Anthony Shapiro uses the art of pottery to quieten his mind in a chaotic world.

There’s nothing pretty about a midlife crisis. A desperate attempt to grab onto departed youth is never graceful. At best it’s embarrassing, at worst painful and prolonged. Anthony Shapiro found a way to turn his moment of crisis into something beautiful. 

A ceramicist, Shapiro found that by confronting the anxiety and uncertainty of middle age, he was able to rediscover his passion for his craft. The unlikely hobby that became a career after he dropped out of law school was offering him an escape all over again. Shapiro found his focus, and threw himself into his work. The result is the Art in the Forest Centre, where Shapiro creates and exhibits his work, as well as teaching and mentoring orphaned children to harness their creative skills.

Art is a space that offers Shapiro comfort and protection from turbulence and disruption. In times of trouble, he has been able to turn to pottery to remould himself. “I feel like a king. I feel like God is breathing through me,” he says.