Ceramic Treasures by Sharyn.​

My Story-Who am I? My name is Sharyn Massung. My mother once told me I was named after a Miss America. I have another name too, that name is Gischihan Pischk, it is my order of the arrow name given to me when I was honored as a vigil member in Boy Scouts, having been a leader and mentor for 30 years. I find that name fits me quite well as it roughly means creative owl and was selected for me because I have always enjoyed doing and teaching crafts of all sorts, and because I’ve always been most alert at night whether it be crafting, sewing, pottery…or leading night hikes looking at stars or seeking out frogs with a group of Boy Scouts. That leads me to another part of both who I am and what inspires my decorative pottery!

Nature and the outdoors have always been an important part of my life from the earliest memories of fishing, swimming, picnics and hiking with my family; camping with Girl Scouts and 4H as a youth and even participating in a program to train as a junior naturalist to help at state parks. As an adult I’ve enjoyed camping and hiking with my husband and family, and as a volunteer for Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts. My husband (Jim) and I actually met at Cedar Campus, a Christian Camp in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. In college I began majoring in music and then social work at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, which was well known at the time for its conservation, ecology and natural sciences. I loved their nature trails and the countryside around the campus.

 

Through the years my love for nature has grown. We live in the country in “Up North Michigan”, and I enjoy the birds and wildlife here. Our yard has been a recognized Wildlife Nature Habitat and a certified Monarch way station. Much of my pottery reflects my love for nature with carved images such as the birds and butterflies that frequent my gardens. I particularly love hummingbirds, so it made sense to choose it as part of my maker's mark and include that on the bottom of each of my pieces whenever possible. Since we live in a waterfowl habitat, I have a line of waterfowl items and sometimes items reflecting hunting. People have described our home as being “beyond the sticks” and while we don’t live in the upper peninsula or even the far reaches of northern Michigan, we live far enough “up north” that the area was considered part of the Northwoods of Michigan and our property was once part of a big logging camp. There is still an operating sawmill and gift store just across the farm fields from us. 

 

I enjoy including the animals from the yard and nearby woods in my pottery art- deer, rabbits, squirrels, ground squirrel, racoon, coyotes, and other creatures, even a bear now and again since there has been an occasional black bear in the area. In addition to our usual wildlife, we’ve had visits from a porcupine, a ground hog, skunk, weasel, even a mink. I’d like to set up a trail cam and see what else visits when we’re not around, in Michigan you never know!

 

Before I became a potter, I was a wife and homemaker. I also homeschooled my SEVEN children, (Elizabeth, Sarah, Benjamin, Jonathan, Aaron, Abigail and Nathaniel).  For the first 11 years of our marriage, we lived in 7 different places, not including all the times we lived in temporary housing or a long period of tent living at campgrounds with five children while having a house built! (Our tent living began with temps over 100° and ended with a first snowfall.) In addition to homeschooling my children, I was a volunteer for many organizations—church: choir, cantata, education board, Bible Quiz Coach, Children’s Church, Children’s religious education, Youth group and VBS. Community: Girl Scouts, Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, BSA Order of the Arrow, and a park volunteer. I was diagnosed with several autoimmune illnesses after 22 years of marriage. As my health deteriorated, I found I had to give up most of my volunteer work and I struggled to keep up with the needs of my family. Now I take it easy, I make pottery every day, I am an avid reader, I garden, spend time with my husband and play with my dog, Lakota. Occasion​ally, I volunteer at the state park. I also enjoy spending any time I can with my 14 grandchildren!