Perfecting Creativity: Dive into Katie Cannon Pottery

If you know me personally, then you probably have experienced or seen that I can be a bit of a perfectionist or if I've done well enough at growing perhaps you've just noticed that I can be a bit serious and ultra focused on the details or "the way things should be" ;)

The Art of Pottery

Art, in it's various forms, has always both challenged this part of my personality and my art has been shaped by it.

There is a sense in which there is humanity in the imperfections and therefore a beauty. This is not an idea that is easy for me hold. Even now I feel this need to drift into a discussion about how the failed attempts lead to growth and that is where the beauty is... the growth to the perfection. I very much resonate with the lyrics to Sleeping at Last's song One:

"Hold on for a minute

'Cause I believe that we can fix this over time

That every imperfection is a lie

Or at least an interruption ...

Now hold on, let me finish

No, I'm not saying perfect exists in this life

But we'll only know for certain if we try"

But in a world filled with manufacturing that has taken the human out of the experience there are a plethora of perfect coffee cups, bowls, and vases. Now, it is a little less about "is every element exactly as it should be?" and more:

• Is this product made with care and authenticity?

• Is this piece made ethically?

• Is it unique? Does is reflect that human hands shaped it?

For me, it's almost as if perfection is being re-defined. While precision and symmetry are still apart of my process, I'm trying to also balance that with what makes a piece feel personal. Is it the small variations, textures, and quirks? What creates a reminder that a human being stood at the wheel, shaping clay into something that wasn’t here before.

I feel like this all points to what is at the heart of art anyway - expression, voice, and connection.