::SARAH FULTON::

founder of CROWN CERAMICS

why BEAUTY, COMMENSALITY & JOY?

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BEAUTY

John O' Donohue said, "The beautiful offers us an invitation to order, coherence and unity. When these needs are met, the soul feels at home in the world. When we lose sight of beauty, our struggle becomes tired and functional. When we expect and engage the beautiful, a new fluency is set free within us and between us. Our lives brighten with unexpected courage. Courage is amazing because it can tap into the heart of fear, taking that frightened energy and turning it towards initiative, creativity, action and hope. There are secret sources of courage inside every human being; yet courage needs to be awakened in us. The encounter with the beautiful can bring such awakening. Frederick Turner said, "Beauty It is the highest integrative level of understanding and the most comprehensive capacity for effective action."  

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COMMENSALITY  

The practice of sharing food and eating together at the same table. It is important for social communion, order, health and well-being. It also sets boundaries, including or excluding people according to a set of criteria defined by the society. Commensality is about creating and reinforcing social relations. Such habitual forms of interaction allow people to “read” and understand each other. It is undeniably one of the most important articulations of human sociality.   (Commensality: From Everyday Food to Feast; Chou, Kerner & Warmind, 2015.)

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JOY  

The emotion of great delight or happiness caused by something exceptionally good or satisfying. (Merriam-Webster Dictionary) Joy often catches us by surprise. "In the darkest times we can still discover and awaken beauty; These are precisely the times when we need it most. Nowhere else can we find the joy that beauty brings. Joy is not simply the fruit of circumstances; We can choose to be joyous independent of what is happening around us (John O'Donohue). When we experience joy, we also experience truth; the truth of who we are and the truth of how we fit into the world.

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