Returning to nature
La Bella Italia - With Love from Italy
For more than 25 years, I have described my ceramics as “inspired by nature” - long before natural living and eco-consciousness became so deeply woven into the way we speak about interiors, lifestyle, and design today.
Much of this inspiration comes from my homeland, Norway, where I grew up surrounded by rocky coastlines and ever-changing skies. But inspiration is something that must continue to be nurtured throughout life.
The reason you have not heard from me for a little while is partly because we have been giving the studio a thorough refresh. Our spring cleaning brought many positive changes - more about that in the next blog.
The other reason is perhaps familiar to many creatives today - the overwhelm of the digital era. As a ceramicist, it is no longer enough to spend your days making beautiful ceramics. There is also the website to maintain, endless things to learn about AI, an Etsy shop that probably deserves just as much attention as the studio itself, product photography, packaging, and everything that comes with sending handmade pieces across the world.
A deep breath.
And that is exactly why I always return to nature.
A touch of nature makes me feel alive. It inspires me to create. Most of all, it brings the sense of calm that makes it possible to truly thrive. It reminds me why I continue to create ceramics with organic shapes - pieces that bring softness, warmth, and character into the home.
I believe we all live better surrounded by organic forms. Perhaps everything should be a little more rounded, a little more irregular, colourful yet soft at the same time. Who knows - one day.
At the moment, I am writing this from our holiday home in Italy. Between long family meals and moments of rest, we spend our days working in the garden. I feel fortunate to have fruit trees around us, land to care for, and family to share it all with.
It is these moments that allow me to return to the computer with a smile - and soon again, with enough sunlight collected, back to the pottery wheel.
With love,
Kari
