Play and creativity go together hand-in-hand like, well, me and Colin. However, amidst deadline crunches, working with clients, creative problem solving challenges, material disasters and, dare we admit, at times over-the-top, self-imposed pressures to continually bring more to the party, sometimes getting through a piece can feel more like a slog than the expressive rapture that beckoned us into the creative arts in the first place.

As our schedules become more and more intense, it’s important to remember to balance the “have-to-do’s” with the “want-to-do’s.” Play is powerful, not just for maintaining our creative mojo, but also for our emotional, mental, spiritual and artistic well-being. When we engage in activities that feel like play, our minds relax and we are at our most creative, leaving us feeling energized and invigorated. It also lets our behind-the-scenes brain sort out other concerns – think about the times you’ve been hit by inspired brilliance while in the shower, walking the dog or momentarily daydreaming. There is actual science behind this, but for today, let’s leave it at this: play is not only good for you, it’s essential.

Creative play dates with yourself might include walking in a beautiful place, visiting a museum or gallery or experimenting with an unfamiliar material or method with no concern of ending up with a finished product. Sometimes though, taking a few minutes to revisit the joy of the material you first fell in love with reminds us at a fundamental level one of the reasons why we do what we do in the first place. Returning to the beginner’s mind can open pathways of exquisite discovery – no expectations, no preconceived ideas, no rules – just the exhilaration of sensory delight, un-directed exploration and creation.

On this topic, Colin started a practice he calls “tea sketches.” In the morning, he makes a cup of tea, takes a handful of clay, and gives himself freedom to build some castles in the air until he’s finished his tea. He uses water-based clay – it’s readily available, indefinitely reusable, inexpensive and a form of tactile bliss that connects with something deeply fundamental within us. He’s fond of Clay Planet’s “Smooth Sculpture” or the widely available Laguna Clay’s “B-Mix.” For this play, he likes something smooth and really mushy – no grog, sand or grit to disrupt the sensory delight of **technical term alert** “smooshing” clay.

To begin, he randomly squishes the ball of clay between his hands, then plays the “looking for shapes” in the clouds game we’ve all enjoyed on languid summer days from our pasts. If he isn’t inspired by a particular “squoosh,” he smushes it again until it sings to him. If, at a glance, the clay smoosh is so obvious, like a horse on a hill, he’s likely to squidge the clay again and see if something appears that will lead him into the unknown and down a new path of discovery, like a bunny bounding over a plesiosaur. Sometimes, no matter what he does, it’s going to be a Bacchanalian feast.

Take a look at these smooshes and see what you see. Give it a shot – there are no wrong answers here…
Sometimes turning the clay in another direction encourages a completely different story to emerge. Do you see something different in this version…

and this one, where the same smoosh is turned on its side?

Most of Colin’s work on these little clay sketches is done with his hands only. Lost in the feeling of playing with clay, no tools get in the way of vital mark making or diverting him down the path of sculpting based in formal training and experience. When his tea is finished or cold, he sets his sketch aside and moves into his day, with his mind relaxed and ready for the different challenges and problem solving involved in translating a concept or story into the clay. Although it is not the original intention, many times, these little visual treats become the basis for more developed concepts in larger sculptures. They act as a direct conduit from his subconscious creative self. Here are a number of his completed sketches:

Little Lord, 4.5″x 5″x 5″, Fired Clay

Grand Tusker, 5.5″x 3″x 4″, Fired Clay

The Grand Norse Goat Rider, 5″x 3″x 6″, Fired Clay

Perky Pony, 5″x 4″x 2.5″, Fired Clay

Bacchanal Besties, 4″x 5″x 5″, Fired Clay

Mongol’s Monster Mount, 4.5″x 4″x 5.5″

The Mystic’s Robe, 5.5″x 3.5″x 4″, Fired Clay

The Parade of Silenus, 6″x 3″x 5″, Fired Clay

Little Lass, 6″x 3″x 4″, Fired Clay

The Bull of Colossus, 4.5″x 5″x 4.5″, Fired Clay

After Glow, 4.5″x 7.7″x 6″, Fired Clay

Some additional thoughts from the sketch master himself:

“These are quick clay sketches that I do in the morning before I start my day. I pour myself a cup of tea, grab a  handful of very wet clay and it’s playtime. When my tea gets cold, it’s time to stop and go get breakfast. I think of these as my Tea Sketches.

I begin with no direction in mind, just squishing and mushing the clay around to see what it will turn into. It’s a bit like lying in the grass and gazing into a sky full of puffy clouds and imagining what creatures you see. I use just my fingers and a couple simple tools and let my mind pull forth what it can without reference. Whether the sketch turns into a sleeping satyr, charging bull or bacchanalian feast, it’s always a surprise.

Although it’s not the initial intention, invariably some of these will become the seeds for future sculptures.”

Amorgos, 6″x 5″x 5″, Fired Clay

• Colin likes to work on a turntable either a potters banding wheel or a cake decorating turntable stand – easily found online works well. He’ll spin it continually so he can view and squidge from all angles.

• The gooshy clay is lovely because of the speed with which he can work and it keeps him from getting fussy with details because all it really wants to be is a cow patty.

• The vast majority of his work he has a clear and precise concept of what the final creation will be and this activity is the polar opposite – to go in with no intention other than play, enjoy and be in the moment.

Gladiatrix, 7″x 3″x 3″, Fired Clay

• He forgoes any reference, drawing instead on his memory or imagination to come up with what might be a spiny cephalosaurus, a Bacchanalian beauty or a pensive satyr. It’s too easy to fall down the reference rabbit hole and lose some momentum of squashing clay. He finds it surprising how many random nuggets of anatomical information are dancing around in the shadows of his mind, that he can draw from without looking at any external source.

• While these can be the foundation for future works, that is not the intention. The intention is purely play and amusement.

• If you’d like to see more of the collection of Colin’s sketches, including video roundabouts, you can see them here:
https://www.colinpoole.com/clay-sketches.html

Little Satyr, 4.5″x 3.5″x 4″, Fired Clay