Q&A: POTTING UP WITH HENRY HOLLAND

For all its woes, one thing that the various lockdowns of the last year gave a lot of us was the opportunity to give a little more time to our selves and the things we'd been meaning to do for ages. Whether that was finally opening those oil paints you bought in 2017, getting your yoga mat out or even just finally sorting that cupboard of odds and ends out. For Henry Holland, it was a chance to spend some time on his new found love of ceramics. After years in the frantic world of fashion, the mediative pace of ceramics was welcome change, and Henry Holland Studios was born. 

 

His gorgeous and distinctive ceramics, inspired by traditional Japanese techniques, are now available at Liberty's and he has regular lines up for pre-order that sell out almost instantly, and it's easy to see why! Henry took a break from the studio to sit down and tell us how he became everyone's favourite new pot dealer.

1.  We all know you from House of Holland - what brought you from the fast-paced world of fashion to the much more meditative ceramic studio?

 

Well I stood down from my company in March 2020 and it left me with quite a bit of time on my hands! I used the pandemic to really take a moment to think about what I really wanted from the next stage in my life, and as I was thinking I was having ceramic classes as a bit of a creative outlet and to learn something new. It really took me by surprise how much people liked what I was doing once I started putting it out on my socials channels and I couldn’t help start thinking that it could be a new avenue for me to pursue. I've been so lucky that my career has always been something that I have found that I love doing before turning it into a career path. I feel beyond lucky that it's happening for a second time in a different field and I’m so grateful that I'm able to turn a passion into something I can make a living from.

2. We love the beautiful undulating stripes that make your ceramics so distinctive, you can almost feel the process how did you come across the technique? 

I spent a lot of time learning on youtube and then practicing it in my kitchen! The lockdowns last year basically gave me back so much time that allowed me to experiment with something without any pressing deadlines which is something I hadn't had for nearly 15 years, so it felt really liberating. The technique I am loosely using is an ancient Japanese ceramic technique called nerikomi and it's often used with expert precision and straight graphic lines to create patterns but I went with a more organic pattern created using a form of ‘marbling’ technique. I was so pleased with some of my first experiments that that was the one I went with!

3. What's your favourite thing about working with ceramics?

The meditative feeling that it gives me, the space to just not be distracted by my own thoughts constantly. Being able to focus on the task in hand and only that for a few hours. It also satisfies my creativity and gives me that outlet that I lost when I stopped creating fashion collections. 

4. What would your top tips be for some one looking for a creative outlet be?

Just find something you're passionate about and go with it. Creativity for me comes from things I enjoy and love to do, and once I find that space it's (almost) easy. 

5. And finally, it wouldn't be a Grace & Thorn interview without asking, what's your favourite flower?

I love peonies. Me and my husband nearly moved our November wedding to May so that we could have peonies all over the place. Have always loved them.

To see more of Henry's stunning ceramics, as well details of how you can pre-order, head over to @henryhollandstudio.