Healthy Hobby: Making Pottery

Turning a lump of clay into a work of art can be therapeutic and also give you a wonderful sense of accomplishment.

- By Kaitlyn Phoenix

If you loved playing with Play-Doh or Silly Putty as a kid, you'll - probably get a kick out of making pottery as an adult. "To go from that wet, very malleable ball of clay into a form, vessel, or sculpture-I find it exciting every time, even after all these years," says Paul S. Briggs, M.F.A., an artist and an associate professor of ceramics at Massachusetts College of Art and Design.

... After his first class in ceramics ninth grade, Briggs never looked back. "I think the thing that drew me to it was the fact that it focused me," he says. "I had to pay attention, and I could be present." Beyond that, research shows that working with clay can help boost creativity and reduce symptoms of depression or anxiety and can improve the mental health of people with dementia.