What do you love about running your business, LuLu Ceramics?
I love that it allows me a real escape into my creativity! We started back in 2018, my father had given us a wheel he drove up to our place from Victoria. I was studying my diploma of ceramics at TAFE and Rod was at home playing on the wheel and he kept making and making. The business came to life because neither of us wanted to stop creating!

You and your husband, Rod run LuLu Ceramics from home. Who does what in the business and how do you find working together?
There are two sides to the business. One is the large vessels I create at TAFE with lots of layered glazes. The other is the functional wear that we make at home and sell in the local area, things like mugs, plates, bowls, vases and jugs.

Rod gets on the wheel and creates the vessels and I do the glazing, quality control and our social media @luluceramics on Instagram and Facebook.

Where do you get inspiration for your designs?

The area that we live in!  We are often at the beach and I love the ocean, especially the Clifton, Wombarra and Stanwell Park beaches. A lot of the colour of the glazes are inspired by the ocean, a lot of blues and greens. The earthy colours come from our inspiration from our bushwalks.

All my materials are at home in the studio, I don’t do site related work. I visit locations, like beach walking and rock pooling. I take lots of photos and draw inspiration from the memory and the feeling I have from that location.

What would you say are the challenges of running a business like this?
Juggling life and work and running a business! Also communicating with stockists, sometimes it can be challenging to switch into business mode.

Where in the local area do you sell your ceramics? 

We started off at the Coledale market which is a great market for artisans and creative people. Then we applied for the Wollongong Makers Market that comes up twice a year in April and November and that is full of creative people. It’s always really inspiring to see what other people are doing. And the Scarborough Art Show, in October, is pretty amazing.

How has starting this business allowed you to connect with other artists in the broader community? 

Yes. Kristen Tall, Kate Broadfoot, Holly Eva are a great inspiration to me, and their own works are also inspired by our local area. I also work with the Clifton Art School and have exhibited there as part of a group show called Tidelines.

What are other local resources you would recommend fellow local artists tap into while they’re expanding their creativity, or even starting a business?
WorkLife in Coledale, I love the markets they put on there. The Clifton Art School runs workshops and exhibitions and you can join the Friends of the Clifton Art School. Also, just making friends with other creative people is always a great idea.

Being at TAFE connected me with other artists, as well as my friend Emma who I met at the Otford school gate! We get together every now and then to catch up and have a coffee and when I walk away, I feel inspired again! It’s great. I can’t really do my creative work without contact from my creative friends.