«When I explain my job, most of the time, people are amazed. Indeed, until about six years ago, I myself was unaware that there could still be such a profession…», says Margherita, 26, who grew up between Italy and Germany. She wrote to the United World Project because she has a dream: to use her art to help others. What is Margherita’s job? Let’s start from the beginning.

«My passion came about during high school time. I spent a ten-month school term in Chennai, in the South of India. Then, I moved Eastbound, towards the ‘land of the calm morning’, as Korea’s definition goes. I made my Korean studies, the first two years in Venice and the third one in Seoul, where, during my winter holidays, I visited a ceramist, with the desire to do an apprenticeship. I lived three incredible weeks, an ongoing discovery of an art and of myself, of my dreams, those that I had never dared to face openly: to become a ceramic artist, a master potter».

The period that Margherita spent with the Korean artist gave her a new sense of aesthetics, new harmonies of shapes and colors. This is why she decided to attend the “Keramikschule”, a three-year professional ceramics school in Landshut, the capital city of Lower Bavaria.

«What happened was that, quite unexpectedly, I found myself with my hands dirty with clay and my mind busy meditating on the humility of the craftsperson, who practices a work in close contact with the four elements of nature: water, air, fire, and earth. I enjoyed dwelling, in particular, on two images: Joseph, a humble carpenter with his son Jesus; and the boatman of Siddhartha by Herman Hesse, who lives his destiny humbly and unconcerned, in close contact with the river,» recalls Margherita. However, she was not really unconcerned. «I had mixed feelings. Of course, I was very excited, but I also experienced a kind of internal struggle. On the one hand, I wanted to learn a job among the oldest on the planet, humbly, with the intention of using it in any country in the world. On the other hand, I could not stand the fatigue and the dirty clothes, I preferred to attend the academic milieu and choose a more comfortable and ‘elevated’ job than a potter’s shopkeeper».

Eventually, her passion for ceramics got the better of her and Margherita found the right combination she was looking for – between craftsmanship and art, between production and creation.

«Now I want to help others with my job. Sometimes I dream big: a center, a school where you can be creative, learn a job, work, sell, welcome people, and talk. A workshop, but also a coffee shop, a meeting place. In India, I faced the issue of street children but also in Europe, there are contexts in which I could act. Perhaps, I am just looking for a way to share, to give what I have learned… Anyway, I would be happy to share this talent with other young – and less young – people. Can you help me?».

Margherita’s dream opens up to others. Friends of the United World Project, do you want to help make it come true? Please write us your suggestions and ideas at the following address: mediaoffice@unitedworldproject.org.

With clay, you can offer a playful approach but also a therapeutic one (creativity and contact with the material, along with the ability to create, generate many ideas!). In addition, it is possible to explore and learn a job, the potter-ceramist. I hope I will soon receive your advice, opinions, suggestions, and proposals, something that tells me: look at this, they are looking for someone like you!

Margherita

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