The Power of a Name: The Joy of Playing as a way to Liberation

Let me explain the name I chose for the second half of my life. Cтефка is my given name. Efi is how a beautiful little girl decided to call me several years ago. The truth comes out of children’s mouth. To me, it was more than truth: it was a revelation. I loved the shortness and the music of it!

Later on, I noticed that it sounds like Fe, the symbol for Iron, one of my favourite elements in glaze formulas and the element most present on Earth. And the only consonant in it sounds like the Greek letter phi (𝛗) which represents the wave function in physics.
And… it so happens that I consider myself a wave, in constant flux , movement and change! Always searching to learn, discover and explore.

As for Spass, well, it is both deeper and lighter.

It was my father’s first name. He was a pillar of strength and will always be very present in my life. In Bulgarian, Спас means saviour or to save and has strong Orthodox Christian roots. But in German, it means fun.
So, to me, the equation is simple:

The only way to liberate the self is through playful creation, always staying in touch with the beginner’s mind, the kid within.
So it turned out that my adopted name happens to summarize my philosophy of life.
The Thracian Connection
I was born a while ago in one of the most beautiful and ancient cities in Europe: Plovdiv, in a country known since 681 AC as Bulgaria.
Thracians, Persians, Greeks, Romans, Turks and other peoples have adored it too. Traces of old civilizations from Neolithic settlers to recent cultures are imprinted in my town, everywhere…This is the reason for my strong attachment to archeology and ancient cultures.
Art in all its forms is a passion that took roots early, but blossomed much later. Art and experimenting.
With cookies, first. As an impatient seven-year old, I taught myself how to bake. I would run home after school, half-read the recipes, mix all available ingredients and then expected miracles. Disasters occasionally came out of the oven. Often. That’s how I learned the importance of time and process. And the harsh difference between a picture in a book and reality. However, I fell in love with playing with fire, mixing elements and turning them into something else entirely by using heat.
Later on, I got passionate about textures and colours. I taught myself with books and magazines how to create patterns and saw dresses and it was my hobby before I actually went to University to study textile engineering…
While I studied textile engineering, as it was considered a “good profession” for a woman in socialist Bulgaria, my real passion at the time was industrial design. Astronomy and physics were before…Not advised for women too…
I spent the next 25 years in the garment industry, as a teacher in professional institutes (in Bulgaria, Morocco and Tunisia), as a manager in corporations (in Bulgaria and Tunisia) and, since 2005, the year I moved to Canada, as a technical designer in the fashion industry.

Finding my Way through Clay

While I got better and better in garment geometry, getting to know the form and shape of the female body to perfection, the demanding interplay of shade and colour, of design and texture…, there was always an element missing.
As the corporate world of fast fashion industry is the opposite of art or science. Hardly any discovery, little creation, no experimenting. Endless mechanic repetitions of processes. Mismanagement of both human and natural resources. Overproduction. Consumerism. Pollution. Destruction. Zero creativity. Copying. And NO FUN.
This was a soul-less path, and it took me years before admitting to myself that I needed to get out.
Burn-out, depression. Misalignment of values and reality. Call it what you want. In my case, more like a reset. And then a discovery, a bolt of lightning. Or rather, a touch of the Earth.
During an ergo-therapy session, I found “clay”. In truth, it found me. As soon as my hands touched it, it molded me, more than I molded “it”. I started playing with it and soon discovered that ceramics was the missing link in my adult life. All my creative passions – whether baking, sewing, drawing or painting – suddenly coming together into one process!
So this wake-up call and the ever-helping hand of my life partner pushed me to the pursue of this lifelong passion of mine. Only this time, I will do things… my way. Finally freed up from family traditions and social expectations, living in one of the most liberal countries in the world, I have committed to exploring my creativity while helping preserve our planet and help others discover the joy of creation or appreciate beauty. As nature and its beauty are the source of inspiration for what had been the missing part in my corporative life: the deep joy of creation.

Over the past decade, I have taken various courses, mainly at the Visual Arts Centre in Montreal where I have explored different mediums: watercolour, acrylic, printing, photography, ceramics.

Since 2018 I have been completing a bachelor degree in Fine Arts at Concordia University with a major in Ceramics. Having lived on three continents and being someone who delights in diversity and discovery, I am thrilled about the opportunities this renowned and multicultural establishment offers. However, my thirst for knowledge goes beyond Concordia University.

I have taken and will continue taking various workshops and online courses with accent on glaze development, chemistry, quantum mechanics and philosophy.
On my quest for Beauty and Harmony I follow the path of Brother Thomas, Beatrice Wood and Tiffany just to mention a few. The teachings of the Stoics represent at best my value system. I believe that Beauty and Art should surround us in our everyday life and should not be restricted for the museums or galleries only.

Nowadays it is all about that elusive glaze. Obtaining golden lustre out of common materials. The alchemist dream. A quest for beauty, a need to understand beyond functionality, art as an existential necessity. A dream of colours that have never been seen, of shapes always organic that remind us of life, so fragile, so tenacious. And joy, joy and play in the process. That’s what counts. Never the outcome, as there will always be some imperfection. Finding beauty in all its imperfections.

Since September 2017, I have taken part in several group exhibitions in Montreal.