This series is called SOL Sessions. What is it that you do that makes your SOL sing?
I am a ceramic artist and watercolour painter. I am driven by a deep desire to create with my hands and better understand what draws me towards these practices. I truly believe that there are very innate reasons that ones heart has specific passions, interests and desires, and its our responsibility to awaken, understand and utilise these gifts.
Tell us about your career path. How did you get to where you are now?
I’ve always been passionate about art and watercolour painting as long as I can remember, its always been a passion for my life. This led me to study fine arts and secondary education. During my time there we had all the facilities for wheel throwing but was never taught the wheel as part of our course. One evening after class I had to give it a go, it looked like such a beautiful process. This one evening of solo experimenting turned into days and days of late nights in the studio practicing and practicing. I honestly just wanted to make a really nice dining set for my husband and I (which still has not happened). There was something so beautiful and incredibly infuriating about the process, no matter how stressed or how quickly you want to get somewhere or make something you can’t rush this process and it forces you to slow right down, be present with what’s in front of you and appreciate its pace above your own. A character trait I’ve always struggled with. From here I absolutely fell in love with the art form, bouncing between the intriguing and challenging chemistry behind my glaze development and navigating different clay properties. I suppose from here everything unfolded really organically, I was conscious to make sure my creativity wasn’t being squished or moulded by anything or anyone else. I honestly never intended to be running a business, I purely want to keep following this creative race I had to discover within myself.
What does living a Soulful life mean, or look like to you?
To remain soulful in my life, I believe the most important thing for me is to remain open, vulnerable and willing to lay all of ‘me’ down, always, especially with those closest to my heart. I believe, that the harder something is to share or open up about, the more important that it is for you to share. Sometimes its just takes talking with someone to be able to better understand and navigate yourself and what your feeling… I guess you could say, understanding your soul better.
How important is creativity in your daily life?
Creativity, dreaming and imagination is what drives me, it what’s keeps me motivated and excited for a new day. It's easy to go through the motions sometimes running a small business, I can often find myself stuck on repeat. For this, it is so important for me to constantly mix things up and make sure I always have a side creative project running, just for me (or several), even if its slower moving its a nice reminder of why I love what I do and helps keep my creativity alive and sparking fresh ideas constantly.
Don’t compromise on what you’re driven by and love doing, even if it doesn’t make sense in the ‘career world’. I believe if you keep pursuing what you love and what you’re passionate about doors always open even if they don’t exist now. If you genuinely love and pursue what you're doing, work will always find you. I think too often today we are pressured to do this the other way round.
Do you have any daily routines that nurture your soul?
I’ve always been inspired by our time outdoors in nature and this has always been a vital part of my daily routine. Whether it’s an early morning run, a surf or a dive with sea creatures, there’s always spaces for inspiration, a breath of fresh air and a moment to reconnect with the most important parts of your world.
Finally, tell us about an upcoming project you’re passionate about?
I’ve been working on releasing a series of lamps (feels like forever ago) which have finally come to completion and will be launching in January. I think the project I’m most excited for next, now that I have the process more streamlined, is the next release of lamps currently underway. This is really different to anything I’ve ever done before and I’m both excited and challenged by the process. For now this ones a secret, but I can’t wait to share it. Follow @by.rubyrobinson to find out when it launches!
