"Our lives are drawn out for us by a master artist. But we are given the colors to paint our own souls. Some days the colors we choose enrich who we are. Other days our brush strokes seem to leave shadows over the person we long to be. That is when we need a vision greater than our own. If we look from afar, we can see the beauty of the dark and light hues, working together to create balance. From this perspective, we can see ways to illuminate our lives with fresh, true colors as we slowly become the masterpiece we were designed to be."

Clay is an extraordinarily tactile, honest and sensuous medium; an ideal vehicle through which to explore, express and discover ones creative inner world. Pottery students and potters tend to let go of their set opinions, views and thoughts and experience a deeper and more meaningful level of communication. Through a more developed understanding of one another, they create an environment for mutual dialogue and improved cooperation with adults and children. I have witnessed dozens of cases where clay work is a powerful vehicle for healing (e.g., depression, hyper activity, stress, cancer recovering patients, etc.) through creative self-expression. It not only helps to release body tension; it is also a lot of fun.

Working with clay is also an excellent tool for exploring fears, attitudes, thoughts and feelings. The use of clay encourages self-discovery and adds to sensory stimulation. It can be an outlet for frustration and improves motor skills. You can tell a lot about people by the way the use their hands and how they explore new limits and experience success or failure.

One of the activities at Lakeside Pottery in Stamford is corporate team building. Companies such as Unilever, Coca Cola, MasterCard and Diageo-Guinness spend a few hours at the studio with well-planned exercises, which enable the management teams to reduce stress and most importantly, learn about each other in a completely different way.

For example, a demonstration is given by the instructor of basic pottery techniques and then the team is encouraged to work either in groups or individually to produce a unique project. The results are always exciting for both instructor and participants. Another exercise is the “Discovering Your Senses” activity where the teams work with clay while eyes are closed. As they listen to the instructor’s soothing voice guiding them how to work the clay, they discover that they can actually see with their fingers. They become relaxed with closed eyes focusing on the task in front of them. The instructor seizes this moment of self-reflection and help guides the conversation to further discover who each person really is as oppose to their identity within the work place hierarchy.

On Feb 26, 2002, Lakeside Pottery, ceramic school and studio, on Newfield Avenue in Stamford, opened its doors. To date, they have enrolled more than 2,400 students in classes, workshops and open studio in addition to out reach programs conducted in local schools. Lakeside Pottery follows a guiding philosophy of “creating a pottery studio where newcomers as well as professional artists can come to create in a place with an atmosphere of warmth, sharing and love of pottery.”

The setup at Lakeside Pottery was very carefully designed so that participants would have the "perfect environment" in which to learn and work with clay. The studio is spacious and bright and is an excellent place for sharing and developing friendships. The environment is hospitable and friendly, and both group classes and individual lessons are available. The teachers are experienced potters, and all have interesting, rich and diverse backgrounds.