Looking for something different to do on a weekend? At a social clay session, you can flex your creative muscles and make your own piece of pottery in a fun, social setting.

I went along to one of these 3-hour sessions on a Friday night. Zein Akkad runs the classes, and it’s great to meet someone who’s enthusiastic about what they do. Zein is passionate about pottery and the therapeutic effects of working with clay. She says the sessions are a chance to ‘get your hands dirty and your mind clear’.

At the start of the class, she gave step-by-step instructions on how to create a bowl, then decorate it. We all got to work and happily played with and moulded our clay.

Zein went around the group giving advice and encouragement. She made everyone feel comfortable and that their work was worthwhile.

She explained that ‘clay teaches you that if you make a mistake, you fix it, learn from it and grow. It’s not about seeking perfection.’

And it’s lucky we weren’t seeking perfection as my bowl collapsed after being waterlogged. Apparently, I’d been a bit over zealous with the water. Woops. So I smoothed it out and made it into a decorative plate instead.

There was a good crowd of mixed ages and genders. And we got to have a chat and admire each other’s works of art during the tea and coffee break. There were also individual, Covid-safe cheese platters to nibble on.

We all started with a lump of clay and ended with bowls of all shapes, sizes and patterns. There was an amazing amount of creativity. Some people sculpted ducks or flowers to the side of their bowls. Others  used the available tools and materials to create gorgeous patterns and artwork. And it made me feel better that a couple of other people’s bowls also looked more like plates.

We left our pottery at the studio for the drying, glazing and kiln-firing process, and were told to pick them up in a few weeks.

Zein says, ‘after making your own bowl you can look at it every day and it gives you a feeling of achievement and positivity.’

These one-off sessions run on Friday and Saturday nights as well as Tuesday mornings. They’re a chance to experiment with pottery in a fun and supportive environment. And if you love it you can enrol in a longer course at Urth Clay Studio and learn more about the craft.

For more info: https://urthclaystudio.com.au/

By Carolyn J Wild