New Shapes for the New Living
Lalese Stamps has created a whole new experience for us when it comes to drinking our morning coffee.
Photo Courtesy: Lolly Lolly Ceramics.
How much innovation can it go into creating a coffee mug? And why do so in an object that seems so common and can be found in every cupboard across the world? Lalese, through her brand Lolly Lolly Ceramics, has created 100 different coffee mug designs that are not only functional but filled with intricate elements of design such as spikes and knobs.
Captivated by the beauty of her designs I reached out to her to set up an interview, after quite some back and forth emails; we finally managed to set up a time and date as her schedule has been nothing but crazy over the past few months.
Lalese has such a warm personality, refreshing honesty, and a huge heart that shines across our screens. Part of her success is owed to the fact that she puts so much of herself into the pieces she creates. “I think I like people a little bit too much”. She says. Our conversation was full of laughter and we shed a few tears as we talked about the importance of doing meaningful work, something done with purpose, that brings a little extra into our lives and benefits our communities.
Born in Wisconsin, but Ohio-based. “I lived in Chicago for my undergrad and my boyfriend and I were talking about moving to New York this summer, but that doesn’t seem to be happening any time soon. I just love the Midwest, supposedly!”- she says laughing.
What most people don’t know is that aside from her ceramics, she is a full-time graphic designer for a company that does marketing and branding for Colleges and Universities. So it makes sense that her schedule is as crazy as she describes. “Because I am working full-time it sometimes takes a lot from me because I don’t give myself enough rest so I feel mentally and physically exhausted.” - She explains.
How did you get into ceramics?
“I took a class at the Cultural Art Centre and from there I really got into it. I started selling my pieces so that I could pay for my studies at UAL in London. Three years later I’m still here”.
Her business had been growing slowly and steadily for the last few years. Something she had really been enjoying. She usually sells her pieces at The Columbus Flea, a market of small businesses where you can find anything from candles to rugs and records. Recently she has been putting an extra focus on her online shop.
Photo Courtesy: Lolly Lolly Ceramics.
“Because of the BLM movement and people’s support, my brand started to show up everywhere on the Internet. At the beginning of May, I had 10k followers and I thought that was great because, you know, it’s a benchmark. All through June, my Instagram was blowing up with requests.” @lollylollyceramics has now over 80k followers.
“At the beginning, I was unsure if people cared about it because I am black or because they truly liked my work but then I realized that my work is actually really good and this was just a boost, I was gonna get to this point eventually, it just feels like I had to grow up really quickly”
Her overnight success has been pushing her into creating a business plan and a whole new branding strategy for Lolly Lolly, which makes us joke about how lucky she is that she is putting up her business and branding plan after her brand is already a success. This made her feel emotional and very grateful for the opportunity she has been granted. “I have always wanted to go full time into ceramics, I just don’t know if I am ready to make that change. I don’t know that much about business so I just want to take my time and be smart and meet with people who know more about it than I do.”- She says.
Creating a business plan has helped her think about some long-term goals as well, including a retail shop space and some new merch for the brand.
“I think in the future I would like to have my retail shop and all the way to the back put up a glass window so that people can see what goes on into the making of the pieces. There is so much that goes into ceramics and people have no idea. I would also like to expand into something else, I am a designer so I would like to do some t-shirts with like logos repeating on the sleeves and some tote bags. I think it could be a really cool way to expand and reach different people. I would also like to teach ceramics. I like to do something that benefits my community and I think it is a really smart thing to do and a way to help people realize they can do something of their own”.
Because her pieces are such innovative ways of design I had to ask about her creative process.
“This is an interesting question because lately, it has been hard making ceramics and going down to the studio. So first I need to make sure the space is clean and free of a mess from any previous work. I get some music going and try to get into the groove.
Sometimes I have to get myself into it. It depends, sometimes I start making something on the wheel or sometimes I start sketching. It really depends. I’ve done different arts and crafts in my life and ceramics definitely takes a lot from you.” Sometimes the lack of creativity is a blessing in disguise. That is how she came about the 100 days project last September, just sketching and trying to come up with new ideas. “Crazy to think it was almost a year ago”. - She says.
Because of it, coffee mugs have become her signature pieces but she has recently been working on bowls and plates to create a whole dinner set. Are you working on anything else? “ I have this idea of putting together a coffee table book of the 100 days project. I’ve never done anything like that and the idea of researching and seeing what can come out of it is exciting and I really fun way to celebrate the project”. - Lalese replies.
Photo Courtesy: Lolly Lolly Ceramics.
This past couple of weeks her friends have been an incredible support in helping her organize her projects and replying to emails of people requesting to wholesale her products. And while she is not ready to go there yet she is excited about the opportunity.
“I have alway been scared of having my own business, I don’t know about you, but when I think about a business person I think about a white older dude” - She explains. “But it’s really exciting to realize that people like my work because of me and who I am as a person”. However, the most exciting thing for Lalese is not what she can achieve but all the doors she can open for different people. I think about my family and what I can create and pass on, even having this conversation with you makes me excited”. She says.
Photo Courtesy: Lolly Lolly Ceramics.