- Pinching pottery is a technique that involves shaping clay to create a piece of art.
- Health benefits such as stress relief and increased happiness correlate to making pottery.
- Come to Creative Corner to improve your creativity skills and mental health.
For many, the most recent memory of working with pottery comes from their high school art class. While it may remain something you reflect upon with good spirits, chances are you didn’t appreciate the experience nearly enough. For those who regularly engage in pinching pottery, you know the amount of benefits that come from it. It’s a great way to get people to come together and happily interact with each other. The pinching method is a minimalistic approach that works for all ages and experience levels. If you’ve been searching for that new hobby, pinching pottery has much to offer.
What Is Pinching Pottery?
A pinch pot is a basic type of hand-crafted pottery that dates back to ancient times. The technique involves shaping clay by pinching it to form either decorative or functional pieces. Pinch pots are the simplest and fastest method for making pottery, with the most important tools being your thumb and fingers.
Is The Pottery Pinch Method Hard?
The pinch method is typically introduced in beginner pottery courses because it requires minimal tools. It’s an excellent way to understand clay properties and the ceramics-making process. However, the pinch pot technique isn’t restricted to simple projects. It can develop into something amazing as long as your imagination doesn’t hold you back.
Are There Health Benefits To Making Pottery?
Pinching pottery is a fun hobby, and it’s also great for your well-being. It has been proven to provide many health benefits including reduced stress, an increase in happiness and emotional stability, and a reduction in arthritis and mental issues.
Stress Relief
The sense of touch is the first one to develop in children. When pinching pottery, this type of engagement creates a deeply meditative state, similar to the joy of childhood exploration. External distractions fade away when pinching pottery, resulting in lower blood pressure and more regulated breathing. Pinching pottery will lower your cortisol levels after just 45 minutes, which provides you with a significant reduction in overall stress.
Increases Happiness
Participating in pottery workshops or classes is a great way of socializing with others. The interactions from this activity boost dopamine levels in your bloodstream, leading to increased feelings of happiness. This dopamine release enhances your mood and motivates you to repeat such experiences. If you enjoy your time in one of these workshops or classes, you might find yourself returning often and making new friends.
Improves Emotional Stability
Engaging in pinching pottery involves intense focus, which helps your mind and body enter that deeply meditative state. This focus allows your frustrations and worries to dissipate, leading to a natural regulation of physical symptoms like high blood pressure and muscle tension. In return, your emotional state can “reset.” Additionally, you might consciously or unconsciously reflect on recent emotional triggers. Acknowledging and experiencing these emotions rather than suppressing them is crucial for increasing your emotional stability.
Decreases Symptoms Of Arthritis
The Mayo Clinic suggests low-impact exercises to help manage joint pain and improve joint flexibility. For those experiencing joint pain in the hands, a beneficial activity is working with clay on a pottery wheel or hand-building ceramics. Additionally, the stress-relief aspect of pinching pottery can indirectly reduce joint inflammation, offering further relief for arthritis sufferers.
Reduces Symptoms Of Mental Issues
Built-up anxiety and stress are common denominators in many mental disorders. Conditions like Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), Clinical Depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can see improvements through working with pottery. Spending just 45 minutes at a pottery workshop or class can notably reduce the cortisol levels of anxiety and stress and alleviate symptoms associated with these disorders.
Improve Your Mental Health & Pinch Pottery Skills At Creative Corner
Creative Corner is driven by a vision to create a unique and inviting art and pottery studio in Yukon, Oklahoma. Our goal is to offer a space where everyone can come together to explore their creativity and make lasting memories. Thanks to the support of our wonderful community and our dedicated team, we are thrilled to have opened our doors in 2024.
If you’re looking to dive into a world of color and creativity, make a reservation! We offer indoor play for kids and tailored theme parties for adults. We also have an event calendar of classes and events to help you unlock your creativity. Check out Creative Corner and have fun learning how to pinch pottery!
