Based in Bethnal Green, London, Naomi creates limited edition collections for her shop Bikis Ceramics. Her work explores undulating sculptural forms influenced by 1970s product design and ancient functional ceramics. Using a mixture of underglazes, coloured slips and glazes, she experiments with hyper-glossy work alongside rough, textured pieces that require multiple firings and glazes.
Naomi is from a small seaside town on the South coast of England. She moved there to study journalism and worked in fashion for years as a writer and editor. Naomi used to write about creative people living their passions and dreams. That motivated her to start her own business while still maintaining her freelance writing. Her initial attraction to clay started at a point of discomfort and discontent – the fashion industry had stopped inspiring her and she wanted to try something different. She decided to start a short ceramics course at her community center… and immediately fell for it.
Shortly thereafter, Naomi launched Bikis Ceramics. She runs her business from her one-bedroom flat and she is now also living her passion and dreams. Working with clay has taught her to ease into her learning process and to never give up – quite literally, she has learned to be comfortable with failure: "You can spend weeks on a piece for it to do something horrid in the kiln and come out putrid yellow. And you can’t give up, otherwise you’ve wasted a bag of clay and studio rent." – She says to Anyonegirl.
Through a turn of events, she is now inspired by fashion, the human body, the ribs of shells, the sand when the tide has rolled out and, wait for it: imperfection – yes, in a world obsessed with perfinction, Naomi is inspired by everything that’s not.
Naomi’s career, process and work is a true inspiration for other women striving to do what they love. What we can take away from her story and her work is to do the things that set our souls on fire. That makes us jump out of bed to live our passions and our dreams.
ph. stephanie mcleod and philippa johnson
