Eucalyptus Ceramics - Behind the brand

Behind The Brand

Eucalyptus ceramics

Tell us a bit about yourself

I live in the Yarra Valley of Melbourne. I’ve grown up with the gums and rivers and natural beauty all around me and so have a huge respect for nature and I would say this is one of my passions. My biggest hobby is pottery, and how I express myself creatively.

What made you start your company?

I began pottery as a small hobby, something to do creatively and a new skill to learn in my spare time. I did a 3 hour class each Saturday and loved it so much. It was all I would think about during the week and I could wait to get back there each Saturday to continue. I would always be thinking about the forms I could make, if this glaze and this glaze would work together, what technique I could use on which mug etc. After a while I had so many pieces that I couldn’t find a use for so I decided to sell them on my Etsy shop and it just continued from there. My little business is just a continuous exploration of techniques and forms.

Tell me about your product and brand?

My pottery is an attempt to reflect where it is made. Where I live, I am lucky enough to see the cycles of nature year on year, see the amazing blooms on the gumtrees and the animals thrive. I tend to lean towards bright colours, pinks, oranges, purples, blues and greens and this is reflective of the gumnut flowers and leaves I see around me. My product is a way of bringing that beauty inside the home and to brighten the every day of the recipient.

What struggles have you faced when starting up a business?

I think confidence in myself and what I make was the hardest struggle for me. When you create something from your own two hands with your own creative expression you are really putting yourself out there, to other peoples judgement and you have to be strong enough to withstand that. I’ve been so lucky that many people have loved what I make and have had positive reception but it was a really nerve wracking thing to start out. Another thing that branches off from the confidence struggle is believing in your product and it’s worth. It’s so easy to underprice your items, I think even more so if they’re handmade, because you don’t have the confidence in your ability/skill or you don’t value your time that much.

How did you get over them?

Well I think back to my quote below, it is something I say to myself when I’m afraid or unsure. I don’t want to waste an opportunity to achieve something amazing, or even just to prove to myself that I could do it. It’s a leap of faith, something you have to close your eyes and do. How I got over (and still continue to try) the underpricing problem is to not only look at yourself and how much time, effort and material you put into that product, but to also see what other makers charge. It’s helpful to have a benchmark in doing this, but also it feels like you have a team behind you who understands their worth, which helps you understand yours. When selling online or at markets I would remind myself that I deserve fair compensation for the work I put in.

Any advice for others just getting started?

Be brave and continue to put the effort into your business and your product. Success isn’t an overnight thing. I remind myself of this constantly. If you put the effort in consistently success isn’t a maybe but an inevitability.

Do you have a favourite quote?

“It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all—in which case, you fail by default.” – J.K Rowling

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