Handles - a reflection on functionality and individuality

Handles. Handles play a huge role in how we interact with a mug. And how we use the handle and what types of handles we gravitate towards depends on individual preference. I have small hands and narrow fingers, so I tend to gravitate towards narrow and fine handles.  But someone recently gave me some feedback and said that he finds that style of handle uncomfortable, and much prefer handles that are larger and wider, to allow him to fit 2-3 fingers into the handle.

This got me thinking a lot about functionality and how I can improve the functionality of the pieces I create, because my goal as a potter is to create work that is both aesthetic and functional - I want to create art that can be used everyday. I mentioned this to a fellow potter, and he sent me a YouTube video of potter Pete Pinnell discussing this very topic. It was a great video, and a few things Pete said really stuck with me.  First, functionality is defined by the occasion. Pete used the analogy of clothing - what is functional to wear to a yoga class is not necessarily what is most functional to wear to a chapel wedding. So what you plan to use a mug for helps define its functionality. Are you going to use it for drinking coffee everyday or is this a mug that you want to display on a shelf and use for special occasions? Second, functionality is defined by the individual - by our habits and also our physical shape.  Some people tend to hold a mug the entire time they are drinking from it, while others like to set the mug down between sips. I tend to slide my fingers through a handle and clasp the body of the mug when I am drinking. Others hold the mug by the handle, with their thumb on top and a finger below to counter balance the weight of the mug. All of these uniquely individual choices define what makes a piece “functional”.

So what should I do with all this information as a potter? How can I ever hope to create “functional ceramics” when functionality is so personal? I think the answer is balance. To create a variety of different pieces so that hopefully you can find the piece that is most functional to you.

When it comes to testing out handle functionality, it’s a tricky business. At the leather hard stage pictured here, the clay is too fragile to test the mug by the handle. Even at the bisque ware stage, the piece is still extremely fragile. Which means, to really test a handle, you have to wait until it’s glazed and fired, and you can drink from it.  So until then, we can really only judge the aesthetics of a handle, and how it complements or juxtaposes the body of the mug. I have a favorite out of these three so far, but what’s yours?