Meet Tantri Mustika, a Melbourne based ceramics artist who we are all in complete and utter awe of. Her energy is warm, she has the kindest soul and her enthusiasm about ceramics is seriously infectious!
Tantri is just as passionate about handcrafted creations as we are and her pieces (that sometimes take years to perfect) have stolen our hearts. Those designs you spy at her studio below? All *COMPLETELY* crafted by hand.
We were lucky enough to visit her studio and her retro Melbourne rental to chat about all things: home styling, rental hacks, career highlights and of course, the fascinating world of ceramics. Enjoy!
Who are you and what do you do?
Hello! My name is Tantri Mustika and I am a ceramic artist. I work with a lot of colourful hand stained clays and currently love carving made up flowers. I make ceramics for the home. Think vases, sculptural artworks, wall art, small furniture pieces and my most recent exploration: LAMPS!
Shop cushions here.
For those that don’t know, what is your love story with ceramics and how was your business born?
I started ceramics as a hobby back in 2016 when I was still in my first career (hairdressing). I was CRAVING a creative outlet since hairdressing just didn't do that for me anymore. When I say I became instantly OBSESSED with clay I mean I was O-B-S-E-S-S-E-D! I would come home from long days at work (talking to people all day long) and rush to my little clay table I had set up in our sharehouse back room. I just loved the tactile nature of working with clay, I found it so grounding and peaceful. Come 2017 I was still mad about clay and I had even started taking my clay with me to work (lol? As you can imagine everyone was a bit confused about this). I went to America and came home inspired…I started making vases that I really thought “Hey I would totally buy this in a shop if I saw it.. Perhaps other people would like them as well?” I decided to get some help from a friend to build a website, got some fancy photos and TMC was born! I honestly didn’t really expect anyone to buy anything at that point. I suppose it was still a hobby (obsession) but before long my ‘Terrazzo Mountain Vases’ were selling like hot cakes, I couldn’t make enough of them at one stage. So with that I made a wild decision to follow my gut and just quit my job (with no savings or plan yikes!) and I’ve been making and selling ceramics since!
Shop Tantri Mustika ceramics here.
You turned your hobby into a business… how do you ensure it doesn’t become a chore? How do you keep that spark alive for ceramics?
I have learnt the hard way that you HAVE TO take time out! You have to create space around constant making and creating. I used to just work hard out and try to be as ‘productive’ as humanly possible and it ended up burning me out massively. Now I take things at a VERY different and slower pace. I try to make sure I have time to take weekends, to think, to go for walks, see friends, go to museums, take weekend trips out of town alone and literally smell the roses! I LOVE to go and rummage through op shops, this is one of my favourite activities when I am feeling a little uninspired or in a creative rut. It’s amazing the things you can find, notice and take in from the eclectic mix of goods in a good op shop. Another thing is always trying to engage in testing new ideas. I try my best to make sure every kiln load has something that is a little experiment or a test of a new idea, something to keep the excitement of opening the kiln alive.
All of your designs are completely created by hand… some pieces even take YEARS. Why is this so important to you?
I believe that engaging in slow crafted anything especially in business is a bit of a resistance against capitalism as we know it. We live in a world where we are constantly pressured to do more, faster, cheaper, more efficiently all in the name of making the ‘big bucks’... It’s wild! As I am surrounded by more and more fast made, soulless, low quality disposable products made to generate huge profit it feels kind of risky and vulnerable to be making lifetime pieces with my bare hands and I like that. I can only make as many as I can make so they are always in limited quantities. There’s nothing exact or perfect about handmade objects which is what makes them so special- they are always one-of-a-kind even when they are made in ‘repeats’. Thoughtful handcrafted objects literally have so much time, effort, skill, thought, spirit and energy baked into them. When you make something in this way it has meaning and the end results are special. I am into making less these days but really making all of my pieces with dedication, depth, curiosity and joy. The works have to take the time that they take because when you rush the work, it’s just not the same.
Shop the bed linen here.
What project are you most proud of in your career to date?
I think right now I am proudest of a private commission that I recently delivered.
My clients were after a floor lamp inspired by a previous lamp I had made for a Melbourne Design Week show titled ‘FOND’. They commissioned a completely customised version of the existing floor lamp plus a table lamp to suit. We hunted for the lampshade together and I referenced swatches of their custom upholstered furniture. During the design process we considered the specific space it was going in, we made sure the lamps were cat safe and fully serviceable. Making these lifetime pieces took not only considering the specifics of the current design of their home, but also pondering the different types of places or settings the lamps could exist in times to come. Aka we had to be making something custom but classic.
The final lamps were out of this world, I am so proud of how they turned out and It is an honour to get to do this kind of personal work for people who trust in and celebrate my ever evolving vision as an artist and a maker.
Your creations are very distinct... How has your ceramics style changed and evolved over the years?
My style has definitely evolved over the years. For a long time my work was most recognised by my colourful terrazzo inspired surface decoration. I eventually had to start moving on from my first true love obsession and re-work the way I was using my signature coloured clay. This led me to making a series of works called ‘Marmoreal’. The Marmoreal works see the use of marbled clay become more technically complex through grid-like expressions, checkered patterns and heavily marbled striped arrangements. I started to expand the techniques I was using in the making of the forms as well as focusing on scaling my work up. Moving from slightly geometric forms to more classic shapes and forms in between over time. I am now in a deeply contemplative place in my practice where I am exploring my cultural heritage. The Ukiran series recalls stored core memories of Balinese religious practices and the rich arts culture through detailed hand carved motifs and imagery whilst still incorporating my colourful marbled clay. I think I am always just building on my creative style in a curious way, sometimes I drift off and I feel like I am making something a bit off track but then it often naturally comes back to a point where I am merging newer ideas with existing ideas and somehow it all links together.
Shop apparel here and rugs + mats here.
When do you feel in your most creative and inspired mindset?
When I’m not rushing. When I feel safe and secure and/or when I have just one hour left of the day and I have to be somewhere at a particular time (always inspired at the worst times!!!).
I attended one of your workshops a few years back and was so excited to continue ceramics. How can people access ceramics at home? Where to start?
Firstly I am so happy to hear that the workshop made such an impression on you! That makes my heart sing! Sadly I am taking a break from teaching at the moment BUT there are so many classes and kiln firing services around town these days. Hand building is a great way to muck around with clay. You really don’t need much and I feel like you can kind of do it anywhere from the couch, to the living room floor. You can start with very few tools, and even things you can easily find around the house too! I am also a huge fan of school on Youtube! I have learnt how to do a lot of stuff on Youtube. I also have a small video series available for purchase on my online shop that is a bit of a basic guide to hand building. But pretty much I always encourage people to just buy a block of clay and get their hands dirty, play around with making a little pinch pot and get familiar with the texture and nature of clay. You can also get things like air drying clay and fimo oven baking clay to make small sculptural projects at home.
Shop our dine range here.
Owning a business is hard! What do you do when it all feels too much? And what is your best advice to fellow biz owners… to keep going through the challenging times?
Number one rule: just BREATH! I actually often walk around just deep breathing when I am stressed haha it’s a bit weird but literally anything you can do to calm the nervous system during times of stress will be a great tool. A walk outside in the sunshine (extra points if you can make it somewhere green - a walking trail or get out of town). I try to journal but I am a bit inconsistent, oops. I think this helps hugely because it’s just a way to offload all of the many whirly thoughts any small business owner constantly has trapped in the brain. Talking to fellow business owners because often we are all feeling similar things and I believe in power in numbers! Talking the stressy things through and just realising you’re not alone helps. There’s so many good podcasts! I love the My Daily Business podcast, Business of Home, Broke Business, Time Sensitive, How to Fail... omg so many!
Things are harder now than ever. I can only say that we need to be kind with ourselves, try not to spiral into the fear of what might be around the corner and seriously just take small moments or big moments to pat yourself on the back and realise and appreciate how far you’ve come and remind yourself if you have managed so far you can get through anything. I think the next few years are a big unknown in business but staying true to yourself and staying in your lane and on your own path is important. I am having to remind myself daily why I started making ceramics and assure myself that all will work out if I just keep making the things I love, with love and stay focused on pushing myself even when the fear of failure can make me want to make myself small. I am actively refusing to run my business from a place of fear and I am just taking control of how I want my LIFE to be first then making my business suit that. I know I am making this sound super easy - it isn’t. It’s definitely a journey but hopefully this inspires someone out there to just take a moment. Slow the roll and keep going forward. Just breathe!
Shop Tantri's creations here.
Your home has so much soul! How do you approach your personal interior styling?
Thank you! Honestly my interior style these days I think is more like ‘making all the things work together somehow’ or more elegantly put it’s ‘eclectic’ I share my house with my partner and when we moved in together our style and taste was evidently VERY different so I try to just move things about and arrange our home in a way that there's a good mix of both of our belongings throughout the home. We are both kind of collectors of different things and we both have some pretty special things that have been collected during travels or gifted or found second hand so our belongings are definitely eclectic. My approach is to use lots of bold colour to tie it all together and my styling approach is like ‘organised chaos’. I like that we have a mix of fancy things and low value things, old things and new things. Things with a story. It's how any home should be! I would personally probably lean more towards a slightly more minimal home (because I am internally chaotic as a person and my surroundings definitely have a huge effect on me) so I just style things in a way that there’s just a bit of space and breathing room around them. This means the special pieces get to have their ~moment~ and it somehow works! I am also a chronic re-arranger! I am better these days but I LOVE to re arrange furniture and move objects around the house and create new little scenes and arrangements to freshen the space up (it probably drives my partner insane) but I have been this way since I was a kid (you can probably imagine, I re-arrange my studio constantly its kind of a problem that I have no one to stop me haha).
Favourite piece of furniture in your home?
My coffee table (that used to be the table in my old shop). It was the FB marketplace find of the century. It was $100, I had to drive very very far away to get it and I just feel so lucky to have it!
Shop rugs here.
What are your best DIY hacks for those living in a rental?
3M hooks!!!!! (not an ad I just love them lol) 3M hooks and mdf! Honestly you can cover up some heinous rental house things with a bit of hand painted, jigsaw cut MDF and some 3M velcro hooks! I am such a fan. We live in a really old rental place and I have done some serious reversible rental renos in our house. Also if your bathroom is a bit how ya going, all I can say is top up grout!!!! You can buy the stuff in a squeezy tube and honestly a grout re-fresh in an old rental is a good easy upgrade and your landlord will LOVE you for it! Just watch a few Youtube videos and book a trip to Bunnings!
You're a long-time Melbournian. Describe your perfect day out in Melbourne to us…from the moment you wake, to the moment you hit the pillow. GO!
OK I wake up early, put the Moccamaster on and get in the shower while it brews. Make some toast, make my coffee and go and sit out on my back step and look out at my garden and listen to the birds while I slowly sip my coffee and write a journal entry. It’s 26 and sunny so I decide to jump on the train to go to the NGV or Craft Vic (by myself) on the way to meet a friend for lunch at Cibi. We have a booking for massages and a soak at Sense Of Self. This activity sees us into the early evening and we are HUNGRY so we walk to Sunhands and get a yummy sharing platter and a single glass of wine. Then I go home early and get into my comfy clothes and watch a show on the couch with my boyfriend and TRY to have an early night but stay up way too late because I don’t want this perfect day to end.
Follow Tantri Mustika on Instagram here.
Explore her beautiful creations here.
With a whole lotta love xx