The Story Behind Author

I thought It was about time I tell you all our story

I am often asked why Author? What does it mean and just why??

Ceramics for me have always held a special place in my heart, they remind me of being a little kid spending time with family, eating yummy food, fighting with my brother and also playing and having a great time. They remind me of parties, sad times when we have lost someone close, good times and everything in between.

For me, food and the plate it is served on tell a story, a story of little moments over time that we as friends and family came together. As a chef I used nostalgia to tug at the old heart strings, making milo deserts and re-creating meringue on the egg beater to bring back memories of mum baking. I guess now I do the same thing in a way but with ceramics, I love making things that will stand proud in your home, that can be used for those special meals or used as gift for someone special.

When thinking about what our brand name should be I started with very odd names like BONES, STEPHEN LEE, and loads more that just sound too weird to mention. One day my wife said what about Author, you love telling stories, and just like that it all made sense. The memories of Temuka pottery filled with BBQ sizzlers bursting with cheese and yummy salads with family running around came rushing back. Thats it, pottery holds the story, they hold the memories that carry on from generation to generation

I was recently asked what would I like Authors legacy to be? and it made me remember exactly why we settled on the name Author. Our answer is below, what do you think?

Our legacy would be not a memory of me or us, but a memory of the joy the work has given to the person who owns it. The story that people share about the piece, the feeling each piece gives a space and the joy that brings the people around it. The happiness or sadness a piece may bring holds a story that will last longer than anything we could ever make. We named our brand Author, because we believe that art tells a story, a story that is slowly created over time by the owner, a story of moving houses or birthday celebrations, the time it broke and grandad fixed it, the art comes from the home it lives in. 

Every Author piece has a story or form of individual history, but one thing we do to keep this story consistent is collect sand on our travels, as a family we camp and surf every other weekend. The sand we collect is in every piece that we make, every piece starts with our story, our travels, our hands. But most importantly, each piece will now have a new story, as a gift for a loved one, for yourself or your home, you are now the Author and the story of this piece begins with you.

We have so much more to talk about, our forever changing story, our plans for the future, recipes, travels and new products. We are so excited to share our journey with you