> [!NOTE]+ Meta > Author:: Sam Bowden > Reference:: Bowden, S. (2024, February 22). _Why pottery classes in Melbourne are an awesome after-work activity_. ClassBento. https://classbento.com.au/why-pottery-classes-are-an-awesome-after-work-activity-in-melbourne > Date:: 2024 > Tags:: #warp > WeftLinks:: [[Psychological value of craft]] > Claim:: [[Claim - It is reassuring to touch base with the material world]] > [!SUMMARY] Summary > An internationally successful craft school markets its pottery classes as relief from a day at the office. ### Highlights >Take a break from your screen and sink your hands into a pottery class. >Offices and work environments can be quite a stress-inducing place and it’s important to not always take that feeling home with you. Many psychologists recommend that after an especially strenuous day or week, it can be highly beneficial to engage in an activity that alleviates the stress to avoid taking it home with you. A pottery workshop is not just a great buffer between a stressful day and your living space, it’s a way to work out creative energy you may not be utilising on a daily basis. If you work in an office, then chances are you’re exercising the analytical, left side of the brain pretty intensely, while leaving the creative side relatively untouched. Even if you feel mentally fatigued, your right-side brain is crying out to be worked, and once you start exercising it, you’ll realise how much more brainpower you had left to give. >Having a creative outlet and a space to experiment with your creativity is crucial to a happier, healthier life. Indulging in a creative pursuit increases your body’s production of dopamine (the happiness chemical) and in doing so, lowers stress and anxiety. Pottery workshops are particularly good at entering the “flow state” of creativity, especially on the pottery wheel, where time and self can simply disappear, allowing you to focus solely on the task at hand. This becomes a form of meditation, whether it be via clay hand building or wheel throwing, and as we now know, meditation plays a vital role in maintaining energy levels and mental health. Experimenting with your creative side is a rewarding way to detox, destress and unwind after a busy day.