Hopefully, that headline didn’t stress you out—that was not my intention. Actually, what I´m about to tell you about might just be the perfect escape from the stress that everyday life imposes on you. This is for all the people who want some creative fulfilment in their day-to-day life, for all the people who are looking for a fun afternoon activity to do with their friends, or for all the people who just obsessively collect any type of pottery until their cupboards are filled to the brim.
Let me tell you about the Tuschbar: a place where you can let your creativity freely flow. Only two minutes from Doberaner Platz lies a small studio called Tuschbar, which gives you the wonderful opportunity to pick any type of ceramic pottery and design it in whatever way you want. You get to choose from a collection of over 200 different ceramic items, from mugs to plates to small figurines of ladybirds; the possibilities are endless. Upon arrival, you are greeted by one of the staff members, who will then give you a rundown of everything you can do with the pottery; the possibilities again are literally endless. They have plenty of different environmentally friendly colours, stencils, brushes and techniques that you can use to make your pottery unique. If you are one of those people who come prepared and have found several inspirational pictures on Pinterest that will help you achieve the creation of the mug of your dreams — good on you! If you´re like me and you didn’t come prepared, there´s no need to worry. You can still end up with a very special piece of art. When I went to the Tuschbar with my friends I had no inspirational pictures prepared whatsoever, but in the spur of the moment, when I had the bowl of my choice in front of me, I just started drawing spontaneously and ended up with a floral pattern I was actually really proud of. But if you´re still struggling– there are several ceramic tiles and previously painted pottery around the studio that you can use for inspiration and that can kick-start your creative process.
I would personally go as far as to calling the creative process itself therapeutic or at least relaxing if you´re secretly a perfectionist and can´t completely put those thoughts to rest. Being creative oftentimes means getting fully immersed in the experience and process, which helps putting any sort of stress or other invasive thoughts to the side, and only think about what you are doing in the present moment. It helps you calm down for a second, which a lot of people might need in their daily life. In the end, it´s just you and your friends, and the process of making a small work of art, that you can certainly get lost in. And the occasional hot chocolate or coffee, that you can order to fuel your energy.
When you’ve completed your masterpiece and the new pride and joy of your cupboard, you have to initially hand it back to the staff members who will then glaze and burn it in the ceramic furnace within a week. Picking up what you created is just as exciting as actually creating it, and you´ll certainly always go home with something very special!
