Happy Mothers Day to our TVM community! To celebrate the wonderful women in our community, we chatted to one of our favourite mums, ceramist and friend, Louise Hargreaves from Thrown Pottery.
You are a graphic designer and worked many years in the magazine industry prior to finding yourself on the Gold Coast, starting a family and a new business, tell us about how Thrown came about?
After moving to the GC 8 years ago, I found it difficult to get design work in magazines, so I fell into working part time for a children’s clothing company doing their newsletters and now more recently a real estate company. When my twins were young, this was perfect but I was gradually feeling the need to do more.
My husband Rhys bought me a pottery wheel for my birthday and as I had done some classes in Sydney years before and here on the GC, I just started practising.
Rhys was a little alarmed at how many dipping bowls were filling our kitchen drawers and I ended up gifting a lot to friends. Everyone was saying I should sell my pottery, and so I just knew it had to be at TVM.
You are a mother to twins Archie and Evie (6), ceramist, graphic designer and wife to Rhys, how do you manage your time between the various roles you find yourself in?
Yes, it sure feels like a juggle a lot of the time, but I’m really fortunate that my graphic design job is just one day a week and they are very flexible with me and vice versa.
It gets me out of the house, talking to adults, I get to wear smarter clothes, (well not covered in clay and glaze!) and keeps my foot in the door of graphic design, so I really enjoy that aspect of that work.
My ceramics on the other hand is home based, so I work around the kids when they are at home. I end up working a lot in the evenings and at weekends, but I love that I can also take the kids out for the morning or day, and then catch up on my work later on.
For us as mothers, coming to TVM on Sundays to work is about surrounding ourselves with inspiring creatives and likeminded people. A few hours away from being a mum and time to be ourselves. You attend almost all TVM events (since Nov 2019), what do you love most about attending The Village Markets and why is it that you continue to come year after year?
It’s been a market that has always been close to my heart, I love the stalls, the atmosphere, meeting/bumping into friends, bringing out-of-towners for a great Gold Coast morning out.
Obviously finding quirky, great quality and most importantly locally made gifts for my friends and family. It was therefore a no-brainer that I wanted to have a stall and sell my ceramics here too and I remember crying tears of joy when I received the email from TVM saying I had been accepted!
I always go in the same spot and love being next to jbk, Dust and Sweet Child Of Mine, who I class as my work family. They make it feel like a fab morning out, we have a lot of fun and laughs and it doesn’t feel like work at all.
I believe Archie loves to spend a little time with you in your home studio, getting his hands into the clay, do the twins understand what it is you do and are they creative like their mum?
Yes, he’s always asking if he can do pottery! I love watching my twins playing with clay, although it takes a while to clean up after them.
They come down to TVM for the last hour each time and they absolutely love it!
It’s so good that they see me there, selling my pottery, it gives them a real understanding of what I do, and why.
Who are some local women in business, or perhaps the TVM community that inspire you creatively and or personally?
Well I’d actually have to say you guys here at TVM, for creating this amazing market and platform for people like us to sell our wares!
If you could choose three products from TVM businesses to gift a fellow mother, or your own, this Mothers Day, what would they be?
Ooh, I’d say some gorgeous jewellery from jbk, a fabulous piece of homewares from Au Fait Living, a beautiful candle from Drift Trading Co. oh and definitely blooms from Huckleberry flowers….Sorry that’s four products!!
Are there any books or podcasts that you have found helpful as a mother?
Yes, I’ve started listening to podcasts when I’m working in my studio, as opposed to listening to music.
At the moment I’m listening to The Motherkind Podcast, which is great for us mums with busy lives. It helps dealing with anxiety, kiddy meltdowns, and basically gives us a sense of well being in finding a happy calm place.
I’m also listening to Raising Boys by Maggie Dent, after experiencing some challenging episodes with my 6 year old son and I’ve started reading Raising Boys, by Steve Biddulph, so I should be all over this subject soon!
Follow Louise and Thrown Pottery, here.