote about the importance of a narrow focus, I considered writing this one about having a broad focus. I changed my mind when I remembered Michael Kline’s post “play the Pro” which was about how we are all hobbyists at times. Michael has been playing around with slip inlay, and spent quite some time with the work under wraps until he felt more confident with it. But this playfulness in the working process brings a level of joy. Having closed down Red Fox Pottery in 2012 I stepped away from clay to become an art teacher. Teacher…

The Rhythm of Making videos

ByJoseph Travis

Patia Davies film on making buttons shows a real sense of rhythm to life and the processes she is going through. The video isn’t a video of a teacher standing in front of a class and doesn’t stop to explain. For someone with a background in making there is a lot she is teaching and a lot to learn. We see in this video there is efficiency to making buttons as they are a by-product of making platters.

The Rhythm of Making

ByJoseph Travis

One of the advantages of going back to a form of making I haven’t used much and I am not comfortable with gives me fresh insights into the making process, for me hand building is something I never really pushed on with like I did with throwing. Each part of the hand building process has its own rhythm; it doesn’t matter how fast or slow. What is more important keeping a steady rhythm, rhythm improves the flow of making, in fact trying to go fast and misplacing hands can cause the mind to pause and wonder what it is you…

Common Themes in my Research

ByJoseph Travis

This was originally a talk given at MIRIAD on 28th January 2015, with the Adam Field YouTube video in the background and demonstrating making a pot while talking. THis post was first posted on my research blog. Reviewing all my research so far from observations, interviews and my own practise the main important themes that keep coming through the research are seeing watching talking touching and most importantly making

How Making Ceramics and Web 2.0 taught me to speak out and gave me a voice.

ByJoseph Travis

This is an extract from a talk first given at the Material Matters Seminar at Manchester Metropolitan University on 10th December 2014.  It was presented with the following Svend Bayer YouTube video in the playing Background. It was originally published on my research blog.   In my early twenties I started searching for my own identity, I was stuck 200miles away from home studying the most hands on of all the classical science degrees, chemistry. Though as hands on as chemistry was there is something very hands-off about concentrated Hydrochloric acid that had a permanent place on my workbench. My…