Sophia Soehnlen

Variables Uncontrolled | Ceramics, 2025

Clay can collapse on the wheel with one misjudged movement or emerge from the kiln cracked despite hours of careful work. Accepting moments when effort failed to produce the outcome I imagined taught me patience and comfort with failure. In its quiet demands, pottery asked me to slow down, notice subtle changes, and respond with intention. Over time, it instilled a respect for process over perfection and presence over outcome.

My growing comfort with variables uncontrolled led me to the ancient Japanese firing technique, Raku, which centers on unpredictability. In Raku firing, the piece is removed from the kiln while still glowing hot and placed into a chamber of combustible materials, where it is enveloped by fire and smoke. Here the glaze is altered in ways unknown. The meaning behind each piece does not come from precision, but from surrendering control and allowing the unknown to leave its mark.

Sophia is a student at the College of Medicine.