Akira Satake on creativity during the pandemic

11/29/21 update: Akira asked to share a follow-up statement about his interview with the Mountain Xpress. Read it here: https://ncclayclub.blogspot.com/2021/01/follow-up-from-akira-satake-on-mountain.html

Akira Satake talked to the Mountain Xpress about working and creating during the COVID-19 pandemic:

Like many artists, Akira Satake’s creative rhythms suffered an interruption in March 2020. “My domestic and overseas workshops got canceled,” says the ceramist. At first, he panicked but then centered himself and began to think about the future.

“This is a time for me to focus, to create something very new, a little bit more adventurous,” he decided. “I thought that would be kind of a wonderful idea, because I always wanted to have a little bit more time to focus on my art.” But he felt a responsibility toward the six people working for him.

So with his gallery in Asheville’s River Arts District closed to the public, he shifted to online sales. “We put out 500 pieces of work,” Satake says. Between his mailing list and social media, he was able to reach a wide audience. “And surprisingly,” Satake says, “that did well.”

He also decided to be adventurous, launching Convergence, an online workshop in collaboration with Ken Matsuzaki, a potter based in Japan. The three-day workshop attracted students from around the globe. “We sold out in four hours,” Satake says, with amazement in his voice.

Read the whole article here: https://mountainx.com/arts/local-artists-respond-to-pandemic-challenges-in-creative-ways/