Asobimasu Clay by Kate Brouwer
Kate Brouwer is a Melbourne-based ceramic and floral artist who draws on Japanese philosophy and balancing beauty with purpose.
Photography: Alivia Rose & Melissa Cowan
Styling - Bridget Wald, Ceramics - Kate Brouwer of Asobimasu Clay, Flowers - Edward & I. Photo - Alivia Rose.
Styling - Bridget Wald, Ceramics - Kate Brouwer of Asobimasu Clay, Flowers - Edward & I. Photo - Alivia Rose.
“I’ve always been creative, it runs in my veins. Filling my days with artistic projects keeps me happy and feeling fulfilled,” says Kate Brouwer. Photo - Melissa Cowan.
Hello Kate, what are you working on at the moment?
I’m a ceramic artist but also a production potter, so this means a lot of my time is spent filling orders. I’ve been using this quiet time to keep my head down in the studio and catch up. I have lots of new ideas brewing but they’ll have to wait until my current order waitlist is complete. I’m also working on growing a baby, and am five months pregnant, so that’s been a challenging change of pace at the moment.
Tell us a little about your journey to where you are now…
I’ve always been creative, it runs in my veins. Filling my days with artistic projects keeps me happy and feeling fulfilled. My ceramic journey began as a break from my day to day life, it wasn’t really a thought-out plan. I found myself wanting some major changes in my work life but I wasn’t sure how or which direction. I left my full-time job and hired a studio, mainly to focus on myself and make space to grow creatively. It didn’t feel like a career move at the time, I was simply creating space to re-navigate and ceramics gave me the creative satisfaction I was seeking.
“It stuck with me, and continues to grow into something far greater than I ever dreamed.”
Styling - Bridget Wald, Ceramics - Kate Brouwer of Asobimasu Clay, Flowers - Edward & I. Photo - Alivia Rose.
Styling - Bridget Wald, Ceramics - Kate Brouwer of Asobimasu Clay, Flowers - Edward & I. Photo - Alivia Rose.
Where did the name Asobimasu come from?
I have an admiration for Japanese pottery and culture. The quiet thought-out nature of pottery and its function is so beautifully respected in Japanese culture. I appreciate their philosophy that resonates behind simple objects like tableware. When thinking of a name for my work, English words felt so clumsy and I wanted to choose a word that in others minds didn’t already have any ideas tied to it. I chose the Japanese word ‘Asobimasu’, as it means to create without boundaries. This is the way I approach my work, so I feel this described my creative practice more meaningfully than any other words or languages I could find.
“Ceramics is something that grows into a passion over time, it’s a long-term commitment.”
When did you first discover your passion for ceramics?
I’ve always enjoyed creative practices that blur the lines between artist and crafter. Things that take skill, practice and knowledge have always intrigued me. Ceramics is something that grows into a passion over time, it’s a long term commitment. I often call it a deep hole of exploration, the further you fall into it, the more you find there is to seek and know. Ceramics has become an ever unfolding journey that keeps me allured with its ups and downs.
“I have an admiration for Japanese pottery and culture. The quiet thought-out nature of pottery and its function is so beautifully respected in Japanese culture,” shares Kate Brouwer. Styling - Bridget Wald, Ceramics - Kate Brouwer of Asobimasu Clay, Flowers - Edward & I. Photo - Alivia Rose.
How does your work as a ceramist and floral artist come together?
My journey into pottery began as a floral artist, seeking more than a traditional vase. I wanted to use forms that were playful and inquisitive, allowing flowers to move freely within their structure. I couldn’t find what I was looking for, so I began creating things myself.
With each new idea, there comes a stage of exploration, allowing the object to form however it will. I use my hands for this and allow my mind to explore. I don’t often start a project with illustrations, but rather just get making. The same expression comes when playing with flowers. I have each object in its completed state and I move freely with flowers and branches. Not over-thinking it, just letting the beauty find itself.
Styling - Bridget Wald, Ceramics - Kate Brouwer of Asobimasu Clay, Flowers - Edward & I. Photo - Alivia Rose.
“I’ve always enjoyed creative practices that blur the lines between artist and crafter. Things that take skill, practice and knowledge have always intrigued me,” says Kate Brouwer. Photo - Melissa Cowan.
What does a typical day in the studio look like for you?
My studio is located in Northcote, which is where I also run and host pottery classes. I’d love to say the illusive notion that a typical day in my studio involves me drenched in mud, hands deep in clay and ideas forming on the wheel. The truth is, that’s only half of what I do. As I also run a studio, and pottery school, I spend a lot of time organising and coordinating programs as well as all the back-end management that goes with running a small business. Half of my jobs are pretty boring, whilst the other half brings deep satisfaction, like most professions. I absolutely love what I do but pottery is also really hard work, it asks a lot physically and involves many long hours. It’s super important to focus on balance, in any job, especially when working for yourself. After a long day, I enjoy coming home to my husband who kindly often has dinner ready on the table, we love to get outdoors and go for long walks with our dog Peppa. Soon this quiet life is all about to change, with a baby on the way I’m sure my ‘winding down’ after a long day will look very different.
What do you have planned for the rest of the year?
It’s been an interesting change of pace with the creative scene in Melbourne in such a flux at the moment. It’s very hard to predict or make plans for even in a months time. I really have no idea what the rest of the year holds for me, except the coming arrival of our baby. At this point I’ll be so happy just to focus on calm and balance for the rest of this year. No major projects, just time for quiet, finding myself, slowing down and enjoying our family. I’m sure there’ll be wonderful ideas born between now and then but I’m not making any plans.