Transformation

Today is a special day to me: it is my birthday. I love celebrating my birthday.

Until 2021, one of the first calls I would get was from my father, but I don’t get his call anymore. Since 2022, I also don’t get the call from my mom.

I missed them tremendously yet, today, I am feeling very happy and grateful.

Birthday and grief are transformational processes.

Not surprisingly, pottery has helped me to see that as well.

I started to pay more attention to the process of transformation while working on my Collecting Memories series. The leaves were part of plants I had in my house for decoration or for my ikebana classes. I wanted to see how many times I could use a plant before they died.

I ended up realizing that I was finding lost memories and transforming them in a process to reconstruct my identity.

Yesterday I opened my kiln and my pumpkin wast on the top shelf waiting for me.

What a transformation! The magic of shaping clay, firing and glazing continues to impress me every single time.

When I looked to these pictures, I connected everything.

Like in life, one might be saying goodbye to their loved ones, the other can be celebrating the birth of a new baby. They are happening at the same time, same day, sometimes even in rooms side-by-side.

Life is a transformation. Moments of fragility, like when I build a new pottery piece, moments of strengthening right after intense heat but still looking weird, until finally the transformation into colors to show the beauty of a newly glazed piece.

Be patient. Be kind. Take your time to grief, celebrate when you can.

Believe in the transformation. Even when it doesn’t look right.