The Aligned Potter is free, online resource and series of videos that address ergonomics, body mechanics, and wellness for various processes in pottery making.

Working with ceramics over any period of time can cause discomfort, such as pain in the back, neck, and wrists. This was true for me when I returned to throwing pots on a wheel after a 30-year absence. While I fell in love again with the material of clay and its potential, my body didn’t take so kindly to my revived practice – the hours of sitting on the wheel and leaning forward as I pulled up pots, tilting my head to the side to check out my pot’s profile, or even just repeatedly lifting 25 pounds of clay from low shelves – quickly took a toll on my body resulting in a fair amount of backache and shoulder and neck tension.

As I started to seek help for my issues, I realized there wasn’t one online location where all this information could be shared broadly. So I’m working with several ceramic artists and physical and occupational therapists to create The Aligned Potter video series, intended to help people like me, including professional potters, hobbyists, students, and academic practitioners. I also provide information about pottery making and body mechanics via blog posts, Instagram, and Facebook.

Each short, to-be-filmed video features a potter engaged in a discrete step, such as wedging clay, sitting at a wheel, or loading a kiln. The videos will explain how to conduct and adapt that activity regarding positioning and how to leverage body parts and relevant tools to minimize negative impacts.   

The hope of The Aligned Potter is that it helps you be able to work with clay, in whatever manner you want, for however long you’d like.

Note: video series to launch in late fall 2024, click here for a preview.