2.22.2012

The Art of Being Malleable & a Recipe for Cashew Kale Smoothies

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How lucky am I to find so many wickedly inspiring chickies to share their kick ass perspectives this week?

Pretty damn lucky. 

I love, love, LOVE this lady. Her name is Cadry and she's a fellow Midwesterner like myself. Doesn't she have the best name?

Recently in my web meanderings I fell upon her blog, Cadry's Kitchen. I immediately admired her engaging style of writing, and also her and her hubby's unique and creative use of video.

Hope your'e as moved by her words and as entertained by her film as much as I.
Experiencing life fully and following creative whims and passions... 
this is what life's all about friends. 


There are times in a person’s life when transformation is natural.  We’re heading off to college, we’re embarking on a new job, we’re moving to a new city, we’re getting married or having babies…  At these points, it feels appropriate to reassess and redefine, both as a matter of practicalities and as a matter of hitting a new life phase and readjusting to what comes next.



But there’s no reason that we have to pack up boxes and bags and fill up the tank with gas to make a change.  After all, we’re constantly evolving or we’re stagnant.  That’s why one of the things I’m most passionate about is trying something new.  It can be as simple as picking up a fruit at the grocery store that I’ve never tried before or as big as checking off an item on the bucket list.  The years pass by in a flash, and if we never tend to those far-off goals it’s easy for the pile of “could have beens” to grow ever higher. 

In the spirit of trying something new, this year I decided to do something I’d dreamed of doing for a long time and take a pottery class.  I’ve admired the work of ceramic artists for years.  My favorite thing about ceramics is how tactile the experience is for both the artist and the admirer.  Unlike sculptures or paintings, which we’re supposed to view from a distance, when we use a cup or a bowl we hold them in our hands and press them to our lips.  We can feel where the artist smoothed the clay or pressed on a handle.  In seeing the small imperfections, we’re reminded that it was made by a human not a machine, and we can imagine them sitting in their studio, listening to music, and creating an object of beauty that we get to enjoy with our afternoon tea. 

It’s easy to look at ceramic pieces by other artists and enjoy the little imperfections.  After all, that’s what makes a piece unique.  That’s what gives it personality.  When we think about it, the things we love about anything aren’t the things that make it perfect.  We love our friends for the way they snort when they laugh, or that they tell that one joke again and again.  We love their faces, not because they are perfect, but because those are the faces that give us strength when times are hard. We love their smiles, not because of excellent orthodontic work, but because they laugh with us over old stories.  We love their bodies, not because of 6-pack abs or chiseled muscles, but because they are the ones that meet us at the airport gate and hug us when we return from a trip.  So even though it can be easy to love the imperfections of others, we aren’t always so generous with ourselves.  Trying out on a new art medium is a chance to work that muscle and to find beauty in imperfection and in our own growth spurt.



When I go to the studio, I bring in Adele as my muse, and I pound the clay against a table to trap out any air bubbles.  I flatten the clay and run it through a slab roller.  The process is reminiscent of those imprinting penny presses at touristy shops.  Instead of a picture of Mickey Mouse or Six Flags on my clay, I have a flattened piece that can become a salad bowl, napkin rings, or a vase.  With the aid of a few tools, a cup of water and slick clay, I bind together pieces as if I were a carpenter.  I let the clay tell me where it wants to go. 

As I give the clay definition and form, I am reminded that I am malleable too.  With every person that we meet and every action that we take, in some small way we are changed.  When we learn something new, we discover something about ourselves.  As children, we’re not afraid to try something out – a class or a sport or an art.  There’s no reason that new experiences should stop at a certain age.  We just have to open ourselves to inspiration and show up.    

A big thank you to Chandra Nicole for asking me to write a guest post for her delightful blog!  For other clay-related activities, check out my video on how to make a Cashew Kale Smoothie with my clay dinosaur buddy, Gulp.

Thank YOU so much for your words, Cadry. I adore you even more now.


Hang with this lovely lady at Cadry's Kitchen, Facebook, and Twitter ... I'm gonna go make a smoothie for breakfast now. Yum. Thanks Love!! 


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4 comments:

  1. Thank you for the blog links..I love more veggie inspirations!

    Go you regarding pottery!

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    Replies
    1. You're welcome Liv! i love discovering awesome new blogs too :)

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  2. What a great feature and video. Did that dinosaur use a stand-in?

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    Replies
    1. You gotta love Cadry! She's so creative :) I'm not sure how she did the video... you should hop over to her blog and ask her! www.cadryskitchen.com

      PS I'm so happy you found your way to The Earthfood Experiment! Hope to see you around again!

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Hiya! Love hearing from you... it's my fave.

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