Smoothing Out Hard Corners in Clay
Robyn Ng is an art director, designer, and illustrator based in Brooklyn, New York. Born and raised in Toronto, Ontario, she was most recently the Senior Art Director of Content Design at Paperless Post. She enjoys writing, art directing photoshoots, and making ceramics, a passion which she shares with us below.
Everything I make turns out round and soft. I can’t say it’s intentional more than it is compulsive. There’s relief in smoothing out hard corners and softening sharp edges.
I started taking wheel throwing classes in 2014 when I hit a bit of a wall in my development as an illustrator and art director. At that point, making commercially driven work meant I was all creative output while neglecting my creative input. Once I started throwing, I was hooked. I’d found the mental and emotional sanctuary I didn’t know I needed. The physicality of throwing and being elbows-deep in clay also meant getting much-needed time unplugged from screens and pings and notifications, and simply focusing on the task at (and literally in my) hand.
One of my biggest takeaways from wheel throwing over the years is being less precious about the things I make. Sometimes things work out, sometimes they don’t, and that’s okay. In pottery it allowed me to freely follow my instincts, making what pleased me instead of what pleased a client or director, exploring forms that were just comforting and gratifying to me without the pressure of financial validation. Even when I had nothing to show for a 3-hour throwing session, there was so much gained in the attempt.
I’ve tried to hold onto those lessons during this especially abysmal year we’re all trapped in together. My dad recently reminded me that nothing is perfect; all we can do is learn from what is good, leave what is bad, and let go of what we can’t control. In the midst of political turmoil, climate change, our own stupidity during an out-of-control fucking pandemic, a collective social reckoning, sudden unemployment, friends afar, family passing away—I remember things don’t always work out how we planned, and it’ll be okay.
Smoothing out hard corners takes patience, sharpness softens with time.
What new thing are we compelled to make today?
Text and Photography by Robyn Ng