Patrick Keim has got the hang of it

Clay-smeared hands, dusty dungarees, beads of sweat on his forehead - Patrick Keim's work is obviously strenuous and not exactly clean. "But it's creative, varied and a lot of fun," says the employee of the Bethel ceramics workshop in Bielefeld, smiling as he counters his first impression.

Patrick Keim sits in front of a whirring turntable. He sensitively works a rotating clay mass with his hands. The one-kilo lump takes shape and quickly becomes recognisable as a dog bowl. Every day, the man with epilepsy moulds a wide variety of vessels in this way, especially cups, mugs, vases and bowls. He likes the idea that many customers buy the ceramic products he has helped to create.

Patrick Keim gazes intently at his hands through frameless glasses - and is himself being watched by film stars Bud Spencer and Terence Hill, who grin at him from a film poster. A few metres away from Patrick Keim, two other employees are working in the glazing area. This is only separated from the turning area by a shelf and a raised section. "The quiet environment, the nice colleagues, simply the whole atmosphere here suits me very well," says the 41-year-old.

Patrick Keim has been working full-time in the ceramics workshop in the centre of Bethel since 2007. It is important to him that there is no pressure to perform and no time pressure - and that is the case. He previously worked in cable assembly in a Bethel workshop for people with disabilities in Bielefeld-Stieghorst. "I didn't have any pressure there either, but it was too monotonous and hectic for me," he says, explaining his move.

Patrick Keim originally trained as a landscape gardener. He completed his training at the Bethel vocational training centre due to his epilepsy. However, the physical strain of the job was too great. "Especially in the heat, when the sun was really sizzling, I would fall over," he remembers. His seizures didn't always announce themselves, says Patrick Keim. They often hit him suddenly, he explains and pulls out his smartphone. "I meticulously document my seizures in a seizure calendar," he emphasises, showing a detailed table.

Patrick Keim takes care of his health. That's why he regularly switches from making dog bowls to training with dumbbells. "This afternoon, I go straight to the gym after work, although it's more of a fitness room - at the Adullam centre here in Bethel." He feels particularly safe there, as there is always a Bethel employee on site. That gives him peace of mind if he ever has a seizure. Patrick Keim uses the fitness equipment twice a week. "In the ceramics workshop, I sit bent over at my turntable for most of the day. That's why I have to strengthen my abdominal muscles in particular to take the strain off my back," he explains, adding with a wink: "But I don't overdo it with the sport. I don't have to become a model with a six-pack."

Text: Gunnar Kreutner | Picture: Matthias Cremer