Finding Clay

Creativity has always been part of my life.

Since childhood, I have drawn, painted, crafted, designed, filmed, and danced. Yet for a long time, I felt lost within my own creative world. I could do many things well, yet none of them gave me the “click” — the feeling that I wanted to dedicate my life to it.

Slowly, that changed. Every time I saw a beautiful piece of pottery, I felt strong heartbeats inside my body. There was something almost magical about it. When I held a piece in my hands, I could feel a sense of calm and care from the maker. Their presence — their spirit, energy, and dedication — seemed to pass on to me in a quiet, almost electric way.

The First Wheel

My first pottery workshop in Berlin was chaotic.

I remember “crying” and “screaming” in front of the wheel, completely overwhelmed, making a mess while my friends laughed beside me. The pieces I made were hardly usable.

After that experience, my passion for pottery was almost extinguished.
But it didn’t fully disappear.

Jingdezhen

Later, during my career as an UX designer, I left Berlin and went to Jingdezhen — the birthplace of porcelain.

There, I took an intensive pottery course and worked from 9am until midnight every day to learn the craft. Life was physically demanding, but emotionally it felt like heaven. I was completely absorbed in the process. That was when I finally understood.

Working at the wheel forced me into a meditative state. To shape clay, I needed to be completely calm, still, and present. Even the smallest distraction could cause the form to collapse.

Everything must be centered on the wheel. In the same way, we as humans need to be centered, or we fall apart.

Stillness & Process

Meditation has long been part of my life, and pottery feels deeply connected to that practice.
Creating with clay requires patience, repetition, stillness, and attention. It is a quiet dialogue between body, material, and movement.

After returning to Berlin, I built my own home studio and invested my remaining savings into a kiln, a wheel, and the tools to continue creating.

There have been many nights when I worked until 2 a.m. without noticing the time. I simply love the process.

A Quiet Transfer

Pottery is made in a state of calm attention — with focus, patience, warmth, and care.

I hope that when you hold one of my pieces, you can feel a little of that same stillness and presence passed on to you.

– Vivian Sung