Naturalists | 07.09.24
Amelia Waliany
Nocs Naturalist
Can you tell us a bit about your passions beyond “work” + Do you find that these passions blend, merge or complement your work?
I recently learned that my name has a few different meanings: “work” in
German and “hope” in Arabic, and “water” in Scots Gaelic. In too many ways
to list (but I will try, briefly!) I see these meanings reflected back in
the passions I’ve naturally gravitated toward and cultivated, strangely
enough.
Lately I’ve been finding that my passions and my “work” are increasingly
blending into each other as I evolve and grow as an artist, community
builder, educator, surfer, yogi, and runner.
Weaving these once disparate worlds of mine into each other, uncovering
the metaphorical universal truths that overlap and connect them, and
seeing how their lessons are brought to light and reinforced across realms
and in my life has been the greatest, most humbling and worthwhile
experience.
The paradox of course is that it has also required a great deal of work!
Perseverance, resilience, discipline, balance, and effort, too - not to
say I’ve got all of these in check at all times because I sure don’t, but
I’ve evidently been up for the challenge of trying for as long as I can
remember - I guess fittingly so, given my name’s German meaning, “work” or
“industriousness.”
My name’s Arabic meaning, “hope,” (the only one I’ve been aware of since I
was a kid) definitely resonates, because to me, there’s something really
hopeful about making and appreciating art in all its forms, which I’m
deeply passionate about.
The act of making, whether in clay, words, music, movement, dance, paint,
sticks, rocks, feathers, whatever the medium - is a timelessly hopeful
endeavor. Art and creativity are how humans have survived - how we make
meaning in this life, bring beauty to the world, preserve our histories
and cultures, nourish our bodies, process our emotions, foster dialogues,
connect with nature, lift spirits, advocate for changes, etc! I can’t
think of anything more hopeful than that. I make art mostly with clay
these days, though my first loves were drawing and creative writing. I’ve
dabbled with painting and textiles, but mostly admire and find inspiration
from these mediums and the hands behind them.
The surprise meaning of my name in the mix here is the Scots Gaelic
meaning, “water,” which upon learning caused me to almost fall out of my
chair because it resonated so strongly. (I subsequently learned that it is
actually the meaning of a slightly different name, Amalie, but I’ve gone
ahead and adopted it for now given its significance). Moving from Brooklyn
to San Francisco certainly required some significant lifestyle
adjustments, but once I found my footing, I was overtaken by California’s
sprawling natural beauty. This made it easy to maintain my first love of
outdoor running, swapping out the Williamsburg bridge with Golden Gate
Park’s remarkable biodiversity and Ocean Beach’s shoreline as my main
running routes. When I inevitably gave in to my growing curiosity and took
the plunge to begin learning how to surf the ocean’s waves as an adult, I
never could have imagined how much it would expand my world and broaden my
perspective. Since then I have spent quite a bit of time on the water and
in my blue mind, accessing a deep awareness of how even being near water
sets my mind and body at ease. In addition to the extensive physical,
mental, and emotional health benefits, surfing also instantly brought to
my world a welcoming and supportive surf community, lifelong friendships,
incredible adventures, and an indelible impression on how I connect with
and gain inspiration for my creations from the natural world.
Running has been a constant for me - my first love outside of art
- since I first started on the 6th grade track and cross country teams. To
me the beauty of running lies in its simplicity, that it is the oldest
human physical activity outside of straight up walking. Similarly to why I
love surfing, running outside offers me a way to commune with nature while
doing something good for my mind (i.e., getting out of it) and body (i.e.
getting into it). I’ve also found that running is a great way to simply
familiarize myself with my surroundings. Whenever I find myself in a new
city, I’ll try to start off my time there with a run so that I can
(somewhat, ha) efficiently explore what’s around me. Natural or urban, the
scenes I take in while running fill me with a sense of freedom, adventure,
and abundant lightness. Running taught me about the power of my breath,
and how regulating it soothes the system in the face of the inevitable
physical and mental strains that come with challenging oneself. It also
taught me about the importance of stretching, which laid the way for yoga
to eventually enter the fold and make its enduring impact. My mom took me
to my first yoga class in 7th grade, introducing me to a practice that
would continue to ground, inspire, and challenge me into my adulthood.
What are your materials and how do you think about them?
Clay is my main medium these days. I love it for so many reasons,
especially its versatility and the endlessness of options for what one can
create with it. And there’s something about the delayed gratification and
the surprise element of the process of working with the medium that is
also inherently meditative, enjoyable, and satisfying - a yoga, of sorts.
There’s something magical about how the clay starts off squishy in your
hands and ends up solid on your shelf, holding flowers or just hanging out
taking up space.
I work with a lot of different clay bodies, but lately I’ve been loving
working with Cassius, also known as Obsidian clay, as well as Moroccan
Sand clay lately. Both are very different from each other, with Obsidian
having a dark dramatic black finish like that of its namesake volcanic
glass, and Moroccan Sand having a light beige earthy finish like that of
its namesake granulated rock. Obsidian has a smoother texture and is super
flexible and pliable, making it a dream to work with, whereas Moroccan
Sand has a slightly gritty texture, adding a different kind of earthy
depth to my pieces. Working with these different clay bodies and others
challenges me to adapt my techniques and appreciate their unique qualities
through how I use them to create my pieces.
I recently learned more about foraging wild clay when I took an intensive
course at a studio in the mountains of Granada, Spain. Learning to
identify, collect, process, and fire local clays from scratch was an eye
opening experience that deepened my appreciation for clay as a medium. One
day I hope to develop a body of work using mostly foraged materials,
further incorporating the essence of the earth and sustainability in my
art. It's all about staying connected to the earth and letting it inspire
me.
How are you inspired?
For me, making with my hands whatever the material is a
soul retrieval that I feel compelled to, as a way to
maintain creativity and
build community.
Being in nature - the unending source of inspiration. The
ocean, with all of the shapes and textures it takes and
holds, the mesmerizing patterns of the waves, the bulbous parts of seaweed
washed up on the shore, the arms of an octopus, ETC.And the
forest/ jungle: the delicate petals of a flower, the
tremble of a fern, the sun shining through the leaves (there’s a japanese
word for this - Komorebi!), the canopy of tree branches
hanging overhead, all the textures, colors and shapes of foliage flora and
fauna.
I'm really fascinated by the human
body and mind, psychology in general, why we are the way
we are, all the stories we’ve lived and the emotions we experience. It's
wild how our brains work, both consciously and unconsciously. So, when I
create, I like to dive deep into this mix of the subconscious and reality,
equally inspired by organic forms and natural settings and landscapes.I do
a lot of what I call “3D doodling”, playing around with intuitively making
forms and shapes that are somewhat recognizable but also kinda abstract.
My tendency to incorporate holes, bubbles, and clusters makes me, among
other things, a “tripophile” - someone who appreciates
this representation. Specifically the seed head of a
lotus flower is something I really love to weave into my
sculptural forms, which is also fun because the shape with multiple holes
works really well for ikebana displays (which roughly
translates from japanese to "making flowers come alive"), another art form
that I’m inspired by.
When I first learned of the Japanese aesthetic,
wabi sabi, the practice of not only accepting - but also
embracing, the transience and imperfection of life and nature - I was
washed over with a sense of relief. This concept gave me the permission to
let go of the perfectionism I’d dutifully cultivated up until that point.
I’ve been letting go since, embracing an
intuitive, instinctual approach
to my art and my creative practice, where making the unconscious conscious
is the main objective. It’s more about the process than the product for me
in that way, so when a piece comes out well, it’s just a bonus because the
process of making the piece was the actual purpose.
In that way, I think of each of my pieces as a time capsule of sorts, or a
tangible journal entry, carrying the thoughts, memories, songs,
reflections, epiphanies, rabbit holes, whatever it was, that was floating
through my mind as I created it.
Much of my Inspiration comes from the paradoxes and dualities of life /
the ubiquity of duality / Yin yangs, everything they stand for ~up / down, sun/ moon, hot/ cold, past /
future. The chaotic beauty of nature, balanced by its inherent order,
really speaks to me.
Rumi - I’ve drawn a tremendous amount of peace when I tap
into his poetry and teachings, and continually seek to embody as much of
this wisdom as I can on a daily basis. I grew up learning about Rumi as
his teachings are rooted in my culture, so the influence has stuck :)
especially so because my mom is on top of sending me illustrated Rumi
quotes on whatsapp pretty regularly.
Process over product, the journey not the destination -
working with clay has helped me in tremendous ways, which is why I started
teaching ceramics, so that I could share that with
others. I’m always so inspired by seeing others find their creative spark,
and I try to facilitate this by infusing light mindfulness themes into my
ceramics lessons, encouraging students to step into the present moment and
shed expectations as they create . Turns out there’s something about
surrendering to imperfection that is really healing. To that end I try to
encourage students to let go of inhibitions as much and as often as
possible in order to embody the redemptive quality of the medium itself.
This helps promote self-reflection, stress relief and personal growth -
talk about hopeful!
A key ingredient to building a sustainable future?
EMPATHY
INGENUITY / CREATIVITY
PERSPECTIVE
DISCIPLINE
I think that if we all tried to focus on integrating these qualities into
our daily lives, we can create a more compassionate and resilient world.
A book that shaped your life?
The Giver, Of Human Bondage, The Alchemist, Status Anxiety, All About Love, Doors of Perception, Art as Therapy, The Razor’s Edge, The Body Keeps the Score
Favorite artist currently?
Anyone building for
CalEarth Institute!
Desire Moheb-Zandi
Misha Japanwala
Kimia Ferdowsi Kline
Vera tamari
Karl Blossfeldt
Shahzia Sikander
Sofia Salazar
Hilma af Klint
Most sublime moment in nature?
Lounging in a human-sized (not) bird’s nest made of sticks and leaves in a
very tall tree in the jungle of ubud, bali, on our way to Tenungun
waterfall.
Surfing in La Lancha in Sayulita. The day I went was especially dreamy and
not without its surprises, i.e. we definitely saw a crocodile in the
rivermouth that met the ocean upon arriving. Despite that we still went
into the ocean (far away of course), and surfed our hearts out, groovy
left after groovy left, for hours. The water was warm and perfect, the
waves were consistent, and drinking from a coconut afterwards while
sitting in a hammock, exhausted and happy, facing the sunset-kissed ocean
under the shade of huge green leaves, was a moment in nature that I don’t
think I could forget if I tried.
What have been your biggest challenges?
Injuries for sure: I completely tore my left ACL in
November of 2019 while traveling alone in Morocco. I never could have
imagined a light game of post-surf kickball in the sand with new friends
would unfold in such a way! As the pandemic unfolded a few months later, I
was recovering from recent surgery and beginning physical therapy. The
entire experience of quarantining while recovering taught me a lot,
specifically the truth of the sentiment - “you don’t know what you’ve got
til it’s gone.”
I completely tore my ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in March of 2021, an
injury often referred to as “skiers thumb,” in my dominant hand after
flying down the great highway on my rollerskates and getting caught in a
destabilizing patch of sand. Rollerskating emerged as a most enjoyable,
lower impact way to recreate the benefits of running that I’d missed for
months while recovering from surgery. Unfortunately, I had forgotten to
wear my wrist guards that night - another surgery endured, another lesson,
learned.
What keeps you going?
Flow finding, the throughline when it comes to centering
clay on the wheel, balancing on a surfboard, moving through a yoga
sequence, managing my pace and footing while running - these practices
ground me, connecting me to my body and breath.
The people in my life who inspire me, and the people in the world who I
want to inspire. After all, we’re all we’ve got.
That’s why creating art and finding perspective are so important to me,
and I think community is a critical component of both. I’m here for the
inspiration exchange, so building bonds around shared interests makes the
kind of magic that definitely keeps me going. I recently hosted an
afternoon retreat in Golden Gate Park called
“Sculpting Serenity” with one of the amazing yoga
instructors from my local yoga studio where we combined a nature-inspired
yoga practice that she led, with a nature-inspired ceramic techniques
overview that I led. It was a true gift to be able to bring this idea to
life and collaborate with a friend to create an experience for others that
brings together the shapes we make with our bodies in yoga with the shapes
we make with clay in ceramics.
“Poetry and beauty are always making peace. When you read something
beautiful you find coexistence; it breaks walls down.” — Mahmoud
Darwish.
a
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