For my free inquiry project I want to delve into the world of working with clay! Moulding it, heating it, glazing it, and then using it to enjoy my morning tea.

And my first burning question to start this inquiry off is what exactly is this endeavour called? Pottery or Ceramics?

After some brief googling and anecdotal discussion I have come to the following understanding:

Pottery is the specific act of working with clay to shape it and form it into pots or other vessels on a pottery wheel or by hand.

Ceramics is the similar manipulation of materials but includes a vast variety of materials that are shaped and then changed by a heating process. The heating process makes them rigid and able to withstand certain abuse such as rapid heating and cooling. Ceramics include composites of non-metal and inorganic material such as glazes, glass, brick, and clay.  The broad term ceramics includes pottery and the glazes that are often applied to pottery. So these terms are related but, now that I know more, I believe they shouldn’t be used interchangeably. The difference being that ceramics includes a wide scope of materials, which pottery falls into, where as pottery refers only to working with clay.

With that cleared up  I feel ready and excited to delve into the mysterious and magical world of pottery making, which is how I shall refer to my free inquiry from now on.