1. Clay from earth to hands
The journey, flow state, within Non-attachment, blessed
This haiku summarises my relationship with pottery. I love working with my hands especially with a medium from the earth. My time on the wheel has brought me much stillness and presence with self, even entering flow states. The precarious nature of ceramics cultivates the important practice of non-attachment. And of course, I am blessed to have discovered this age-old craft.
The foothills of the Himalayas have a very special place in my heart. So when I discovered Dharamkot Studio, I was instantly called to this pottery immersive. Mountains + India + pottery = a dream come true! I am ever grateful for my time here in this special space with all of my wonderful batch mates, and especially our Guruji, Dishank. I hope to bring simple joy to the world through colourful, nature-inspired creations as I hone this craft!
Dhanyavaad!
Matangi
2. Hi, I’m Critica, from Chennai.
I’m not a writer. I’m an artist who somehow ended up in a pottery class with zero experience and clay permanently stuck under my nails.
I’ve always loved functional things like bowls, mugs, plates, basically, anything that lets me justify my art obsession as “practical.”
Working with clay has been the perfect mix of therapy and chaos. I’ve learned patience, humility, and that nothing bruises your ego quite like watching your pot collapse in slow motion. Every wobble and fingerprint now feels intentional (at least that’s what I tell myself).
I love making pieces that are meant to be used not displayed behind glass but stacked, stained, and part of daily life. This is my first step into the world of clay, and honestly it’s messy, grounding, and kind of addictive.
@crossfadecompany
3. Hi! I’m Kayla
Pottery is a newer art form for me, one that I’ve been journeying with over the past year. I came to Dharamkot Studio to deepen my understanding of clay and to truly begin my creative journey in this medium. I am inspired by rainbows, mythical creatures, the desert, psychedelic art, and anything that feels like it came from another planet. Through my 5 week journey here, I have not only grown as a human, but as a budding potter as well, with a deeper understanding of the art of letting go. I feel deeply grateful for the experience and excited for what’s next. Working with clay is grounding for me, it fills me with a sense of connection to the earth and with a deep soul satisfaction.
Thanks for taking the time to read!
ig: @silly_cybin
4. Andrei Michalski
I have spent many years being a foreigner, in part because ‘foreigner’ can easily supercede all other identities, but also because I am often more compelled by curiosity than fear. What can be found when we climb a staircase, open a door, lift a lid and peer inside? “Curiosity killed the cat,” they say, “but satisfaction brought it back”. I am glad curiosity brought me to Dharamkot. It took me a long time to settle down enough to come back to ceramics- it’s not efficient to carry fragile things around when living out of a suitcase- but being here has allowed me to open up in ways I’d forgotten I could.
I like to explore the relationship between inside and outside worlds. What do we become in response to trauma, to feeling like an aberration in the framework of society? What should we hold in or let out? How do we face the world? How do we face ourselves?
Andrei Michalski
5. Things that hold Us
A clay home for two people learning to love in ordinary ways.
Clay remembers touch. It carries the memory of the hand that shaped it, the pauses between motions, the weight of patience. In these five weeks of learning, I made things that could hold incense, lemons, herbs, tears and tea. But as they took form, I realized they were also holding something else: two people, living together, learning the quiet art of being home.
These pieces are small rooms in that house, imperfect, soft, and steady. The poems beside them belong to those rooms. To love in its most domestic form – tender, ordinary, and enduring.
Nirali Naik
