My treasured object is a Fimo Nemo that is no more than seven centimetres long. I’ve had it for 10 years. My darling mum made it for me just before she died. I sculpted her a crazy dragon and she made me this on the kitchen table as we chatted and giggled. It was one of the last happy memories I have of her and very precious.
Anything that someone has created for you is special – from pasta necklaces all the way through to a sculpture. You can’t make something by hand without positive energy; I believe that applies to our factory too. You can tell when something is made with love.
How can a bright-orange Fimo fish not inspire? This gem is kept on a shelf with my favourite objects, including a Buddha from my brother, some clay casts of my son’s feet made when he was a baby, a jug I brought from Bruce McLean when I first met him and a ceramic tangerine that we created in collaboration.
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The world has become a very serious, worrying place, and we need to try to inject as much positivity and sunshine into it as possible. As it is for so many, work is tough with huge responsibilities – we have 23 potters at 1882 Ltd – so love, colour and humour are essential.
My mum was wonderfully creative and a fierce advocate of art. She was an intellectual, an avid gardener, a pacifist and a wicked Fimo maker. When times were particularly tough, she wrote me a note that said: ‘Prescription for peace of mind: 15 minutes of thought, three times a day.’ That and the funny fish keep me inspired at work and remind me that people are all that matters, 1882ltd.com.
