The Healing Power of Clay Studio
Updated: Sep 17
Key Takeaways
Healing medium: Clay absorbed grief and pain, becoming a tool for emotional release and recovery. It resisted control, teaching flexibility and openness to unexpected outcomes.
Expression of self: Clay allowed authentic exploration of forms, even those you once hesitated to sculpt.
Studio sanctuary: The clay studio became a refuge where exhaustion and grief transformed into creativity.
Gentle resilience: Failures in the kiln were met with kindness, reinforcing persistence rather than shame.
Shared belonging: Humor, rituals, and collective respect for clay created a deep sense of connection.
Having left my full-time job, I was looking for things to do where I could go and meet people. I had known about Triveni Kala Sangam since my teenage years thanks to its cafeteria known for fresh home-made food. One fine morning I was looking wistfully at the posters for classes on the reception desk at Triveni's entrance when a stranger, seeing me look, started talking to me. He was Onkar Rahi — ex IPS, collector, book writer, painter etc in his many avatars.
I told him I loved pottery but couldn’t do it due to my weak back muscles. We talked for an hour, and he suggested I try sculpture. Sculpture, my mind thought, “OK” maybe I can make an angel with it. Sometimes a stranger can change one’s life and he did mine for sure.
My First Days With Clay
I joined the class, and on day one I met Aradhana who welcomed me with a smiling face, an old student who told me how to prepare clay. Clay has been a medium I loved most as an art therapist for its ability to mold, change, break and reemerge. It had a profound effect on healing my grief when my mom passed away.
Later that day Kosal Sir came. He said make something and when I did, he said, “Ok just wanted to see what you can do with clay.” I came back the next day with a photo of an owl and started. My back issues prevented me from standing or even sitting for long hours. I borrowed Sir’s teacher chair, which he generously shared with me through the entire first year. I used to be exhausted and tired but over the years I made the owl, a rabbit, a jalpari and Hanumanji.
As I Healed, The Clay Healed Me
As I made them something in me changed. Sculpture became a passion, a hobby beyond what I ever thought it would be or could be. Slowly I was able to stand and work and my duration changed from half an hour to two hours, a milestone for a person who battled so many fears on her spinal health.
Slowly I understood what a good teacher can do for you. Kosal Sir’s very presence changes the space. He has a quiet but jolly demeanour of the old-world master, a rare person who is happy creating because he can, the joy intrinsic.
Having learnt from a traditional maestro he carries on that tradition of a guru. He never interferes with us when we are making anything, allowing us to make mistakes and experiment. We call him in utter angst often, “Sir ghode ki aankh nahi thik hai”, “Sir lip nahi ban rahe.” He comes and his hands move like a musician on the sitar; he knows which notes the clay will want to hear and moulds it in a space of seconds. His face in full attention, body in full obeisance to the clay. It’s almost magical seeing his hands move.
The Studio Became My Safe Place
The class itself is light, brimming with a positive energy, the dialogues on clay endless. For most of us a ball of ready clay is like gold. We hide it like it's our most precious treasure and instead of jokes on gold, we have clay ones. Over time, I realised that what makes the studio special is not just the art being created but the sense of safety it offers. It is one of those rare spaces where people can arrive carrying exhaustion, grief, self-doubt or loneliness and still feel accepted without needing to explain themselves.
Each day I see sculptures emerge from many hands. Hands of an artist, hands of a college student, hands of an old woman, hands of a media person, hands of an ex-IAS, hands carrying varying emotions from grief and sadness to joy and what emerges is art, yes, but at an inner level an expression of one’s soul. The clay absorbs emotions quietly, and the studio allows people to express parts of themselves without fear of judgement or ridicule.
I see potters under the highly talented Kavya Ma’am create stuff from a dog to a food platter. The sighs and moans when something breaks in the kiln and something beautiful comes intact after glazing is fascinating to watch. Yet even in those moments of disappointment, the atmosphere remains gentle and encouraging. No one is made to feel foolish for failure; instead there is an unspoken understanding that breaking, remaking and trying again are all part of both art and life.
What Clay Taught Me
Clay, I have learnt, can never be told what to do. Sometimes I can start with an idea and something totally different emerges. Clay has made me more open to experimenting with form. I was shy about doing women's bodies with a focus on breasts as I thought of them as provocative, but Kosal Sir said, “If it’s in your heart to do it then you must. Don’t think of society or people, just do it.”
I am excited to learn what glazing can do to my sculptures. What I think in my head and what will emerge from the kiln will be a curious experiment.
The studio today has become my happy place. A space of life creating life each day.
While some of us are anxious to get recognition as artists and monetize, others do it for the sake of fun and gifting. Each one on their own journey of clay. Where it will take me in the future, I don’t know, but for me the Triveni clay and ceramic studio is a temple of joy and my safe place.
Closing Reflection
Looking back, I realize the studio gave me far more than a new skill. It gave me structure at a time of uncertainty, community at a time when I felt isolated, and confidence at a time when my physical limitations had begun to define my choices. Working with clay demanded patience, persistence, and acceptance — qualities I had to relearn in my own life as well.
Clay itself has been the greatest teacher in this journey. It does not respond well to force or impatience. Sometimes an idea works exactly as imagined; often it changes midway into something entirely unexpected. Through that process I learnt to become less rigid, less fearful of mistakes, and more willing to experiment. Clay also makes one deeply aware of the physical act of creating — the pressure of the hands, the balance of form, the attention required in every movement. For me, especially while dealing with back pain and physical limitations, this relationship with the material became both grounding and restorative.
FAQ
How does clay act as a medium to heal in art therapy?
Clay is unique in art therapy due to its highly tactile and primordial nature. It facilitates recovery through specific therapeutic axes:
• Catharsis and Somatic Release: The physical demands of kneading, wedging, and sculpting clay allow a healthy channel for processing heavy internal emotions like intense grief, anger, or loss.
• Mind-Body Rehabilitation: The ongoing resistance of clay creates an organic biofeedback loop, helping individuals gently rebuild focus, endurance, and physical core stamina over time.
• Metaphor for Resilience: Clay can crack, break, or collapse during creation or inside a high-temperature kiln, yet it can always be broken down, re-hydrated, and completely re-formed. This mirrors the human adaptive capacity to heal and safely re-emerge after profound life tragedies.
What constitutes a Safe Space?
In a therapy environment, a safe space is one where a person feels emotionally secure enough to express thoughts, memories, fears, grief, or vulnerability without fear of judgement, shame, dismissal, or punishment. It is built through trust, empathy, confidentiality, consistency, and acceptance.
A safe therapeutic space allows individuals to explore difficult emotions at their own pace while feeling supported and respected.
Such an environment usually includes:
emotional non-judgement and active listening,
clear boundaries and confidentiality,
empathy and validation without criticism,
freedom to express difficult or uncomfortable feelings,
a sense of physical and emotional calm,
and the assurance that mistakes, setbacks, or vulnerability will not be used against the person.
In creative space, a safe space also means having the freedom to experiment, fail, destroy, rebuild, and express emotions symbolically through materials like clay, paint, or movement. The focus shifts from performance or perfection to expression, process, and healing.
Where is Triveni Kala Sangam?
Triveni Kala Sangam is a prominent cultural and arts center located at 205 Tansen Marg, Mandi House, New Delhi. Founded in 1950, it is a landmark of India's capital art scene, renowned for its multiple public galleries, open-air theater, and its iconic courtyard cafeteria known for fresh home-
Author Bio
Monica Kapur is an Art Therapist based in Delhi and working globally online. She specializes in helping individuals overcome anxiety, stress, trauma, and emotional blocks through Art Therapy, somatic practices, and neurographica. Passionate about mental health, she writes to inspire readers to pause, reflect, and reshape their lives with greater clarity and compassion.
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