Much more than just a pottery class, Clay Connection day retreats invite you to find your zen and bring your mind, body and soul into a place of peace and tranquillity. They are also loads of fun and absolutely no previous creative experience (or skill!) is required.
When last did you take a moment to be truly present in the moment and allow yourself to tap into your inner creativity? Hosted at the exquisite Umdloti home of potter Di Smith, Clay Connection workshops encourage you to do exactly this.
Each day-long retreat begins with a beautiful tea ceremony on arrival, where participants are invited to choose a handmade clay teacup and a symbol that resonates with them, before being served ayervedic tea while seated in a circle on the grass.
“This is the first of many mindfulness practices we do throughout the day,” says Di, who started the workshops because, she says, we need more mindfulness and creativity in the world.
Having lived in Umdloti for more than 30 years, Di’s journey with pottery has been an interesting one. “I took up pottery classes many years ago, and immediately fell in love with it. I kept challenging the ‘norm’ of what could be done with pottery. I decided to open my own studio about 15 years ago.”
Di converted a room in her home into a studio and started supplying pottery to local decor shops and doing commissions for interior decorators. “It became quite stressful though, and I found my creativity starting to wane.”
When she and her husband moved into their new home, Di decided it was time for a complete career change. She began selling high-end real estate in Umdloti 10 years ago.
Like so many people, when lockdown hit Di found herself with an opportunity to slow down and once again tap into her creative side. “I hadn’t touched clay for many years and when I got my hands on a piece, I started making a sculpture for one of my daughters who was stuck overseas and going through a very difficult patch in her life. It was incredibly therapeutic for me, but it also stimulated my creativity again.”
While she has many interests and hobbies, Di says she came up with the Clay Connection concept after a friend introduced her to the Japanese concept of ‘ikigai’, which means ‘your reason for being’.
“It’s about discovering what brings you joy and inspires you, what is good and needed in the world and what you can make a living from. I believe the world needs more time to slow down, and more opportunities to be creative.”
With her home as her sanctuary, Di decided to run her pottery retreats from there. “I had to get my husband, who is a very private person, on board, so I decided to do a mock workshop with him – including all the elements, from the tea ceremony to the meditation and pottery. After he saw how passionate I was about it, it was decided.” Since then, Di’s retreats have taken off and she is already fully booked until next year!
While the goal is for each person to go home with a beautiful piece of pottery that they love, Di’s workshops are about the experience and the journey you go on throughout the day more than about the pieces that you make. “The clay teaches us lessons and we take moments throughout the day to find stillness and connection.” Each class has a different theme, such as ‘Finding Your Inner Zen Through the Art of Clay’ and ‘Finding Your Divine Femininity Through the Art of Clay’. She also runs a couple’s retreat.
You don’t need to have any experience or be ‘arty’ to do one of these and, Di says, the process throughout the day encourages you to tap into your intuition and find that innate creativity we all possess. “It’s incredible to see people letting go and letting their imaginations go wild. I’ve seen some incredible creations come out of our workshops and some people have really struggled. There are often lots of emotions that come out, as well.”
Di practices yoga daily and has completed an online mindfulness course. “I surround myself with lots of ‘gurus’ and I hope that through my retreats, I can share some of the wisdom I have been lucky enough to get from them, along with my pottery experience, with others.
Clay Connection retreats are ideal for groups of friends, bridal showers and book clubs. They are run on a Saturday from morning to late afternoon and all the pottery is handmade. The cost is R1200 per person, which includes tea, coffee, mimosas and lunch – as well as your pieces made on the day. She can host a maximum of seven people at a time.
Details: [email protected], @clayconnection_umdloti
