What is in a cup. Coffee. Tea. Water. Pens? They hold things for us to drink, that’s the most basic use of a cup and it’s what most people see in a cup when they pick it up to use it. Sometimes they help organize kitchen utensils or office supplies. It’s a quintessential vessel for open storage. Very few people will appreciate the cup itself for what it is and what it may mean. I’m reminded of a story I heard while in college.
“A group of alumni, who were very successful in their careers, decided to get together to visit their old university professor. After they all reunited, the conversation of the alumni soon turned into complaints about work, relationships and life. Offering his guests coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and an assortment of cups – porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal, some plain looking, some expensive, some exquisite – telling them to help themselves to the coffee. When all of his old students had a cup of coffee in hand, they sat down together and the professor said: “If you noticed, all the nice looking expensive cups have been taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is, of course normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that can also be the source of much of your dissatisfaction, problems and stress. It’s important to know that the cup itself adds no real quality to the coffee. In most cases it is just chosen because its perceived to be more special or expensive. What all of you really wanted was experience of the coffee, not the cup, but you subconsciously went for the best cups. Some of you tried to get the best cup first or began eyeing each other’s cups to see if yours was nice enough.”
The cup does absolutely nothing to affect the taste of the coffee aside from keeping it hot. It does, however, change the perception of the experience as it relates to the drinker. Not many people will consider what they’re drinking out of until an option is given. The drinker’s personality rises to the occasion and suddenly they’ll know what kind of cup they want to choose. The cups I make are unique in design and have a meaning known only to me but they become important and meaningful to someone after they start using it. I do keep some of my own cups for various reasons, mostly due to technical merit but also due to how pretty I perceive it to be and how much it embodies what my though process was when it was made. I have had people purchase a cup but never use it for fear they would break it; others have bought one that wound up broken due to lack of reverence for hand made objects. Most use the cups without issue.
Opinion
For me, as an artist making ceramic work, I consider a cup as the most elemental execution of skill and method. Most people can make a usable cup out of clay. It’s how you make that cup yours, identify it as an extension of yourself to justify its ownership that makes it unique. It’s essentially what people do with branded souvenir cups, a simple and useful memento of a trip. Some are used while others sit in a cabinet, never to be used and holding only vague memories. These are mostly the infamous white ceramic mug with a photo, phrase, or logo.
Chinese made and overpriced, they’re simple. I’ll confess that I have at least one of these intentionally and is used for hot chocolate from time to time. The meaning behind it is very personal so it’s the only commercial cup that I have in use. But the ones I use for my daily coffee ritual are those of my friends. I have some cups in my possession that were made by the people who attended college with me. These cups are priceless in my eyes.
They dont just hold coffee, they hold memories of people in a time and place that was very influential in the shaping of my artistic mind. I recently started cycling through their cups from week to week. Each cup being different from the rest and reminiscent of another time. I love the reactions that I get from people whenever they notice I’m using a cup they’ve never seen before. Sometimes I’ll sprinkle my own cups into rotation to keep it fresh. The point is that these cups go beyond the simple vessel and while they may be worthless and meaningless to others, they are irreplaceable in my eyes.
More Than Just Vitrified Mud
A cup is more than just a coffee holder to me. It can be a reflection of a person’s character, represent a memory, or even serve as a banner for a specific subject. A viewer will purchase a cup if it’s their favorite color, an attractive shape, or they simply think it’s a nice cup. The viewer becomes the owner once its purchased; often times a bond is formed which goes beyond the utility of said cup. It gains meaning and provides a subconscious level of satisfaction known only to the drinker. It becomes an object of significance for the drinker.
Beyond Class
Some of the people who were in the school with me were not necessarily all students. One of my professors was a very interesting character, smart ass and smart as can be. Steve Roberts.
His cups were exquisite and I wish I had one from that time. I had the privilege of seeing this work first hand while I was still learning. He taught me a lot about being meticulous, his work shows this aspect of his discipline.
Passing the Torch
Whenever I pick up a new student, the assignment of a cup is close to the first things I’ll assign them. I want to see the thought process that went into making the cup, how it reflects on the maker as a work of art. The decoration and the shape all play a role in evaluating the cup. It’s not my place to judge the artistic merit of the cup, but I will give honest feedback on the execution and translation of idea to physical item. I’ll do what I can to open up their minds to the cup as both a sketch and a final piece. Hopefully it instills a sense of respect for something humble as a cup.
So what’s in a cup? Soul.
Oicata Ceramics 
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