Making beautiful pottery isn’t as easy as it looks. It requires a steady hand, creative mind and loads of equipment. Lola Olympia has all that and more, ranking high on our list of great and talented ceramic artists.
Lola’s ceramics journey kickstarted years ago, when a family friend taught her the ins-and-outs of developing ceramics. She began posting her handmade dishware and the odd piece online, which immediately grabbed the attention of her followers. After being encouraged by the positive feedback, she had the wonderful idea to begin selling her own pottery pieces online. At just 20-years-old, she independently launched and now runs her own successful homeware company, LOLITA BY LOLITA.
Sheesh Magazine had the privilege of chatting with Australian beauty Lola about her eagerness and commitment to running her own company. Step inside Lola’s artistic mind and let her teach you all about the wonderful world of ceramic art.
Q: How did you enter the world of creating ceramics?
L: “My ex-boyfriend’s family friend. I met her one day at a dinner at his place. She worked for a really popular ceramic artist here on the Sunshine Coast. I told her that if she ever had the time I would love to learn how to make ceramics. I was buying so many at the time. My boyfriend and I broke up and I thought it was the perfect time to start making them. I did about six months with her and I made a full dinner set of ceramics. I really wanted to keep at it. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the time with university in the way. Once quarantine came around, I was bored and out of university, so I messaged the lady who trained me and asked if I could use her kiln. I bought some clay, made some ceramics and then I launched my first drop.”
Q: Did you ever go to university to help with your career?
L: “I was for a year and was studying business. Then Covid happened around March so uni went online, and conveniently my roommate at the time was wanting to end our lease in Brisbane. So when we moved back home I paused uni because I really didn’t want to do it online.
I wasn’t really enjoying it that much anyway. There were so many other things I’d just prefer to be doing other than school. As soon as I stopped, I had the time to finally do ceramics.
I always wanted to have a brand called Lolita, so I made an Instagram for it and started posting my ceramics. It kind of all just happened and now I’m riding the wave.”
Q: What does the process look like while creating your ceramics?
L: “So essentially every piece is different. The more I make a piece the faster I get at making it. So for example a mug might take me twenty five minutes to make. Then I let it dry a little bit. Then I make a handle and attach it, which takes another ten minutes. And then I let that dry completely for five to seven days. Then I glaze the pieces, which takes approximately 20 minutes. Then I drive about an hour to the kiln. I leave the pieces for about 48 hours. Then I pick them up and take them home. After that, I style and take photos of the pieces for my page.”
Check out Lola’s video tutorial on ceramic making for more details.
Q: Is it hard to keep up with the demand for your ceramics?
L: “Yes. I probably get about ten DM’s a day of people asking if they can pre-order or get custom made pieces. It’s hard to keep up with the supply. What’s the fun in it if everyone’s got it? There are so many other fun ceramic artists out there that need support.”
Q: Will you make your drops larger in the future?
L: “I don’t want everyone to have my pieces. I want it to be a little bit exclusive. I feel like that’s part of the fun of it. If you get your hands on it, you’re lucky.”
Q: You also have a successful YouTube channel. What came first, YouTube or making ceramics?
L: “Technically, I started making ceramics first about two years ago, but I wasn’t selling them at the time. When I moved to Brisbane, I started my YouTube channel and then stopped making ceramics. Now I film my ceramic making and have combined the two.”
Q: What are your future plans for expansion?
L: “I definitely would love to have people work for me in the future. My brand is expanding pretty rapidly and I could dive down those avenues pretty soon, but I don’t know if I would be inclined to get anyone to make my pieces. That’s why they’re unique. If someone else were to start making them it would just lose value.”
Q: What is your favourite ceramic you have made and sold?
L: “I think my pink checkered mugs are my favourites. They were actually an accident. I had this pink glaze I had never tested before. Glaze is something where it’ll look a certain color, but once you get it fired it’s a completely different color.”
Q: What would you like to say to help someone develop the courage to launch their own company?
L: “Don’t overthink it. It’s really easy to get caught up in wanting everything to be perfect when you first start. Having the perfect photos and feed will happen organically over time. Don’t expect it to be perfect, it comes with time.”
LOLITA BY LOLITA is one ceramics company you don’t want to miss out on. Lola has previously done two major drops and is in the midst of creating her third drop. In the meantime, the artist will be conducting an exclusive single ceramics piece launch each day throughout the month of November. Ensure your post notifications are on, as the first one to leave a comment will be the lucky buyer of one of Lola’s special designed ceramics. And don’t worry, LOLITA BY LOLITA offers worldwide shipping so anyone from around the globe can get a taste of her magic dishes and dainty homeware goods.
Keep up with Lola by following her personal Instagram, YouTube channel and her brand’s Instagram to add all things ceramics, beauty and Australian sunshine to your feed.
Check out more SHEESH! interviews with talented ceramic artists, Dax Newman and Malang Malang.
