11 Cosmic Quotes: Why Are They Called “Cosmic Mugs” Anyways?

Why are Joel’s mugs called “Cosmic Mugs” anyways? Wikipedia says, “Cosmic is anything pertaining to the cosmos” and the cosmos “is the Universe regarded as a complex and orderly system; the opposite of chaos.”

Our Universe is vast and mysterious, far more mysterious than what human beings can comprehend. But the cosmos also defines anything close and familiar in our modern, complex society, like a cup of coffee.

These “cosmic quotes” tell about just some reasons why Joel Cherrico chose to model the cosmos with clay and fire:

#1: Author Ryan Holiday captures this quote from Neil deGrasse Tyson in his book “Ego Is The Enemy.”


#2: Bill Nye (The Science Guy) shares his favorite scientific fact on CBS “This Morning.”


#3: This quote from Carl Sagan comes from his famous and humbling video properly named “Pale Blue Dot.”


#4: Mae Jemison, the first African American woman to travel to space, had this to say about how art and science are related.


#5: One of the greatest minds in our history, Albert Einstein wrote this passage about his respect for the cosmos and the mystery it represents.


#6: Stephen Hawking, a leader in the scientific field of cosmology, ends a talk with this memorable quote.


#7: President John F Kennedy was committed to further space exploration, science and innovation. This quote is from his Inaugural Address.


 #8: Galileo Galilei, a pioneer in the field of astronomy, had this to say about mystery, science and art.


#9: Chris Hadfield directly wrote this quote to Joel about his Cosmic Mugs. Check out this Blog Post for more information about Hadfield.


#10: Charles Bolden was part of the crew that successfully deployed the Hubble Telescope. Hubble’s incredible pictures inspire Cosmic Mugs.


#11: The last quote is written by Joel himself in the magazine CeramicsTECHNICAL.

Art that lets you taste the Universe everyday

Every Cosmic Mug is crafted with this purpose in mind. Joel’s goal is to give every owner of a Cosmic Mug the chance to touch, taste and reflect on the Universe every morning by doing something as simple as drinking a cup of coffee.

Astronaut Mark Vande Hei with a Cosmic Mug gifted from Joel. Vande Hei and Joel Cherrico are both alumni of College of St. Benedict/St. John’s University. Astronaut Vande Hei is currently enjoying a tour on the International Space Station during the writing of this post. His “favorite office mug” stayed here on Earth.

Joel brings the cosmos into your home by choosing glazes that are made up of the same elements that are found in the outermost galaxies in our cosmos. Check out this early video below where Joel was first beginning to develop the ideas behind Cosmic Mugs a couple years ago:

Spirals are seen throughout the Universe and are at the foundation of Cosmic Mugs, which are formed by twisting clay on a pottery wheel. Scientists don’t know why spirals are so common, but like most things in the Universe, it is a mystery waiting to be unraveled. Read more about why spirals are so common in our Universe in this Discover Article.

One of Joel’s newest pieces in his Big Jars and Wall Platters collection brandishes a spiral as a stunning Cosmic Wall Platter. Joel modeled it after what astrophysicists have determined about the Milky Way’s spiral shape, with subtle textures and colors that are entirely an expression of the art.

Do you have a favorite quote about the cosmos? Share in the comments please!

Image sources: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10

Momentous Pottery Giveaways Inspired by NASA

July 20th, 1969 was when humans first set foot on the Moon. Astronaut Buzz Aldrin (who owns a Cosmic Mug thanks to our friend Stacey at StarTalk) is 87 years young and he’s STILL active on Instagram, reminiscing about the experience:

Joel studies astronauts because it inspires him to filter ideas into is artwork, towards achieving greatness. Astronauts Buzz Aldrin and Col. Chris Hadfield both have Guinness World Records titles. Both directly inspired Joel to attempt and achieve the title for, ‘most pots thrown in one hour by an individual.’

Astronaut Col. Chris Hadfield also let us send him a Cosmic Mug. In his book, “An Astronauts Guide to Life on Earth” Hadfiled tells how his childhood dream was to walk on the moon. That goal wasn’t reached, but it put him on a path towards successfully becoming an astronaut and achieving his Guinness World Records title for ‘first music video filmed in space.’ Joel studied Hadfield’s work, sent him a Cosmic Mug and got an inspiring letter in return. He said:

We also send free pots to other astronauts occasionally, like Lt. Col. Mark Vande Hei who graduated from Joel’s alma mater CSB/SJU. He is in line for a trip to the International Space Station.

Not the best photo, but hey…that’s a NASA Astronaut enjoying a Cosmic Mug!

“Why climb the highest mountain? … We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills…”

– John F. Kennedy, September 12, 1962

Entrepreneurship is one skill that has many of the same core values that propelled the United States to the moon. Entrepreneurs are required to spend years overcoming failures and striving towards success. You can learn how Joel launched and sustained his pottery business immediately after college graduation in this eight part authorship series for American Craft Council:

A Potter’s Journey: The Beginning

🎉🌘🎁🌌☕🏔🎁🌒🎉

Momentous Pottery Giveaways

Houston, we have liftoff! Here’s what you need to know:

If they’re sold out or too expensive for you, don’t worry! Here is another awesome giveaway we just launched, totally free:

Free Giveaway: $680 in Free Cosmic Mugs

  • Cosmic Mug and Moon Mug Giveaway, totally free: $680 in free pottery.
  • Enter for free by simply entering your email.

Joel will also be releasing more pottery later this month: Cosmic Mugs, including $79 Random Cosmic Mugs and $49 Flawed Cosmic Mugs, before August. Stay tuned to the newsletter to get notified about availability first:

cherricopottery.com/newsletter

New Pottery: Cosmic Ambitions, Japanese Traditions

The first Moon mugs and asteroid cups have emerged from the kiln…

Moon Mug and Asteroid Cup, Cherrico Pottery

Plus, remaining Kickstarter pottery has been thrown. Most pots are glazed and ready to fire, but I must procrastinate for just a couple more weeks. I was given a once in a lifetime opportunity to travel to Japan to visit traditional pottery studios, Tokyo galleries and Mount Fuji- all before building my own studio.

Renowned potter Shiho Kanzaki is welcoming us in for a tour of his studio. We’re also visiting Mashiko– a famous town of over 20,000 people who are mostly potters!

New Pottery: Online Store Revamp

We hired skilled photographer Julia Echart to redesign our online store. In 2-3 weeks, we will have a new body of artwork on our gorgeous, new website, with discount coupons given only through this email newsletter. 

Detail Shot, Cosmic Mug, Photo by Julia Eckart, Cherrico Pottery
Photo by Julia Eckart

Thanks so much for following along! We’re excited to build a new pottery studio this summer, inspired by historical Japanese studios. Check out the links below if you want to learn more about how Japanese pottery techniques inspired my career over the past 10 years.

Links:

Learn about my version of the Japanese Nuka glaze.

Learn how Japanese wood fired pottery inspires my art.

Learn about historical wood firing techniques that we practiced in the College of St. Benedict wood kiln.

Kickstarter Pottery in Process

Cosmic Mug Processs Shot, Cherrico Pottery

My Japanese Tools and Techniques

Japanese Pottery Techniques, Cherrico Pottery

Mount Fuji Mugs (Available Soon)

Dual Image for Emails, Mount Fuji Mug, Cherrico Pottery

“When you try to be good, you look like someone trying to be good, and the result is that no one believes in you. The problem is to deal with these things without becoming hyper conscious or over intellectual…The challenge is to do the thing you have to do because you’re in love with it and can’t do anything else.”

– Warren Mackenzie, potter, qtd. in the 1990 issue of The Studio Potter, told by Gerry Williams, editor of The Studio Potter Journal.

The Next Generation: Asteroid Cups and Meteorite Mugs

Just in case you don’t follow our Instagram, here are some pics of the newest cosmic pots I’ve been busting out, including Asteroid Cups and Meteorite Mugs:

Asteroid Cup, Meteorite Mug, Image 2, Cherrico Pottery, 2016

We will be stocking our online store with this new type of pottery soon, as well as offering coupons for everyone on the email newsletter list.

Our Kickstarter is way ahead of schedule! All Kickstarter pottery should ship next week. Whether you backed the project or simply gave us a “like” on Facebook, I really appreciate all of your support!

Last Call: $49 Cosmic Mugs (25 available)

Since all Cosmic Mugs and other pottery must return to full retail prices in February ($85 per mug + $15 average packing and shipping), I wanted to offer all of you just one more chance to get Cosmic Mugs at a huge discount. This link gives all of you another opportunity to get the lowest possible pricing on just a few more Cosmic Mugs:

The Last Batch of $49 Cosmic Mugs
(25 available)

What should I make next? This is your chance to request pottery. I get requests almost daily and can’t promise everything will get made, but I wanted to give all of you first priority. I’m getting back to the pottery wheel and would love to hear about any pottery you might enjoy owning:

Pottery Commission Requests

A new pottery studio can’t be built until our lease ends this summer. In the meantime, I’m making new types of cosmic pottery, researching world class pottery studios and practicing to challenge the Guinness World Record in pottery. Stay tuned!

Amtrak and Mountain, Photos by Cherrico Pottery

“Why do people climb the mountain? Because it’s there.”

– Random thought from Dave, a gentleman we met on the Amtrack during my yearly trip to the Rockies.

Mountain Mug, Cherrico Pottery, LLC, Copper Mt. CO

Cosmic/Mountain Mug Giveaway & Survey: The Future of Cherrico Pottery

I hope everyone had a great New Year’s celebration! The Kickstarter is over and all of the Holiday pottery shipped globally. If you’re a backer and still waiting for your pottery, please know that I am getting back to the pottery wheel in just a couple weeks. Everyone should have pottery delivered much earlier than the projected March 1st. deadline.

In the meantime, please enjoy another free mug giveaway!

Cosmic/Mountain Mug Giveaway & Survey

Your feedback will help us decide the best ways to move forward with post-Kickstarter funds. 

Collage, Taller, Cherrico Pottery Giveaway Survey Form, 2016

I’m off to the Rockies for my annual trip out of the Midwest and into the mountains. Traveling on the Amtrak Train provides 22 hours each way to write, design new pottery and to plan the next step for the business and pottery studio. 

Amtrak and Mountain, Photos by Cherrico Pottery

“…it is obvious that Shoji [Hamada] approached his life and work in a holistic manner, and that his workshop, house, clothes, and lifestyle were all related to his greater motivation for working in clay.”

– About historically famous potter Shoji Hamada, February 2009, from “Three Generations of Hamada Potters,” Pucker Gallery, Boston.

Shōji_Hamada