Russel Fouts on fri 21 nov 08
As we baby boomers get older, there seem to be an awful lot of
articles about keeping our brains fit in order to stave off aging,
Alzheimer's etc.
Suggestions are often based on physical exercise type regimens that
vary the type of exercise (sudoku, crossword puzzles, learning
languages, etc.) to train different areas of the brain for "whole
brain fitness".
Thinking of the "A Potter is...." tee-shirt, I realise that we're
probably already ahead of the game. We already use many parts of our
brains. Those parts that control creativity, problem solving
(probably also creativity), logic, rational thought, critical
thought, dreaming and imagination as well as manual skills that also
train the brain. Not to mention sheer physical labor.
This is also coupled with articles I've read recently about
gracefully aged potters; Ursula Mommens (100), Maggie Angus
Berkowitz, Otto Heino and, of course Bea Wood (104). There are a few
on clayart as well. ;-)
So maybe the best thing for us is to just keep making.
Any thoughts?
Russel (bored with all the current threads)
Russel Fouts
Mes Potes & Mes Pots
Brussels, Belgium
Tel: +32 2 223 02 75
Mobile: +32 476 55 38 75
http://www.mypots.com
Home of "The Potters Portal"
Over 3000 Pottery Related Links!
Updated infrequently
"Look, it's my misery that I have to paint this kind of painting,
it's your misery that you have to love it, and the price of the
misery is thirteen hundred and fifty dollars. "
- Mark Rothko, In Art/Painting
Dannon Rhudy on fri 21 nov 08
>
> Thinking of the "A Potter is...." tee-shirt, I realise that we're
> probably already ahead of the game. We already use many parts of our
> brains. Those parts that control creativity, problem solving
> (probably also creativity), logic, rational thought, critical
> thought, dreaming and imagination as well as manual skills
.............> So maybe the best thing for us is to just keep
making.............
Indeed, Russell, a lot of current research suggests
that consistent eye-hand work stimulates the brain
to continue to grow new dendrites, which keeps the
brain active and healthy. When we constantly grow
new pathways for information, there is less atrophy.
A good thing for potters (often long lived) musicians
(ditto), gardeners (ditto again),
and others who work with their hands, eyes,
minds.
A study of a group of Canadian (I think) nuns found
that they did not get Alzheimer's at the same rate as
they aged as the population at large, and when
they DID get it, it did not progress as rapidly.
The reason appeared
to be that the nuns did not sit about watching TV,
but instead did hand work: knitting, crotcheting, etc.
So, you're right. Keep on keepin' on. It's good
for you.
regards
Dannon Rhudy
Antoinette Badenhorst on fri 21 nov 08
Well Russel,I think it often depends on the type of work that one do and one's location. Since I am moving much less that I did when I was younger( do mostly one of a kind pieces), I find that I have to add extra exercises to my day to stay mobile and flexible. I do think though, that we tend to wear our bodies out at a younger age....at least I did. My back is very clear evidence of that. I trend to work harder, but not necessarily smarter.
As far as brain exercises is concerned I think we have a natural curiosity and we easily take on challenges. We mostly have positive attitudes and we accept what life has to offer. Not too long ago I learned that one have to keep on learning new things; things that are outside ones normal line of learning.
I also think we have stress relievers through our work....well most of the time. Whether that is enough, is a good question.
On the other side, I've seen potters age quickly (physically) since they tend not to take care of themselves. Particularly older generation potters did not have all the knowledge about hazardous materials like we do today. They also did not have all the equipment that makes things easier.
Interestingly enough I was listening to a program on NBC the other day about a guy that started an internet forum for brain injuries; its cures and challenges. He did this to get interaction among interested people and physicians so that they can exchange knowledge and I was amazed. Here we are a group of potters doing the very same thing already for at least 12-15 years, while they( physicians) only start that now. It confirmed to me that artists( craftsmen) are among the most important people when it comes to education and stimulating young kids.
One last remark: I work mostly in solitude(that can age a person very quickly). I use the time to listen to books on tape (all types) or interesting TV programs. I also listen to good music and over weekends I challenge my husband with scrabble......always loosing against him, but always bouncing back and challenging him again!
Interesting subject!
--
Antoinette Badenhorst
www.clayandcanvas.com
www.studiopottery.co.uk
-------------- Original message ----------------------
From: Russel Fouts
> As we baby boomers get older, there seem to be an awful lot of
> articles about keeping our brains fit in order to stave off aging,
> Alzheimer's etc.
>
> Suggestions are often based on physical exercise type regimens that
> vary the type of exercise (sudoku, crossword puzzles, learning
> languages, etc.) to train different areas of the brain for "whole
> brain fitness".
>
> Thinking of the "A Potter is...." tee-shirt, I realise that we're
> probably already ahead of the game. We already use many parts of our
> brains. Those parts that control creativity, problem solving
> (probably also creativity), logic, rational thought, critical
> thought, dreaming and imagination as well as manual skills that also
> train the brain. Not to mention sheer physical labor.
>
> This is also coupled with articles I've read recently about
> gracefully aged potters; Ursula Mommens (100), Maggie Angus
> Berkowitz, Otto Heino and, of course Bea Wood (104). There are a few
> on clayart as well. ;-)
>
> So maybe the best thing for us is to just keep making.
>
> Any thoughts?
>
> Russel (bored with all the current threads)
>
>
>
>
> Russel Fouts
> Mes Potes & Mes Pots
> Brussels, Belgium
> Tel: +32 2 223 02 75
> Mobile: +32 476 55 38 75
>
> http://www.mypots.com
> Home of "The Potters Portal"
> Over 3000 Pottery Related Links!
> Updated infrequently
>
>
> "Look, it's my misery that I have to paint this kind of painting,
> it's your misery that you have to love it, and the price of the
> misery is thirteen hundred and fifty dollars. "
>
> - Mark Rothko, In Art/Painting
steve graber on fri 21 nov 08
there must be an inherent reason so many potters reach the ages of 80+. 90+=
=0A=0Asee ya=0A=A0Steve Graber, Graber's Pottery, Inc=0AClaremont, Californ=
ia USA=0AThe Steve Tool - for awesum texture on pots! =0Awww.graberspottery=
.com steve@graberspottery.com =0A=0A=0A=0A=0A______________________________=
__=0AFrom: Russel Fouts =0ATo: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS=
.ORG=0ASent: Thursday, November 20, 2008 4:53:00 PM=0ASubject: Brain Fitnes=
s for Potters=0A=0AAs we baby boomers get older, there seem to be an awful =
lot of=0Aarticles about keeping our brains fit in order to stave off aging,=
=0AAlzheimer's etc.=0A=0ASuggestions are often based on physical exercise t=
ype regimens that=0Avary the type of exercise (sudoku, crossword puzzles, l=
earning=0Alanguages, etc.) to train different areas of the brain for "whole=
=0Abrain fitness".=0A=0AThinking of the "A Potter is...." tee-shirt, I real=
ise that we're=0Aprobably already ahead of the game. We already use many pa=
rts of our=0Abrains. Those parts that control creativity, problem solving=
=0A(probably also creativity), logic, rational thought, critical=0Athought,=
dreaming and imagination as well as manual skills that also=0Atrain the br=
ain. Not to mention sheer physical labor.=0A=0AThis is also coupled with ar=
ticles I've read recently about=0Agracefully aged potters; Ursula Mommens (=
100), Maggie Angus=0ABerkowitz, Otto Heino and, of course Bea Wood (104). T=
here are a few=0Aon clayart as well. ;-)=0A=0ASo maybe the best thing for u=
s is to just keep making.=0A=0AAny thoughts?=0A=0ARussel (bored with all th=
e current threads)=0A=0A=0A=0A=0ARussel Fouts=0AMes Potes & Mes Pots=0ABrus=
sels, Belgium=0A=A0 Tel: +32 2 223 02 75=0A=A0 Mobile: +32 476 55 38 75=0A=
=0Ahttp://www.mypots.com=0A=A0 Home of "The Potters Portal"=0A=A0 Over 3000=
Pottery Related Links!=0A=A0 Updated infrequently=0A=0A=0A"Look, it's my m=
isery that I have to paint this kind of painting,=0Ait's your misery that y=
ou have to love it, and the price of the=0Amisery is thirteen hundred and f=
ifty dollars. "=0A=0A- Mark Rothko, In Art/Painting=0A=0A=0A=0A
James F on fri 21 nov 08
> A study of a group of Canadian (I think) nuns found
> that they did not get Alzheimer's at the same rate as
> they aged as the population at large=2C and when
> they DID get it=2C it did not progress as rapidly.
> The reason appeared
> to be that the nuns did not sit about watching TV=2C
> but instead did hand work: knitting=2C crotcheting=2C etc.
>=20
Be careful of this type of reasoning. Again=2C it commits the logical fall=
acy of Post Hoc=2C Ergo Propter Hoc. There are lots of things that nuns do=
n't do that the rest of us do. How did the researchers determine that it w=
as the lack of TV rather than the lack of sex or fashionable clothing? How=
did they determine that it was the time spent crocheting rather than the t=
ime spent in reciting prayers from rote? For that matter=2C how did they d=
etermine that time spent watching TV is worse than time spent reciting inca=
ntations? A study showed that 90% of all Americans who get into an automob=
ile accident have eaten at least one french fry within the week immediately=
preceding their accident. One could=2C by the same reasoning=2C conclude =
that french fries cause auto accidents.
A 1970s university study compared the mortality rates of San Fransisco long=
shoremen to those of similar ethnic and socioeconomic background but with l=
ess strenuous occupations. The study found significantly decreased mortali=
ty among longshoremen as compared to those with lighter jobs. The cause se=
emed to be a decrease in cardiovascular disease amongst the longshoremen=2C=
likely the result of their increased level of activity. A further study a=
ttempted to test this hypothesis by comparing the mortality rates of Old Ma=
ster sculptors versus Old Master painters. As expected=2C the sculptors on=
average had significantly greater longevity=2C in excess of 3 years=2C as =
compared to the painters. Again=2C the results seemed to suggest that the =
increased physical activity might be the cause=2C as most other factors cou=
ld be assumed to be=2C on average=2C quite similar between the groups.
Many potters live very long lives. I am sure an equal number don't=2C but =
we tend not to hear about them. We hear about the potters who are strong a=
nd healthy in their twilight years=2C but tend not to hear of those who are=
decrepit. Perhaps potters do live longer than others=2C perhaps not. If =
they do=2C is it attributable merely to the highly physical nature of the c=
raft? If it were attributable to creative brain activity=2C why did the sc=
ulptors outlive the painters? Do surgeons and executives display decreased=
rates of Alzheimer's? They certainly employ far more creativity than nuns=
=2C and likely as much as artists. Could any perceived reduction in Alzhei=
mer's amongst nuns and artists be attributable to a generally lesser level =
of stress as compared to=2C say=2C surgeons and executives?
I'd like to believe that there were simple answers and easy solutions=2C bu=
t I'd bet that such is not the case. I would also bet that if ever a study=
was undertaken of dementia or longevity amongst those in various occupatio=
ns=2C and corrected for the average socioeconomic strata of those employed =
in various occupations=2C no statistical correlation would be found. Just =
my utterly pointless 2 cents worth.
Be well.
...James
James Freeman
http://www.jamesfreemanstudio.com
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamesfreemanstudio/
_________________________________________________________________
Windows Live Hotmail now works up to 70% faster.
http://windowslive.com/Explore/Hotmail?ocid=3DTXT_TAGLM_WL_hotmail_acq_fast=
er_112008=
Dannon Rhudy on fri 21 nov 08
<<<<<,,........Be careful of this type of reasoning.
Again, it commits the logical fallacy of Post Hoc,
Ergo Propter Hoc. There are lots of things that nuns don't
do that the rest of us do.......>>>>..
Oh, not to worry - I just could not
remember all the details of the study.
It was not as sloppy as my report.
I found it interesting. I believe that
it was part of a fairly recent book
called "The Hand" by a doctor whose
name escapes me at the moment. He
delivered a lecture at NCECA a few
years ago, on eye-hand research.
Part of the conclusion(s) of the
research was to question whether we
have clever hands because of our
large brains, or whether we have
large brains because of our clever
hands. Food for thought.
Of course, I prefer to think
sloppily on this issue, because it
provides endless possibilities for
consideration.
And, ummm - how do you KNOW that
there are things "the rest of us" do that
nuns don't......I fear you may be making
a supposition based on hearsay.
Ok, Ok - enough already.
regards
Dannon Rhudy
Kelly Savino on fri 21 nov 08
Russel, thanks for the new thread...
When the kids were small, we had an occupational-educational-therapy
type person come and talk to a group of homeschoolers about some of the
amazing discoveries made possible by charting kids' brain activity while
they learn. One of the things they discovered (and it's no surprise) was
that after a certain number of minutes of sitting to a lecture, the
active parts of a child's brain simply shut themselves off. I suppose
this is the equivalent of hearing that sound all adult speech used to
make in Charlie Brown cartoons...
She had a lot of physical exercises we could use with kids to reawaken
those sections of their brains -- it has been a long time ago, but I
remember she used the word "recentering" which tickled me, picturing an
unbalanced thought process like a wobble on the wheelhead. A lot of the
exercises had to do with physically crossing over, touching right limbs
to left or making both sides cooperate. Remember that trick where you
stretch both arms out in front of you, hands back to back -- cross them,
clasp your hands together, and then turn the whole works inside out so
your elbows are bent and the interlocked fist is under your chin? We
used to do this, as kids, and then have somebody point to a finger, so
we could try to move it. You don't always move the right one... anyway,
apparently this makes your brain scan activity light up like a rainbow.
In the studio. I always think I should be a factory: if I just wedged up
the 35 balls of clay I need to make my 30 mug commission, this weekend,
and sat at the wheel uninterrupted, one after another -- then 30
handles, then 30 medallions, then I'd be done. Mel at the wheel in
Japan, 100 cups, same-same. But I really don't work that way, and I
wonder if it isn't time to stop fighting it. All my life I have been
parked in a classroom where I was supposed to focus in social studies
for 40 minutes, then math, then english... not supposed to fidget, or
doodle, or dream out the window. Well, screw that. I'm a grown up, I can
do it the way I want. I am embracing my inner ADD, and I make a lousy
machine. I'm OK with that.
So in the studio, I do best when I am doing several things at once. I
always put my tools, towel, coffee in some out of reach place -- not on
purpose, just because I'm distracted -- but it means I have to move, get
up, reach across, interrupt myself. Maybe that's serving a purpose, and
keeping my brain flickering, Who knows?
Throwing calms me down, for some reason. I suspect it's because it
requires so many kinds of focus and attention simultaneously. When I
teach beginners to throw, I'm aware of how many things they have to
remember, at some level, at the same time. Brace your elbows; slow your
speed...time your pull so you are raising the clay, not just making a
thin spiral in a thick wall. pedal, left hand, right hand, focus, and it
all can go to hell in the blink of an eye -- so there's a little
adrenaline involved. It's a little like learning to water ski... a
boatload of people yelling, "Keep the tips up!" "Keep your knees bent!"
"Lean back and let the boat pull you out!" "Put your skis together!" ...
and meanwhile you're watching the experts go by on slalom skis, doing
tricks and jumping ramps. My advanced students can do those basic things
automatically, by habit and practice, and have gone on to new
challenges.
I have learned to use that moment of throwing as a "visualization" or
centering tool for myself. If I am anxious or angry, or unable to sleep
because I can't shut off the chatter in my head, I can close my eyes and
imagine throwing. I breathe differently, feel a little confident. Part
of what you grasp when you throw is an unspoken agreement: if it goes
wrong, I can fix it.. if it goes to hell, I can start over. I know how,
I've done it a million times, and the new one will be better anyway.
That's an exceptionally useful perspective in my life right now, lol.
So, in the studio and in the course of my day, I yam what I yam. I am
never sitting at the wheel, throwing without a half finished
handbuilding project on the table, a few feet of something dangling out
of the extruder, half a dozen waxed pots drying, a row of glaze tests
and pages of recipes, and a kid on the intercom telling me that whales
have hair or asking if I have seen the clarinet music. I don't sit still
well, and can hardly stay on task, but I sure get a lot done. My kid who
eats supper one-entire-side-dish-at-a-time finishes dinner at the same
time as my kid who takes a bit of this, a bit of that, and stirs half
the stuff together.
Yours
Kelly in Ohio
spending my morning making yogurt, returning phone calls, applying for
jobs, winterizing windows, working on a hyenacart website, doing
laundry, sorting old paperwork, homeschooling two kids and posting to
clayart. So far the clayart post is the only project I have finished
without wandering off, lol. Oh, yeah, and there's a chinchilla on my
shoulder.
Steve Slatin on fri 21 nov 08
James --
You're headed backwards through the hall of mirrors here ...
eliminating the relevant variables is extremely difficut.
Take the sculptors and the painters. Sculpting -- very
demanding. Painting -- not so much. More 80 year old
sculptors than painters, and quick as you can say "post
hoc" you conclude the physical effort is the difference.
Several possibilites come immediately to mind --
Painters spend hours each day with their noses right
next to paint. Exposure to volatiles is a known health
risk. Could this be the reason for the difference? Well,
let's say it's not impossible.
Next, the ancient problem of confusing the result with
the cause. Painting, not physically demanding. Longshoreman --
very demanding. How many weak, sickly people become
longshoremen? I'd guess not too many. How many survive
a few years, even? Many fewer, I'd wager! Same with
sculptors. Of the total number of people who take up
painting, how many 'self-select' out of the occupation
for health reasons? I'd guess rather few. So there are
possibly more sick people in the occupation, more of them
stay in the occupation, and lots of people in the occupation
die young ... and all the statistics really show is that
healthy people live longer.
Last -- my observation is that painters more than potters
become well-known at a relatively early age. If you paint
for 30 years and don't sell well, you probably take up
some other activity. But pottery is amenable to limited
success -- you're not selling a canvas worth hundreds or
thousands of dollars; you're selling a bowl for $10 or a
mug for $12. It seems potters more often become well-known
after 20 - 30 years of work, already in their 50's or even
older. Poets, painters, and rock and roll musicians may
hit it big in their 20's, when they can still engage in
self-destructive celebratory behavior. By the time most
of the few potters who make it big are making it big, they're
already getting to bed by ten, drinking only in moderation,
etc. By the time each is 60 years old, the rock and roller
has 40 years of abuse on his system, the painter has 30,
and the potter has maybe 10.
Thanks also for the 'once more with feeling' ref -- I
first heard it from a band director, but that was after
the movie and song, so it was already presumably in wide
currency. But sourcing is always difficult. Some years
ago, I saw 'The Black Rider' at BAM. Great show, great
music, great performances, etc. And it is openly credited
as being based on a German folk tale about a young clerk
who sells his soul to the devil for magic bullets so
he can become a forester and win the hand of his beloved.
But it also has secondary heritage through musical theater
... so it's more distantly related to the melodrama of 'Man
of Lamancha' and so on ... and that leads back to the origin
of the American musical; 'The Black Crook', which was based
on Faust. Which has roots in German folk tales about selling
one's soul to the devil, but in return for earthly wisdom.
But there's another thread -- Der Freischutz, by Weber, is
conceded to be based on Faust, but is about a young forester
who sells his soul for .. magic bullets! So he can win the
hand of his beloved! Oh, there are differences. In Weber,
the beloved is only wounded, and in 'The Black Rider' she
dies. And in Goethe, the beauty is, ultimately, irrelevant.
But the source? Who knows if Goethe was before or after the
folk-tale?
Steve Slatin --
Inanimate! Gooseberry paws two clause
inanimate! (overheard in Pittsburgh)
--- On Fri, 11/21/08, James F wrote:
> > A study of a group of Canadian (I think) nuns found
> > that they did not get Alzheimer's at the same rate
> as
> > they aged as the population at large, and when
> > they DID get it, it did not progress as rapidly.
> > The reason appeared
> > to be that the nuns did not sit about watching TV,
> > but instead did hand work: knitting, crotcheting, etc.
> >
>
> Be careful of this type of reasoning. Again, it commits
> the logical fallacy of Post Hoc, Ergo Propter Hoc. There
> are lots of things that nuns don't do that the rest of
> us do. How did the researchers determine that it was the
> lack of TV rather than the lack of sex or fashionable
> clothing? How did they determine that it was the time spent
> crocheting rather than the time spent in reciting prayers
> from rote? For that matter, how did they determine that
> time spent watching TV is worse than time spent reciting
> incantations? A study showed that 90% of all Americans who
> get into an automobile accident have eaten at least one
> french fry within the week immediately preceding their
> accident. One could, by the same reasoning, conclude that
> french fries cause auto accidents.
>
> A 1970s university study compared the mortality rates of
> San Fransisco longshoremen to those of similar ethnic and
> socioeconomic background but with less strenuous
> occupations. The study found significantly decreased
> mortality among longshoremen as compared to those with
> lighter jobs. The cause seemed to be a decrease in
> cardiovascular disease amongst the longshoremen, likely the
> result of their increased level of activity. A further
> study attempted to test this hypothesis by comparing the
> mortality rates of Old Master sculptors versus Old Master
> painters. As expected, the sculptors on average had
> significantly greater longevity, in excess of 3 years, as
> compared to the painters. Again, the results seemed to
> suggest that the increased physical activity might be the
> cause, as most other factors could be assumed to be, on
> average, quite similar between the groups.
>
> Many potters live very long lives. I am sure an equal
> number don't, but we tend not to hear about them. We
> hear about the potters who are strong and healthy in their
> twilight years, but tend not to hear of those who are
> decrepit. Perhaps potters do live longer than others,
> perhaps not. If they do, is it attributable merely to the
> highly physical nature of the craft? If it were
> attributable to creative brain activity, why did the
> sculptors outlive the painters? Do surgeons and executives
> display decreased rates of Alzheimer's? They certainly
> employ far more creativity than nuns, and likely as much as
> artists. Could any perceived reduction in Alzheimer's
> amongst nuns and artists be attributable to a generally
> lesser level of stress as compared to, say, surgeons and
> executives?
>
> I'd like to believe that there were simple answers and
> easy solutions, but I'd bet that such is not the case.
> I would also bet that if ever a study was undertaken of
> dementia or longevity amongst those in various occupations,
> and corrected for the average socioeconomic strata of those
> employed in various occupations, no statistical correlation
> would be found. Just my utterly pointless 2 cents worth.
>
> Be well.
>
> ...James
Steve Slatin on sat 22 nov 08
James -- Thanks for the ref -- it was
good reading, but I retain reservations
about the methodology. Whenever you
get into questions bordering on
epistemology, you start to recognize
the quicksand under your feet.
I also appreciated your thought on
financial markets. In another venue,
I recently corresponded with
someone who said he must be right,
because his insight came from his
broker, who 'has studied market
movements for years.'
To say that there must be a
correlation is like saying that
so-and-so must be right because
he studied chicken entrails for
many years.
Best wishes -- Steve S
--- On Fri, 11/21/08, James F wrote:
> Steve...
>
> Yes, yes. I quite agree. The conclusions on why the
> sculptors and longshoremen survived longer was that of the
> authors of the studies, not mine. Here is a reference to
> the studies: http://bcbsma.medscape.com/viewarticle/571509
>
> My point, and I believe yours also, is that there are a
> multitude of possible explanations, and that no one knows
> which are valid. It is quite possible that there is no one
> cause at all, but merely an averaging of many, many
> individual and unrelated causes. Averages can be quite
> misleading. To take a very simple example, assume you are
> the marketing manager of a company with two customers, one
> who is 20 years old and makes $20,000 per year, the other
> who is 60 years old and makes $60,000. Your
> "average" customer is therefore 40 years old and
> makes $40,000, but if you target your marketing to your
> average customer you will not reach any of your actual
> customers.
>
> I was trying to point out that to attribute an average
> result to a distinct cause is futile at best, and that the
> conclusion likely speaks more about the thoughts and wishes
> of the author of the study than about the subject of the
> study. It is like the simplistic pap served up in the
> financial news. Why did the market go up, or down, today?
James F on sat 22 nov 08
Steve...
Yes=2C yes. I quite agree. The conclusions on why the sculptors and longs=
horemen survived longer was that of the authors of the studies=2C not mine.=
Here is a reference to the studies: http://bcbsma.medscape.com/viewartic=
le/571509
My point=2C and I believe yours also=2C is that there are a multitude of po=
ssible explanations=2C and that no one knows which are valid. It is quite =
possible that there is no one cause at all=2C but merely an averaging of ma=
ny=2C many individual and unrelated causes. Averages can be quite misleadi=
ng. To take a very simple example=2C assume you are the marketing manager =
of a company with two customers=2C one who is 20 years old and makes $20=2C=
000 per year=2C the other who is 60 years old and makes $60=2C000. Your "a=
verage" customer is therefore 40 years old and makes $40=2C000=2C but if yo=
u target your marketing to your average customer you will not reach any of =
your actual customers.
I was trying to point out that to attribute an average result to a distinct=
cause is futile at best=2C and that the conclusion likely speaks more abou=
t the thoughts and wishes of the author of the study than about the subject=
of the study. It is like the simplistic pap served up in the financial ne=
ws. Why did the market go up=2C or down=2C today? The answer is invariabl=
y a simple because-of-this or because-of-that=2C when in reality the unsati=
sfying answer is that it was simply the sum total of a few million or so in=
dividual players' individual decisions=2C all based on individual factors=
=2C that just happened to generally point in the same direction on this par=
ticular day.
The case of our current discussion is even worse. If we knew for a fact th=
at potters (or any group) lived longer and healthier lives=2C we would have=
to contend with the problems outlined above and in previous posts regardin=
g the tremendous difficulty of determining causality. The fact is=2C howev=
er=2C that we haven't even any evidence at all that the premise is anything=
other than anecdote or conjecture.
I do like and agree with your "self-selection" theory. This is a common er=
ror in reasoning=2C and is=2C for instance=2C precisely that found in all o=
f the so-called studies of vitamins and supplements. Those who take vitami=
ns tend to be wealthier and more health conscious=2C and to exercise to a g=
reater degree than does the general public=2C yet we attribute their health=
to the vitamins rather than to healthy living and exercise. I believe we =
would all do well to keep Ockham's Razor firmly in mind.
I also like your "rock star" theory of self-destruction=2C though it would =
seem to preclude the existence of Keith Richards. Perhaps it is true=2C as=
was recently postulated to me=2C that he is metamorphosing into a cockroac=
h=2C and so will live forever. But I digress.
And I promised myself that I would not write any essays today! I have been=
good about keeping my mouth shut over the last couple of weeks=2C but here=
I have fallen off the wagon. "Hi=3B my name is James=2C and I'm a philoso=
phy addict. It's been two weeks since my last rant..." All apologies.
Truly=2C be well.
...James
James Freeman
http://www.jamesfreemanstudio.com
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamesfreemanstudio/
> Date: Fri=2C 21 Nov 2008 10:39:34 -0800
> From: claystevslat@YAHOO.COM
> Subject: Re: Brain Fitness for Potters
> To: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
>=20
> James --
>=20
> You're headed backwards through the hall of mirrors here ...
> eliminating the relevant variables is extremely difficut.
>=20
> Take the sculptors and the painters. Sculpting -- very
> demanding. Painting -- not so much. More 80 year old
> sculptors than painters=2C and quick as you can say "post
> hoc" you conclude the physical effort is the difference.
>=20
> Several possibilites come immediately to mind --
>=20
> Painters spend hours each day with their noses right
> next to paint. Exposure to volatiles is a known health
> risk. Could this be the reason for the difference? Well=2C
> let's say it's not impossible.
>=20
> Next=2C the ancient problem of confusing the result with
> the cause. Painting=2C not physically demanding. Longshoreman --
> very demanding. How many weak=2C sickly people become
> longshoremen? I'd guess not too many. How many survive
> a few years=2C even? Many fewer=2C I'd wager! Same with
> sculptors. Of the total number of people who take up
> painting=2C how many 'self-select' out of the occupation
> for health reasons? I'd guess rather few. So there are
> possibly more sick people in the occupation=2C more of them
> stay in the occupation=2C and lots of people in the occupation
> die young ... and all the statistics really show is that
> healthy people live longer.
>=20
> Last -- my observation is that painters more than potters
> become well-known at a relatively early age. If you paint
> for 30 years and don't sell well=2C you probably take up
> some other activity. But pottery is amenable to limited
> success -- you're not selling a canvas worth hundreds or
> thousands of dollars=3B you're selling a bowl for $10 or a
> mug for $12. It seems potters more often become well-known
> after 20 - 30 years of work=2C already in their 50's or even
> older. Poets=2C painters=2C and rock and roll musicians may
> hit it big in their 20's=2C when they can still engage in
> self-destructive celebratory behavior. By the time most
> of the few potters who make it big are making it big=2C they're
> already getting to bed by ten=2C drinking only in moderation=2C
> etc. By the time each is 60 years old=2C the rock and roller
> has 40 years of abuse on his system=2C the painter has 30=2C
> and the potter has maybe 10.
>=20
> Thanks also for the 'once more with feeling' ref -- I
> first heard it from a band director=2C but that was after
> the movie and song=2C so it was already presumably in wide
> currency. But sourcing is always difficult. Some years
> ago=2C I saw 'The Black Rider' at BAM. Great show=2C great
> music=2C great performances=2C etc. And it is openly credited
> as being based on a German folk tale about a young clerk
> who sells his soul to the devil for magic bullets so
> he can become a forester and win the hand of his beloved.
>=20
> But it also has secondary heritage through musical theater
> ... so it's more distantly related to the melodrama of 'Man
> of Lamancha' and so on ... and that leads back to the origin
> of the American musical=3B 'The Black Crook'=2C which was based
> on Faust. Which has roots in German folk tales about selling
> one's soul to the devil=2C but in return for earthly wisdom.
>=20
> But there's another thread -- Der Freischutz=2C by Weber=2C is
> conceded to be based on Faust=2C but is about a young forester
> who sells his soul for .. magic bullets! So he can win the
> hand of his beloved! Oh=2C there are differences. In Weber=2C
> the beloved is only wounded=2C and in 'The Black Rider' she
> dies. And in Goethe=2C the beauty is=2C ultimately=2C irrelevant.
>=20
> But the source? Who knows if Goethe was before or after the
> folk-tale?
>=20
> Steve Slatin --
>=20
> Inanimate! Gooseberry paws two clause
> inanimate! (overheard in Pittsburgh)
>=20
>=20
> --- On Fri=2C 11/21/08=2C James F wrote:
>=20
>>> A study of a group of Canadian (I think) nuns found
>>> that they did not get Alzheimer's at the same rate
>> as
>>> they aged as the population at large=2C and when
>>> they DID get it=2C it did not progress as rapidly.
>>> The reason appeared
>>> to be that the nuns did not sit about watching TV=2C
>>> but instead did hand work: knitting=2C crotcheting=2C etc.
>>>
>>
>> Be careful of this type of reasoning. Again=2C it commits
>> the logical fallacy of Post Hoc=2C Ergo Propter Hoc. There
>> are lots of things that nuns don't do that the rest of
>> us do. How did the researchers determine that it was the
>> lack of TV rather than the lack of sex or fashionable
>> clothing? How did they determine that it was the time spent
>> crocheting rather than the time spent in reciting prayers
>> from rote? For that matter=2C how did they determine that
>> time spent watching TV is worse than time spent reciting
>> incantations? A study showed that 90% of all Americans who
>> get into an automobile accident have eaten at least one
>> french fry within the week immediately preceding their
>> accident. One could=2C by the same reasoning=2C conclude that
>> french fries cause auto accidents.
>>
>> A 1970s university study compared the mortality rates of
>> San Fransisco longshoremen to those of similar ethnic and
>> socioeconomic background but with less strenuous
>> occupations. The study found significantly decreased
>> mortality among longshoremen as compared to those with
>> lighter jobs. The cause seemed to be a decrease in
>> cardiovascular disease amongst the longshoremen=2C likely the
>> result of their increased level of activity. A further
>> study attempted to test this hypothesis by comparing the
>> mortality rates of Old Master sculptors versus Old Master
>> painters. As expected=2C the sculptors on average had
>> significantly greater longevity=2C in excess of 3 years=2C as
>> compared to the painters. Again=2C the results seemed to
>> suggest that the increased physical activity might be the
>> cause=2C as most other factors could be assumed to be=2C on
>> average=2C quite similar between the groups.
>>
>> Many potters live very long lives. I am sure an equal
>> number don't=2C but we tend not to hear about them. We
>> hear about the potters who are strong and healthy in their
>> twilight years=2C but tend not to hear of those who are
>> decrepit. Perhaps potters do live longer than others=2C
>> perhaps not. If they do=2C is it attributable merely to the
>> highly physical nature of the craft? If it were
>> attributable to creative brain activity=2C why did the
>> sculptors outlive the painters? Do surgeons and executives
>> display decreased rates of Alzheimer's? They certainly
>> employ far more creativity than nuns=2C and likely as much as
>> artists. Could any perceived reduction in Alzheimer's
>> amongst nuns and artists be attributable to a generally
>> lesser level of stress as compared to=2C say=2C surgeons and
>> executives?
>>
>> I'd like to believe that there were simple answers and
>> easy solutions=2C but I'd bet that such is not the case.
>> I would also bet that if ever a study was undertaken of
>> dementia or longevity amongst those in various occupations=2C
>> and corrected for the average socioeconomic strata of those
>> employed in various occupations=2C no statistical correlation
>> would be found. Just my utterly pointless 2 cents worth.
>>
>> Be well.
>>
>> ...James
_________________________________________________________________
Color coding for safety: Windows Live Hotmail alerts you to suspicious emai=
l.
http://windowslive.com/Explore/Hotmail?ocid=3DTXT_TAGLM_WL_hotmail_acq_safe=
ty_112008 =
pdp1@EARTHLINK.NET on sat 22 nov 08
Hi Steve, James, all...
Below...amid...
----- Original Message -----
From: "Steve Slatin"
> James --
>
> You're headed backwards through the hall of mirrors here ...
We all are...or, long since already have...
> eliminating the relevant variables is extremely difficult.
I dunno...
These various 'studies' seem to eliminate the relevant variables as tacit
premise...and are payed to do so.
It's an 'Art'...
Like 'Madison Avenue' is...
> Take the sculptors and the painters. Sculpting -- very
> demanding. Painting -- not so much. More 80 year old
> sculptors than painters, and quick as you can say "post
> hoc" you conclude the physical effort is the difference.
What kind of 'Sculpting' are we having in mind?
Fresh quarried Marble?
Granite?
Limestone?
Sculpy?
Regardless, I don't think the ostensible demands of the medium itself in
these instances, are
much of a factor for the quality of physical exertion/exercise which for any
individual, would occur...where they would have in this instance, any
reverence to 'longevity'.
People's modes of working can be quite different, as for the way they use
their bodys or tensions or dynamic-tensions.
Occupations where one's arms are 'active' probably contribute to health or
longevity...
"Orchestra Conductors" for example.
"Cheerleaders"...
"Lumberjacks"
"Swimmers"
"Dancers"
Painters, Potters, Sculptors, do not move their arms or bodys in rapid,
active ways,
rather, they move their arms in slow ways....and move their bodys, rather
little and rather slowly.
Stone Sculptors, possibly, would move the Hammer wielding Arm in a fairly
active
way...if working in a medium where such is used, but, most have been using
Pneumatic Tools for decades now anyway...but either way, that is only one (
'1' ) Arm...out of ( presumably, ) two ( '2' ).
Carpenters would use and move both Arms, and their Hammer or Nail-Gun
wielding Arm
especially, rather more and more actively than these other occupations.
Volley Ball players, of course, would also...
Far as that goes...
Surveying those people who have lived past the 100 year mark...many live(d)
sedentary lives anyway...
So...
Golly...
> Several possibilities come immediately to mind --
>
> Painters spend hours each day with their noses right
> next to paint. Exposure to volatiles is a known health
> risk.
None of the traditional 'volatiles' associated with Oil Painting or it's kin
represent
or ever represented any health 'risks' or dangers in normal contexts of use
and exposure...or even in far above normal rates of exposure.
If anything, traditional Turpentine is beneficial to one's health and
respiratory-circulatory-nervous system, and ditto with respect to whatever
entirely scant
volatiles as arise from Rape Seed Oil, Linseed Oil, Poppy Seed Oil, and so
on.
Harmless, if not positively beneficent...
> Could this be the reason for the difference? Well,
> let's say it's not impossible.
No...or if anything, traditional Oil Painters would have far less Bronchitis
or reparatory or Sinus infections than 'Sculptors'...less neurological
illness-pathology, while Sculptors would
also be aspirating airborne particles of various kinds of Stone...or be in
situations where others are making dusts in subsequent finishing or other
process.
Oil Painting Studios, traditionally, were rather 'dust free'.
Turpentine is a vasodilator...promotes circulation...and is a natural
fungicide, bactericide and other-cide.
It's "friendly"
Inhaling of a lightly saturated cloth of it, can save your life if in throes
of various pneumonias, without going deaf or sterile or getting brain damage
and renal damage as 'side effects' with an tenthousand dollar hospital stay
ritual of Gentamycin or amphotericin-B or both via a whooopty-doo
nebulizer...while you get some nasty flesh-eating 'staff' or Hep-C or
whatever else, as a freebe for being there.
But anyway...
> Next, the ancient problem of confusing the result with
> the cause.
There are only confluences, which in various stages, manifest various
combinant attributes.
There is no such thing as 'cause' other than a habit of concession to not
examining confluences.
Or...we do well to be very careful in how we attribute 'cause'...
"Con-sequence"...along with 'Sequence', is possibly a far more practical
way-of-looking at what
otherwise would be called 'cause' or 'effect'.
'Cause' and 'effect' are impositions of idea, are habituated interpolations,
into or
onto phases of features of continuities of confluences
manifestations...though of course we were all indoctrinated into believing
and 'seeing' things in terms of 'cause-and-effect'.
Not so good...
Bad Ju-Ju...
> Painting, not physically demanding.
Jackson Pollack would not agree...
But...yeah...Painting in this sense is a sedentary occupation...
> Longshoreman --
> very demanding.
Yes...but the down side in recent times, is bad diet, inimical things in
foods, incomplete nutrition, adulterants,
and other
aetiological-pathological contributors arising incidentally from the
environment
independent of usually assayed electives...whatever the person's ostensible
'exercise'
retinue...occupation, or pass-times.
Vegans dieing at 'twenty-five' from Prion disease from supplement's
"gel-caps" being non-declared of Bovine origin...
...etc...
...sigh...
Oh well...
> How many weak, sickly people become
> longshoremen? I'd guess not too many.
Far too few anyway...
Would have been a good idea though...
> How many survive
> a few years, even? Many fewer, I'd wager! Same with
> sculptors. Of the total number of people who take up
> painting, how many 'self-select' out of the occupation
> for health reasons? I'd guess rather few. So there are
> possibly more sick people in the occupation, more of them
> stay in the occupation, and lots of people in the occupation
> die young ...
Yeahhhh...could be...
> ...and all the statistics really show is that
> healthy people live longer.
Or, that those still alive, have not died yet.
I love 'statistics'...
Which is about as good as saying, 'Longevity is an attribute applied to
those people
who lived long-enough to be considered old."
I love 'logic' too...
Lol...
> Last -- my observation is that painters more than potters
> become well-known at a relatively early age. If you paint
> for 30 years and don't sell well, you probably take up
> some other activity. But pottery is amenable to limited
> success -- you're not selling a canvas worth hundreds or
> thousands of dollars; you're selling a bowl for $10 or a
> mug for $12. It seems potters more often become well-known
> after 20 - 30 years of work, already in their 50's or even
> older. Poets, painters, and rock and roll musicians may
> hit it big in their 20's, when they can still engage in
> self-destructive celebratory behavior. By the time most
> of the few potters who make it big are making it big, they're
> already getting to bed by ten, drinking only in moderation,
> etc. By the time each is 60 years old, the rock and roller
> has 40 years of abuse on his system, the painter has 30,
> and the potter has maybe 10.
I think there's more to it than that...but, yeah, somewhat...but only
somewhat...
> Thanks also for the 'once more with feeling' ref -- I
> first heard it from a band director, but that was after
> the movie and song, so it was already presumably in wide
> currency. But sourcing is always difficult. Some years
> ago, I saw 'The Black Rider' at BAM. Great show, great
> music, great performances, etc. And it is openly credited
> as being based on a German folk tale about a young clerk
> who sells his soul to the devil for magic bullets so
> he can become a forester and win the hand of his beloved.
Bummer...
> But it also has secondary heritage through musical theater
> ... so it's more distantly related to the melodrama of 'Man
> of Lamancha' and so on ... and that leads back to the origin
> of the American musical; 'The Black Crook', which was based
> on Faust. Which has roots in German folk tales about selling
> one's soul to the devil, but in return for earthly wisdom.
See above...
> But there's another thread -- Der Freischutz, by Weber, is
> conceded to be based on Faust, but is about a young forester
> who sells his soul for .. magic bullets! So he can win the
> hand of his beloved! Oh, there are differences. In Weber,
> the beloved is only wounded, and in 'The Black Rider' she
> dies. And in Goethe, the beauty is, ultimately, irrelevant.
In Goethe...and elsewhere...
Or, relevant or irrelevant to what?
Gets confusing...
Or to me it does...
...sigh...
What is relevant or irrelevant depends on to-what...to-whom...and in what
order of reason...of course.
These are usually parenthetical...( like so much critical else...)
> But the source? Who knows if Goethe was before or after the
> folk-tale?
Probably 'after'...
> Steve Slatin --
>
> Inanimate! Gooseberry paws two clause
> inanimate! (overheard in Pittsburgh)
Lol...
It's a wacky old World...
Thanks for the fun...
Love..!
Phil
l v
Steve Irvine on sat 22 nov 08
Russel,
My approach is simple, but it works well on a number of different
levels... I go for a half hour walk before starting work each day.
There are some physical benefits certainly, but it's mostly a good
thinking time.
It's a time when I can gather my thoughts together and work through any
difficult issues that crop up. It's a time to reflect on life, and make
plans for the future. I live in the country so it is also interesting
to see the subtle rhythms of change in the landscape during the course
of a year. By the time I get back home the cobwebs have been cleared
out of my head, I'm ready for a day's work.
Steve
http://www.steveirvine.com
Lee Love on sat 22 nov 08
On Sat, Nov 22, 2008 at 7:46 AM, Steve Irvine wrote:
> Russel,
>
> My approach is simple, but it works well on a number of different
> levels... I go for a half hour walk before starting work each day.
> There are some physical benefits certainly, but it's mostly a good
> thinking time.
Me and Kintaro walk between 30 to 45 minutes every morning and about
an hour in the evening. He is much cheaper than a health club
membership and has many fringe bennies (I won't be good at living
alone without him in the house.)
During my 3 year apprenticeship, every morning began at 7:30am.
Our first half hour was spent raking our area of the pottery garden.
The garden was much like the grounds of a zen monastery. It was a
great centering practice.
Related to Kelly and wheel work being calming: When I sit at
the wheel, I start with 3 Chi Kung breaths and then try to carry that
mindfulness of breath into the throwing. It is very important to keep
breathing when you throw. It is the key to making throwing a
meditative process. If you plan out what you want to make in that
session before you sit down (I like to do it the night before and have
thought a white board might be good to write these things down to keep
the "left brain" stuff in their appropriate container), then you can
keep in the meditative mode.
Manual wheels are better for this. But if you learn it on a
manual wheel, then you can take it with you on the electric wheel.
--
Lee Love in Minneapolis
http://togeika.multiply.com/journal
"Myth is cultural DNA, the software, the unconscious information, the
program that governs the way we see 'reality.'" --Sam Keen
"People that deny their myth and think they only act 'rationally',
are simply living an unconscious life." -- Clay Mudman
Jeanie Silver on sun 23 nov 08
Dear Phil
You really outdid yourself with that reply to Steve Slatin...the hard-core
content may have been total mush(Idon't know and am not capable of
judging)...but I loved the language and the dizzy swoops of free-fall
ratiocination...it was like watching a chimney swift flying around a room
looking for its way back up the chimney-but this is a bird who knows in his
hollow bones that there may be no difference between room and the chimney's
path to freedom...flying is all....thanks
Jeanie in Pa.
Vince Pitelka on mon 24 nov 08
There has been some interesting stuff on this thread. I haven't read all of
it - just not enough time. I have spent a lot of time thinking about this,
simply because a professional potter's life can seem repetitive at times. I
try to prepare my students for that reality, but also for how to deal with
it. It is up to each of us how we interject variety into our lives, but
that is the key - variety. Some years ago, while thinking back on my life
so far, it occurred to me that the most productive busy periods were
generally the times I remembered best. I realized that it is variety rather
than sameness of experience that marks the passage of time. In other words,
if your life is filled with repetitive tasks with little change, time passes
slowly, and you are left with very little to mark its passage - very little
memory of where that time went. In contrast, if you fill your life with
worthwhile things, time passes more quickly, but you remember its passage.
I'd much rather have the latter, and that's pretty much how I live my life.
I first faced this concept when I was working full-time as a potter in
Northern California in the late 70s and early 80s. I was a full-on
production potter, making hand-thrown tableware and kitchenware. We sold a
lot of it out of our own studio sales and from a limited number of
galleries, but most of it was wholesaled to the gourmet kitchen stores that
were appearing everywhere up and down California and southern Oregon. The
repetition started to get to me, and I was working very hard and didn't know
how to get out of that cycle. The comment I have always made about that
period in my life is "I have always loved machines, but I never wanted to be
one." In response to these feelings, I finally forced myself to shift more
of my output to one-of-a-kind pieces aimed at a gallery market, but I also
started using my work time as efficiently as possible and getting out more.
I worked from 7 AM to noon every day, and then after lunch if it wasn't
absolutely pouring I'd ride my bike for a few hours. I bought myself a set
of Helly Hanson bicyclist's rain gear, and I loved riding in the rain. If
the weather was good I'd ride it up onto the logging roads in the
surrounding hills. I would come back to my studio completely refreshed and
energized, and would get in three more hours of work time. On the days I
couldn't go riding I missed it, but I knew I'd get back to it the next day.
Also, my wife and I just made more of an effort to go out to movies or to
hear live music, and we took more trips to the family cabin in Mendocino, or
to visit friends in southern Oregon. A little extra effort towards those
things completely eliminated my dissatisfaction with the studio routine, and
I started to really enjoy my work again. Over less than a year, it was a
significant transformation.
So, it is absolutely essential to do whatever you have to do to interject
variety and inspiration into your life and your work. This is not optional.
You have to do it if you want to remain creative and productive in the
studio.
- Vince
Vince Pitelka
Appalachian Center for Craft
Tennessee Tech University
vpitelka@dtccom.net; wpitelka@tntech.edu
http://iweb.tntech.edu/wpitelka
Steve Slatin on mon 24 nov 08
Phil -- you should follow the link and read the
study -- they did control, for example, for the
different kinds of sculptors (and only reviewed
the records for the mallet-and-chisel kind of
guy). Some of the other possibilities, though,
they overlooked.
As for the turpentine, though, it is an organic
solvent and has many of the same health issues
as synthetic organic solvents. Not every naturally
occuring substance is safe ... small amounts of
turp (like in Vicks, just enough to smell it
clearly) are probably of little concern. Getting
a snoot-full all day long, like some painters
do (or did) has some health issues. As always,
a well-ventilated workplace is desirable. And
in the 'old masters' period, 'tight' building
techniques weren't generally available, so
pretty much everything was well ventilated.
Best -- Steve S
--- On Sat, 11/22/08, pdp1@EARTHLINK.NET wrote:
> Hi Steve, James, all...
>
>
Kelly Johnston on mon 24 nov 08
Did anyone else read of the recent study that tested children with
ADD / ADHD? They had 4 groups -- one on Ritalin; one that went for 1/2
hr walk each day thru parkland/bush; one that walked down busy city
streets; one that walked in the suburbs. The kids that walked in the
bush had the same or better results as the kids on drugs, the others
didn't show any improvement in behaviour. Not suggesting that potters
generally suffer from attention deficits, but to me it suggested that a
good walk in nature each day is beneficial in ways that we can only
begin to imagine for all people.
Kelly in Emerald Qld Australia
Lee Love on mon 24 nov 08
On Mon, Nov 24, 2008 at 3:49 AM, Kelly Johnston
wrote:
> Did anyone else read of the recent study that tested children with
> ADD / ADHD?
It certainly helps me in this area. I live in town, but only a
few blocks from the Mississippi and the streets are tree lined. I
remember first looking at our home in Google maps from Japan and being
impressed with all the green. Right now, they have winter images up
in the satellite view. Not current, because my red car hasn't been
parked outside the garage for a year and a half and you can see it in
the alley.
I was a home aide for an autistic boy. We would go to the Y to
swim once a week. It was always very calming for him. Also, I would
often bring my Akita Taiko on our outings and we'd walk by Lake of the
Isles and feed the Canadian Geese. The dog and the Geese would engage
him.
I wouldn't want to live alone without a dog in the house.
--
Lee Love in Minneapolis
http://togeika.multiply.com/journal
"Myth is cultural DNA, the software, the unconscious information, the
program that governs the way we see 'reality.'" --Sam Keen
"People that deny their myth and think they only act 'rationally',
are simply living an unconscious life." -- Clay Mudman
Paul Herman on mon 24 nov 08
Hi Kelly,
That's an interesting study. I'm not very surprised at the results
though. Walking in the bush has got to be better for the kid than
stimulant drugs.
Part of a complete day for me is a two mile walk with the dogs. It
just doesn't feel right to start the day without that meditative
ritual. Plus my two dogs Olive and Tycho are not happy when there's no
walk. Tycho nips at you until you go. He is what we over here call an
Australian shepherd, though I don't think they come from Australia.
I seem to remember some wag on clayart writing that if you take a walk
in the woods you are not a serious potter. That is pathetic, besides
being wrong.
Best wishes,
Paul Herman
Great Basin Pottery
Doyle, California US
www.greatbasinpottery.com/
On Nov 24, 2008, at 1:49 AM, Kelly Johnston wrote:
> Did anyone else read of the recent study that tested children with
> ADD / ADHD? They had 4 groups -- one on Ritalin; one that went for
> 1/2
> hr walk each day thru parkland/bush; one that walked down busy city
> streets; one that walked in the suburbs. The kids that walked in the
> bush had the same or better results as the kids on drugs, the others
> didn't show any improvement in behaviour. Not suggesting that potters
> generally suffer from attention deficits, but to me it suggested
> that a
> good walk in nature each day is beneficial in ways that we can only
> begin to imagine for all people.
>
>
> Kelly in Emerald Qld Australia
Luke Nealey on tue 25 nov 08
Vince et al,
As a principal of a high school, where it all seems to just come at you
everyday, very varied but repetitious at the same time, I think I have
fallen for throwing because of the repetition and the fact there is a
"thing" at the end of the process. There is nothing better for me at the
end of some day filled with teenagers, angry parents, and/or frustrated
teachers than to sit down and throw a couple bowls or a bunch of yunomi.
They usually start out bad and get better. The firing of my wood kiln, the
splitting of wood is drudgery in some ways but again that feeling of
tangible, palpable, stuff coming out and the whole ritual of the process is
what I need to balance the sometimes frustrating idea that you are doing
something with these kids.
Luke Nealey
Rankin Co. MS
Lee Love on tue 25 nov 08
On Mon, Nov 24, 2008 at 7:33 PM, Vince Pitelka wrote:
> So, it is absolutely essential to do whatever you have to do to interject
> variety and inspiration into your life and your work. This is not optional.
> You have to do it if you want to remain creative and productive in the
> studio.
When I attended the panel discussion between Tatsuzo Shimaoka, Sori
Yanagi and Warren MacKenzie at the Mingeikan, to celebrate the opening
of Yanagi's house as a contemporary Mingei gallery, Warren talked
about how he thought the production ware at St. Ives, when he was
there, lacked vitality. He told Shimaoka that the production ware at
the Shimaoka kiln seem to overcome this problem and seemed to have
life.
Warren asked Shimaoka what his secret was. At first, Shimaoka just
chucked and shrugged his shoulders. Warren spoke for a couple minutes
and Shimaoka chimed in with (as best as I can remember):
"Hamada once told me: 'What ever you make... what ever you do...,
you must have Joy in your heart while you are doing it.'" After a
pause, Shimaoka added: "Maybe having Joy in your heart when you make
things helps keep it fresh."
I put up some snapshots of my show at Raymond Ave Gallery (up until Dec 19th):
http://mingeisota.blogspot.com/
You can also see my livecam there. It is usually pointed at
Kintaro the Akita dog, but will point at my wheel when I am working at
it. I point it out the back window when we go for our walks.
--
Lee Love in Minneapolis
http://togeika.multiply.com/journal
"Myth is cultural DNA, the software, the unconscious information, the
program that governs the way we see 'reality.'" --Sam Keen
"People that deny their myth and think they only act 'rationally',
are simply living an unconscious life." -- Clay Mudman
Lee Love on wed 26 nov 08
On Wed, Nov 26, 2008 at 8:02 AM, Arnold Howard wrote:
> On the other hand, sometimes a repetitive task can seem to
> take forever because it is boring. I have found that
> repetitive tasks are easier if we can find a way to make a
> game of them. That removes the boredom and is surprisingly
> easy to do. There are many ways to make a game out of a
> repetitive task. For instance, as you work, think of ways to
> do that task more efficiently. You will soon find yourself
> making small, incremental improvements in the way you do
> things.
I cannot remember the last time I was bored. Jr. High?
But this can be its own hazard because you can become lost in
repetitive tasks. It can also be a indifference to progress when
you are not attached to novelty. You have to make a conscious
effort to move on or to add new elements.
We have lost the natural times of quiet in our society, so we have
to make conscious efforts to create the space, silence and time. In
our great grandparent's time, when most of us were farmers, the
rocking chair was a natural fixture on the front porch. Winter was a
time to slow down and do your mending, tool making and other such
indoor activities.
Here is the poem at the begining of my most recent "artist's statement":
""We can make our minds so like
still water that beings gather
about us that they may see, it may
be, their own images, and so live
for a moment with a clearer,
perhaps even with a fiercer life
because of our quiet."
--W.B. Yeats
--
Lee Love in Minneapolis
http://togeika.multiply.com/journal
"Myth is cultural DNA, the software, the unconscious information, the
program that governs the way we see 'reality.'" --Sam Keen
"People that deny their myth and think they only act 'rationally',
are simply living an unconscious life." -- Clay Mudman
Arnold Howard on wed 26 nov 08
From: "Vince Pitelka"
> if your life is filled with repetitive tasks with little
> change, time passes
> slowly, and you are left with very little to mark its
> passage - very little
> memory of where that time went. In contrast, if you fill
> your life with
> worthwhile things, time passes more quickly, but you
> remember its passage.
The opposite can also happen. Years ago when my son,
Patrick, was small, I decided to consciously slow down the
passage of time so I could enjoy his formative years to the
fullest. After I made that choice, time seemed to pass more
slowly. I look back on last year's Thanksgiving, and it
seems like five years ago.
I've read that as we get older, the years pass more quickly.
That's all due to our imagination. We can also make them
pass more slowly if we want.
On the other hand, sometimes a repetitive task can seem to
take forever because it is boring. I have found that
repetitive tasks are easier if we can find a way to make a
game of them. That removes the boredom and is surprisingly
easy to do. There are many ways to make a game out of a
repetitive task. For instance, as you work, think of ways to
do that task more efficiently. You will soon find yourself
making small, incremental improvements in the way you do
things.
Sincerely,
Arnold Howard
Paragon Industries, L.P., Mesquite, Texas USA
ahoward@paragonweb.com / www.paragonweb.com
Hank Murrow on fri 28 nov 08
Dear Russell;
According to my Neo-Jungian pal Scott Pengelly, you are quite
correct..... pottery as practiced by the terminally curious will
develop the mind in staggering ways. Much, however, depends upon the
level of attention paid to the work.
As an adjunct exercise, I recommend Michael Merzenich's site and
software packages:
http://www.brainconnection.com/
They are the 'real deal' and have been feratured on our Public
Television recently. Dr. Merzenich is a leading proponent of 'brain
plasticity', or the ability even into our 70s and 90s to structure
the brain with exercise.
Cheers, Hank
On Nov 20, 2008, at 4:53 PM, Russel Fouts wrote:
> As we baby boomers get older, there seem to be an awful lot of
> articles about keeping our brains fit in order to stave off aging,
> Alzheimer's etc.
>
> Thinking of the "A Potter is...." tee-shirt, I realise that we're
> probably already ahead of the game. We already use many parts of our
> brains. Those parts that control creativity, problem solving
> (probably also creativity), logic, rational thought, critical
> thought, dreaming and imagination as well as manual skills that also
> train the brain.
> So maybe the best thing for us is to just keep making.
>
> Any thoughts?
Lee Love on sat 29 nov 08
On Thu, Nov 20, 2008 at 6:53 PM, Russel Fouts wrote:
> As we baby boomers get older, there seem to be an awful lot of
> articles about keeping our brains fit in order to stave off aging,
> Alzheimer's etc.
>
Russel,
There are many opportunities for creative people was Boomers
reach retirement age. Writing intelligently about creativity will
become more in demand.
Also, those of us with self-sustainability and environmental
sustainability perspectives will have things to share. Check out
this article by Michael Pollen, from the NY Times titled: "Farmer
in Chief" and open letter to the Pres-Elect. He even quotes Wendell
Berry!
http://togeika.multiply.com/journal
Making your own pots, having your own garden, hunting for your
own food are all things that help us be more human/humane.
--
Lee Love in Minneapolis
http://togeika.multiply.com/journal
"Myth is cultural DNA, the software, the unconscious information, the
program that governs the way we see 'reality.'" --Sam Keen
"People that deny their myth and think they only act 'rationally',
are simply living an unconscious life." -- Clay Mudman
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