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_____________________________________This is something that many people do naturally, without even thinking about it.
Dumb down Pots came to mind when I was thinking about my bonsai pot glazes.
There are times when it's necessary to "dumb down" in life, just to fit in, or not stick out from the crowd. Just as your bonsai pot should not overtake or draw your eye away from the bonsai tree.
Think about where you work....there are people who are exceptionally brilliant at what they do.... but are quite happy blending in with their co workers to make their time enjoyable as no one likes a smart ass. Much the same as a bonsai pot.....its there....doing its job....looking tidy, keeping the trees roots at bay. A calm subtle glaze colour that doesnt jump out and punch you in the eye at first glance is what you need.
There are some people that do stand out for other reasons....their personality, the way they talk, or their cheery attitude. Bonsai pots too have that same thing going on. Some have a strong steady masculine "dont mess with me" look about them. Others have soft corners and curved lips which give you that soft feminine feel.
Then there are just the outrageous people who are right out there. Yes we all know them. In your face more times than bugs on a motorbike. Always opinionated and happy to stand proud and be the centre of attention. We see so many bonsai pots with this characteristic. Really loud colours, shapes and designs that would make a yoyo dizzy, and always the first thing you see when you happen to glance their way. "HERE I AM", I'm important, not that old looking tree I've got invading my headspace.
Just as high heeled shoes can make us look taller, feet on a bonsai pot can make it look lighter and not so heavy. Flashy coloured shoes can glitz up an outfit, whereas anything but plain feet on a bonsai pot can draw your attention to them and not the tree/pot combination quite easily.
The "dumb down people" are the ones that have excelled academically and have incredible knowledge in their field. They are quite content to do menial jobs where there isn't really alot of hard thinking involved and they certainly don't display or talk about their achievements. In the bonsai world there are the "antique pots", "tokoname" and others made by famous potters. The pots all do the same job as the cheap and nasty ones, but the craftmanship in these is incredible. The hours and experience of the potter shows. They sit quietly with the tree sharing the limelight and taking your tree/pot combination to another level.
Then there are the "go to" people. Always reliable, always there to sort problems that arise. In the bonsai tree world these would be the plain brown rectangular or oval pots. It doesn't really matter what the tree looks like, they will always look at home in one of these go to reliable pots.
Yes, some people will get the boot (fired) for not fitting in or just annoying the crap out of others. Hence some people find it hard to match the right pot with the tree and are forever changing it because it doesn't look right in some way. Bonsai enthusiasts can find it really annoying and quite often flick the offending pot into the shed, in the faint hope of it being bought out to do another job with a different tree. Much like people that jump from job to job....and never really finding one that they''re happy with.
Have a glance around at your workmates one day in the smoko room and try and figure out which person matches the style of a particular bonsai pot.......you'll be quite surprised with the similarities between some of them.
But for goodness sake, keep your thoughts to yourself, otherwise your workplace may not be your workplace for much longer !! link: fired pots :))
Hmm....think I've been sitting in the sun too long....the mind is straying and thinking some weird things.
Righto...back to making pots.
