Today we’d like to introduce you to Lilly Vicens.
Hi Lilly, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I’ve always loved to try new things and am a bit of a hobby collector, but I never saw myself as an artist or thought art was a part of my life. In retrospect, it’s silly because I’m a published writer with a marketing background. I can spend hours on graphic design of a flyer, just getting lost in matching colors that are pleasing to the eye.
And yet, it wasn’t until I was in my mid-thirties as a mom of a preschooler that I discovered clay. I remember the beginning moments so clearly — I was playing Play Doh with my daughter, as I often did, except instead of making snails for her per the usual, I made a bird. Then, I made a face, and I was so floored that these Play Doh “sculptures” actually looked like anything (my drawing skills are abysmal) that I went out and bought some air-dry clay.
After spending many evenings carving little animals out of clay, I felt comfortable enough to enroll in a hand building class at a community art center where we lived in North Carolina. I made vases and other functional dishes and was hooked after the first class. It was as if becoming a mom and doing ALL the cute craft projects had somehow flipped on the art switch in my brain. I mean, I HAD crafted an entire paper mâché cow’s head for my daughters’ cowgirl birthday party, why not ceramics?
Fast forward a few years of being a homeschooling mom and a big family move across state borders to the North Metro Atlanta area. It took another couple of years, but I eventually started taking classes again (now in my forties) at the Hudgens Center for Art & Learning in Duluth. There I took sculpting and wheel classes and fell back in LOVE with clay. I felt so at home in the ceramics studio and was so encouraged by my family that I decided to buy my own wheel. One thing led to another, and now I own a small pottery business called Tulip Tree Tales. And because I homeschooled all those years and feel such a connection to the homeschooling community, I began teaching mobile clay classes to homeschooling groups in the area. They welcomed me with open arms and supported my business to the point where I’m now able to make and sell my own work as well as teach children all over the North Metro and Northeast Georgia area.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has been a very curvy road to establishing my home-based business from scratch. There were a lot of unknowns that I had to be brave enough to test out along with balancing all the other hats I wear at home with my work and family life. Working with clay can be a relaxing, Zen-like experience, but it can also be a messy and costly endeavor. My main struggle working from home and having a completely mobile teaching set-up (I bring all the supplies to the students) is that the amount of work can become overwhelming since it lives with me. Fortunately, having my business in the basement also affords me a lot of flexibility that other business owners don’t have.
I’m naturally a quiet, introverted type of person, but I keep putting myself out there at artisan shows and with new classes and business partnerships! It’s very important for me to learn and to try new things in life, but the newness of everything brings bursts of anxiety that I have learned to incrementally manage. Sharing clay with people is so rewarding to me that it’s worth any struggles I have experienced so far.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a ceramic artist who specializes in nature-inspired functional pottery with sculptural elements. I spend most of my free time outdoors hiking, gardening, writing nature stories, and volunteering with the Georgia Native Plant Society. My experiences with the natural world inspire the plant and animal sculptures that I often attach to pendants, vases, planters, and mugs. My work has infinitely more value to me as a maker and as a business owner if it strengthens people’s connection with the natural world. I strive to reflect the beauty of nature in my work.
In that vein, I am most proud that I am bringing clay experiences to children who might not otherwise have that opportunity. I love to bring big chunks of kaolin and Lizella (both Georgia clays) to class and show children how natural clay is to their place on this Earth and how ancient and intrinsically human ceramic art is. It’s wonderful to watch a student light up when they learn to form a ball of clay into something that has importance and meaning to them, as well as some form of permanence when it is kiln-fired into stoneware.
So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
My family is the most important part of my life, and I hope this business will help support my daughter as an artist in her own right. It feels amazing to contribute to my family in ways that I never thought I could when I was a stay-at-home mom with a toddler on my hip. Now my daughter sees me trying new things and has business aspirations of her own. My husband is more excited to open the kiln after a firing than I am! We all value freedom, creativity, and self-expression so much.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.tuliptreetales.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tuliptreetales/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tuliptreeart
Image Credits
Lilly Vicens
