February 11, 2016
CERAMICIST IVY WEINGLASS
Ivy Weinglass has a long creative curriculum vitae. She has and continues to variously call herself an artist, stylist, set and production designer. But two years ago, after receiving the gift of a ceramics class from her parents, she has found her feet making hands (with her hands). Initially she created ceramic wares for fun. “And then I realised that I was as content and happy as I had ever been, and why couldn’t I make that a full-time thing?” Ivy says. “So I just was like, ‘let’s try it’.” Then the orders came in and started to overwhelm her a little. “That’s when I was like, ‘Oh, it’s not just me who wants to do this - people want me to do this.’ And that was pretty cool.” After growing up partly in New York City and then on the other side of the USA in Santa Monica, Ivy is based in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, where she makes her wares under the name IIIVVVYYY.
Which five words best describe you? Have you heard of The Birthday Book? It takes the day of your birth and through astrology - shhhhh all you haters out there - and gives a rather in-depth and scarily accurate personality overview. They also have it for relationships and damn is it right. But, anyway, they give you your traits for the day so in lieu of me having to choose my own traits this is what the Birthday Book has said are the six words to describe the traits for people born on July 6th: Attractive, intent, involved, obsessive, stuck, addictive. Sounds pretty right, especially when I view it through how I am about my work.
How did you get your career start and what path have you taken since? I made my career start and I’ve just kept going forward ever since. If things feel a little static or plateaued, I panic, so I keep moving forward. Sometimes I have no idea what my next step will be but so far every time I’ve leaped to something a little out of my reach it’s been the right way to go.
What’s the best lesson you’ve learnt along the way? It’s not always going to be sunshine and happiness from everybody around you just because you feel so sunny and happy and excited. I learned that very early on by a horrible experience that took the wind out of me and made me so sad and scared to move forward. But after a few days of that feeling I realised I was doing something that truly felt right and I knew in my heart was good so I brushed that experience off and moved on. Now I try to be positive and grateful and a cheerleader for the people I know - and don’t know! - who create because it’s better to be that than negative and cynical.
What’s your proudest career achievement? All of it? Is that cheesy to say? I’m just proud of myself for finally finding something that actually makes me feel good about what I’m doing.
What’s been your best decision? Every time I believe in myself a little and take a scary jump - like get myself a larger studio or buy some expensive equipment - is when things start happening, which is directly because I allowed myself to believe it could happen.
Who inspires you? My mom and dad. They are so different in so many ways but I like to think I got the best of both worlds from them. And their support is the most important thing I get.
What are you passionate about? Living in a way that feels right for who I am. So many times I’ve tried to fit myself into a life that wasn’t accurate to who I am as a person. That’s just growing up and figuring things out, but the second I started living the way I was supposed to - even just a crumb of that - I could tell it was right. Now I have a much better vision of what I need and how I need to do it to live, so I’m passionate about just staying that course. And avocados - I seriously love them.
Which person, living or dead, would you most like to meet? I think it would be pretty cool to meet my entire ancestry line. So cool but so exhausting. Also I was always a little obsessed with Rasputin so I think that would be an interesting albeit terrifying person to meet.
What dream do you still want to fulfil? Oh god, I have so much more I want to create and make. The dreams never stop - they shouldn’t! There should always be something more you’d like to accomplish. I just want to expand and get better and come up with wackier and crazier ideas. I want to immerse myself fully in this lifestyle and not think twice about it.
What are you reading? I just finished Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff and I just want to go back in time and read it again for the first time. I finished it in 24 hours. I couldn’t sleep or do anything except read. It’s that good. I may read it again soon because I miss it.