Cozy hobbies have been taking over Millennials’ and Gen Z’s lives for a hot minute. Crochet and knitting, puzzles, paper crafts, baking, and pottery are amongst the hobbies we collectively discovered during the pandemic and refuse to let go of. Indeed, according to the U.S. National Endowment for the Arts, 15.7% of Americans do craft arts.
For this list, Bored Panda rounded up the most beautiful and creative pieces we could find on the r/Pottery subreddit. If you ever dabbled, maybe you’ll find some inspiration from the pottery creations that folks shared there. And if you’re here to just appreciate, immerse yourself in the world of pottery and see the magic that people made with a little help of their hands, some clay, and love for the craft.
More info: Reddit
#1 Decorative Plate
Image source: Haunting_Salt_819
#2 My Rabbit Mugs Are Done!
Image source: DirtyRattie
#3 Bright Yellow Glaze
Image source: ThickIsland1736
If you’ve ever played any of the Sid Meier’s Civilization games, you may know that pottery is one of the very first “technologies” that your civilization can acquire. Humans have been practicing pottery for thousands of years, and the art of pottery is even older than farming.
You’d think that the first examples of pottery would be practical: pots, bowls, and various other things people could’ve used in daily life. But historians say that the oldest piece of pottery is one of art: The Venus of Dolní Věstonice. Archaeologists who came across the ceramic figurine in the Czech Republic date it to 29,000–25,000 BC, making it one of the oldest pieces of ancient ceramic art.
#4 The Cat Huffer
Image source: AuntChilada
#5 First Time Making Mugs Like These, So Happy With How They Turned Out!
Image source: LoveCatStudio
#6 Some Recent Work I Wanted To Share!
Image source: doctor_seuss_
You might think that we’re going to use the terms “ceramics” and “pottery” interchangeably here. I’m sorry to disappoint — they mean slightly different things, and here’s where experts make the distinction. The main difference is materials: in pottery, every piece is made of clay as the primary material — paint, accessories, and other things can be added later, but clay is the base.
Ceramics involve creations from materials other than clay, mostly inorganic and non-metallic. Both are processed at high temperatures (pottery in a kiln, ceramics sometimes in open-air pit firing, too). But here’s the essential difference: all pottery is ceramics, but not all ceramics are pottery. Ceramics can be made from porcelain, stoneware, or earthenware. Essentially, pottery is a subset of ceramics. So, the Venus of Dolní Věstonice statue might actually qualify as ceramics more than pottery.
#7 I Made A Frog Cup
Image source: frownfrown
#8 Dragon’s Blood Glaze On Cubes Texture
Image source: HammerlyCeramics
#9 Yesterday A Bowl I Made Squished A Little When I Took It Off The Wheel So I Turned It Into A Blueberry 🫐
Image source: daniellawicksx
Still, long before humans became farmers, they were potters. Historians say that pottery was a necessity for survival for hunter-gatherers. Pots, bowls, and plates allowed them to cook meats and fish, ferment beverages, and store water.
Ancient pottery was a bit different from what we have now: the potters of old didn’t use glazes, made everything by hand (no pottery wheel!), fired their pots in open flames or fire pits in the ground, and decorated them with things such as ropes, bones, and shells.
#10 Started My 8 Week Wheel Lesson On January 7 & I’ve Been Hooked On Pottery Ever Since
Image source: aubbzz
#11 Feeling Proud Of My Recent Work
Image source: stellensie
#12 My Most Recent Piece Of Dysfunctionalware
Image source: trashjellyfish
As a hobby, pottery exploded in popularity just before the pandemic, around 2018. Amateur studios began popping up in the UK, Spain, and NYC. People got into pottery for different reasons: some like the aesthetics of simple living, others were looking for a hobby where you can see a physical end result of your work, and some turned to pottery as a way to decrease stress.
#13 Made Some Seal Yarn Bowls! He Will Cuddle Your Yarn
Image source: Repulsive-Marzipan-4
#14 Pulled Her From The Kiln Last Night 😍
Image source: ecarrera59
#15 My Newest Glaze Combo Ultra Violet
Image source: HammerlyCeramics
Pottery, in fact, is a great way to relieve stress, just like any other form of arts and crafts. Research shows that after 45 minutes of an art-making activity, 75% of people experience a significant decrease in the stress hormone cortisol. Younger people notice a stronger effect, too.
#16 Glaze Results
Image source: CheesyTrade
#17 I Think I Found My Thing
Image source: Jadesen
#18 I Just Spent 4 Hours Painting A Friends Birthday Present
Image source: DirtyRattie
“I think one reason might be that younger people are developmentally still figuring out ways to deal with stress and challenges, while older individuals — just from having lived life and being older — might have more strategies to problem-solve and manage stress more effectively,” the co-author of the study, Girija Kaimal, EdD, explained.
#19 Yubaba Plate Is Out Of Glaze Firing!!!
Image source: myfrontallobe10
#20 Made Another Blueberry Bowl 🫐
Image source: daniellawicksx
#21 My Newest Glaze Combo!
Image source: HammerlyCeramics
Have you ever tried to form something out of wet clay, Pandas? How did your attempts at pottery go? Share your experiences with us in the comments! And if you’d like to see more inspiring examples of creative crafts, check out our previous publications about magical crochet designs and beautiful embroidery projects.
#22 I Used To Hate Glazing And Now It’s My Favourite Part Of The Process
Image source: ko_mary
#23 My Bestest Creation
Image source: Porter-Joe
#24 First Time Using Glaze Chips
Image source: Icy-Acanthisitta6151
#25 Chonky Unicorn Results – He’s Big And Purple! 🦄
Image source: postmodernequestrian
#26 A Fresh Baked Batch Of Mush Girls Survived The Kiln!
Image source: thedodecahedron
#27 Snoot Cups!
Image source: deedlelu
#28 Shell Flask Just Came Out Of The Kiln!
Image source: Cor_hf
#29 Porcelain Chalice
Image source: CTCeramics
#30 Appreciation Post For A Beautiful Clay Studio I Stumbled Across In Kigali, Rwanda
Image source: Worldly_Gas_9455
#31 I Made My Own Backsplash Tiles
Image source: Notaneditor10
#32 Uhhh….i Think I’m In Love?
Image source: EmilytheEpicure
#33 When I Hit 100 Mushgirls, Maybe I’ll Stop?
Image source: thedodecahedron
#34 I Finally Did It! An Everyday Mug That Is Light And Comfortable To Use, With A Nice Sharp Rim That Doesn’t Dribble, And As An Added Bonus It’s Nice To Look At
Image source: amyrator
#35 Using My Handmade Snack Bowl
Image source: Agitated-Victory6200
#36 I Truly Cannot Believe This Made It Out Alive
Image source: H2-van_g-O
#37 Lost My Job…. I’ve Been Making Pots
Image source: MagicTurtle69yo
#38 Stained Glass On Black Stoneware
Image source: eccentricorange
#39 My Favorite Piece From My First Pottery Course 🐌
Image source: danaut358
#40 All Of The Urchins I Made This Semester!
Image source: daniellalolz
#41 Feeling Good About This Alligator Hinged Jar
Image source: souffle-etc
#42 An Experiment I’m Very Pleased With
Image source: ELSandstorm
#43 Recent Underglaze Fun ✨
Image source: honeypear4
#44 Ceramic Fortune Cookies
Image source: Initial-Cockroach961
#45 15 Months In , I Think I Have Found The Concept Behind My Style /Work
Image source: Crawford89898
#46 Stoked Goats!
Image source: winksquiffler
#47 What Came Out Of The Kiln Yesterday
Image source: sanitysfall_
#48 Finally Finished!
Image source: [deleted]
#49 I Made Jars That Resemble My Bee Mugs
Image source: audballofclay
#50 I’m A Noob But Having Fun
Image source: Natural_Raisin6028
#51 She’s Done!
Image source: AustinHolmesPottery
#52 Chanterelle Incense Burner To Mimic Spores Dispersing
Image source: Crawford89898
#53 Bat Canopic Jar
Image source: weeenusaur
#54 Made This Sake Set That’s Been Rattling In My Head A While. :) You Can Soak Them In A Hot Bath To Keep The Mugs Warm For Sake Or Tea And They (Except For The Bald Ones) Rest On Their Heads
Image source: Coxswain_Dunsel
#55 Tragedy At My Studio, Even The Bear Is Angry 😠
Image source: The_fartocle
#56 Made This Beauty For My Boyfriend For Christmas
Image source: stifflette
#57 I Dropped My Mug This Morning And It Broke So Pretty
Image source: Cute-Bullfrog2373
#58 It’s A Chicken…and A Salt Jar
Image source: tovo_tools
#59 Midriff Vase!
Image source: aprildevi1
#60 For Christmas This Year I’ve Thrown 30 Spice Jars To Gift To Friends And Family!
Image source: Caddywho
#61 Oh Lawd He Comin’! 🦄 Unicorn Chonk Sculpture
Image source: postmodernequestrian
#62 I Know There’s A Worm Diva In This Sub And I Need To Share The Worm Love
Image source: yamammiwammi
#63 I Made A Vase
Image source: SomeOtherLoser
#64 S N A I L T E A P O T
Image source: souffle-etc
#65 Astronaut Mug 🐱🐭🌌
Image source: makeshiftwings_
#66 Just Wanted To Show Off Some Recent Pieces
Image source: stellensie
#67 A Pot I Made Is Currently On Display At The Us National Arboretum
Image source: cbobgo
#68 My Boys And Their Slow Feeders
Image source: angryhair
#69 Super Proud Of This One
Image source: HammerlyCeramics
#70 Super Happy With The Way My Gingko Leaf Spoon Rests Turned Out From My First Hand-Building Class! 💛
Image source: hongryalice
#71 Finally Finished My Flower Mug! 🌷🥹
Image source: why_is_itspicy
#72 Butter Dish
Image source: No-Refrigerator5504
#73 All My Friends Get Mugs For Their Birthday. This Is Her Dog Painted With Underglaze On Speckled Buff 🐶 ☁️
Image source: 2cookieparties
#74 Bookend Pots
Image source: Jazzlike_Response722
#75 My First Decent Sgrafitto Came Out Of The Kiln
Image source: Cashew_Albacore
#76 Patchwork Mug
Image source: incrediblejest
#77 Handbuilt Ceramic Matchboxes
Image source: 2greenbean
#78 Some Recent Work That I Actually Feel Extremely Proud Of
Image source: skesmith
#79 So Happy With My Recent Work:)
Image source: Particular_Fuel_6463
#80 I’m Just Very Proud Of This One
Image source: tinylittleshortsmall
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