April 15, 2021

“As a kid, I was into making things by hand, especially using ceramic. I’ve lived in Iran for several years and learned the profession from a Persian master. I wanted to work at a factory where they were making vases, but they wouldn’t let me because I am from South of Kurdistan. However, my dream did come true and I started working in a ceramic factory as a janitor. The best timing to practice what I loved was when the master was taking a lunch break, there were no electrical machines, so I used to use a pedal to operate the machine and make vases, it was very tiring. He used to get angry if he were to find out that I had used his equipment. One day, he got a phone call and went home for the rest of the day without finishing his work. I took over his work and made 10 of the exact same of what he was making”.

“When he came back, he saw new vases, and angrily asked who had made them, and my friends pointed at me. He was very angry at the beginning, but after a while he was very happy that I had the potential to work. We worked several years together until I had to go back to Kurdistan, he was upset when he found out that I had to leave. I didn’t stop when I came back, it’s been 9 years that I do this job now and my sons are working with me. Pottery has become a part of my life, and I make a living out of it. All the material and equipment that I use exist in Kurdistan, including the mud and that glass-like material that I use for the designs”.