74. Flo of Memento Vivere Studio on ceramics, cuteness, and the will to live
“AI doesn’t apply here. You can only do pottery by getting your hands dirty.”
Flo is a talented graphic designer and artist of all types – from pottery to embroidery to illustration, she can do it all. She focuses most of her original creative efforts on her brand Memento Vivere Studio.
I first met Flo when I bought one of her painting cups, cleverly formed with divots to balance the paintbrush on the rim. Her “Kumu” cloud character is so cute and evocative at the same time. We got to talking, and I invited Flo to table with me at a craft fair later that year. Since then we’ve become frequent table buddies, and good friends too!
In this conversation, lightly edited for concision and clarity, I wanted to learn more about Flo’s background in art and how she developed her strong, cohesive aesthetic. We ended up touching on motivational memories of embarrassment in art class; the intuitive, unforgiving nature of clay; and the origins of Kumu.
Rachel: Hi Flo! How are you today?
Flo: Hi Rachel! I’m quite fine today, and happy to be chatting with you! How are you?
R: I’m the same, thanks for asking! :)
What are your earliest memories with art?
F: My earliest memories with art go back to spending a lot of time on elementary school art assignments. I remember one of them was to draw a zoo scene with a pencil. I can’t recall the details, but I tried to make it elaborate and I’m pretty sure it didn't turn out very well. When I was around 10, another assignment was to paint a ship. I spent hours on it without much success. I asked my dad for help, and he completed the painting within 10 minutes. It was one of the most beautiful paintings that I had ever seen, so much so that I worried it might be too good to pass as “my work”. But I submitted it anyway.
When my art teacher, who was also my favourite teacher, was reviewing everybody’s submission during class, she called me out. I thought I was going to die of embarrassment, fearing that she’d realize I hadn’t done the whole painting. Instead, she complimented it and said she looked forward to seeing more of my work. Still embarrassed but relieved, I knew from that moment on I had to work extra hard on my art assignments, without help. And that’s exactly what I did.
R: That’s a really sweet story! It’s great that you can recall the emotions that motivated you to improve early in life.
You studied art in undergrad, and now your day-to-day work involves your creative eye. How do you keep design work separate from the artwork you make for fun? Or does one inform the other?
F: I earned my BFA in studio arts from UBC; now I’m a graphic designer and illustrator by day. Although it’s a creative job, my work for it must meet specific requirements and appeal to a targeted audience, such as sportswear customers, entrepreneurs, event participants or restaurant patrons, which means it comes with certain constraints. On the other hand, when I create art for fun, I make whatever I want that appeals to, well, me. If that happens to resonate with others, then that’s an exciting bonus.
That being said, I feel fortunate that I’m in touch with both worlds: my day job keeps me disciplined in practical skills and professionalism, while my personal artwork provides a designated channel through which my imagination and personal style are free to emerge. For me, at the risk of sounding cliché, being creative is a way of life. It’s a built-in nature that doesn’t subside after hours. I’m always thinking about what to create next.
R: Same here, the creative bug never sleeps!
So you’ve experimented with a lot of media over the years. Pottery is one that’s especially unpredictable and capricious… not to mention, I know you have to devote a lot of time, going to the studio every weekend. How did you settle on pottery as your main medium? To put it another way, what is most creatively fulfilling about pottery for you?
F: I had wanted to try pottery long before I actually started it. I found the process of building an object out of repetitive rotation mesmerizing. Also, I was, and still am, really into food photography, but I often had a difficult time finding dishware in the vibes I was looking for to go with the food. That made me really want to try making my own. When I finally began learning pottery in 2018, it was a humbling experience, to say the least. It was unlike any other medium I had worked with. Simply put, the clay tamed and trained me with its strong ways. After hours and hours of what felt like borderline subordination, it eventually agreed to work with me, and a rewarding relationship between two equals started to form.
Since then, pottery has become a therapeutic activity that I’m committed to. When I’m at the studio on the weekend, I can focus on creating without the distraction of a tv or phone – because you know, I can’t really browse on my phone with my muddy fingers. It’s a very organic experience, from wheel-throwing or handbuilding to firing and glazing – every ceramic piece is unique in some way even if you try to replicate something you’ve made before. There’s no copying and pasting. There could be fixing, but there’s no undoing. AI doesn’t apply here. You can only do pottery by getting your hands dirty. If the digital work I do on weekdays were an advanced metropolitan city, then pottery on the weekend would be the countryside with mountains and rivers. You know what I mean? Ceramics’ hand-made, intuitive quality strikes a contrast against my day-to-day digital life and gives me a chance to reset my mind whenever I’m at it. That’s the aspect that’s the most creatively fulfilling for me.
R: I see! Returning to the earth (literally) is such an intuitive way to escape the addiction to scrolling. I also resonate with the humbling aspect of trying a new craft. I think it’s important to keep challenging our egos and avoid settling for the skills we already know best.
I think your Kumu character is iconic and probably how a lot of people recognize your work. I know kumo is Japanese for cloud, but how did your Kumu come about?
F: Kumu’s name actually came from “cumulus”, a word that describes the shape of clouds that are fluffy but flat at the bottom. It’s a sweet coincidence that Kumu is also close to the Japanese word for cloud! As for how it came about, it really just came to me, like a vision of a mystic creature I happened to encounter on a stroll. All I did was start illustrating it. Once I did, I got to know it better over time – and I’m still getting to know it. So far, I know that, obviously, it came from the sky. It has legs because it wants to walk and be among living things on earth, to observe them and sometimes join in their activities. With a heart that finds beauty in little things, Kumu is curious, brave and adventurous. It secretly helps people with their earthly problems, but can also be mischievous. It has a special bond with nature and is a friend to every plant. Most importantly, Kumu is an advocate for living life to the fullest.
R: I love that you approach Kumu as a character you get to discover along the way. It’s already fully-formed somewhere out there, and each piece you create helps you – and us – know Kumu better.
Your aesthetic is simple and cute yet sophisticated – incredibly cohesive across your body of work. Who or what are your biggest inspirations? Where do you come up with ideas for new work?
F: I’ve always been a cuteness enthusiast, so I subconsciously go in the cute direction when I’m in make-whatever-I-want mode. I have a major weakness for things with faces, whimsical and innocent-looking illustrations, round stubby shapes, etc. Inspiration can come from anywhere, really, as long as you keep your senses open. My favourite way to get inspired is probably through traveling, when I get to people-watch, and take in local cultures and aesthetics in a fascinated state of mind.
I'm flattered that you think my work is sophisticated! That, along with its simple or minimal aspects, likely comes from the influence of Scandinavian design, whose clean forms reflect an emphasis on comfort – something I value and keep in mind when I create for Memento Vivere.
R: It’s great that you know the key characteristics that are driving your practice, like roundness and cuteness, and remain open to inspiration through travel. I think my artistic practice could stand to learn from your sense of cohesion.
Maybe you’ve heard of the taste-talent gap that Ira Glass famously described:
“Nobody tells people who are beginners — and I really wish somebody had told this to me — is that all of us who do creative work … we get into it because we have good taste. But it’s like there’s a gap, that for the first couple years that you’re making stuff, what you’re making isn’t so good, OK? It’s not that great. It’s really not that great. It’s trying to be good, it has ambition to be good, but it’s not quite that good. But your taste — the thing that got you into the game — your taste is still killer, and your taste is good enough that you can tell that what you’re making is kind of a disappointment to you, you know what I mean?”
What is your relationship to this gap between your ideal, and the work you actually create – if you feel there is a gap at all?
F: For sure when I first started with pottery, the gap between what I envisioned and what actually came out of the kiln was substantial. It's a gap I needed though, because it motivated me to practice and solve problems in my work process. My job was to close that gap as much as possible, and I’d like to think that the gap has reduced over time. However, I also believe there will always be a gap, because as you grow as a creator, your taste evolves too. You are constantly trying to catch up with your taste, pursuing the next milestone.
R: For sure, the work is never done which keeps things exciting!
Lastly, what are your plans for future creations and pop-ups? Where can people follow you?
F: For now I have a few more ceramic ideas lined up to experiment with, and I’d like to work on more illustrations of Kumu. Beyond that, I’m just going to follow wherever Kumu takes me, live the values it embodies and create accordingly. As for pop-ups, I’m hoping to do a few each year, maybe 3? I enjoy seeing visitors’ reactions to my work in person and chatting with them. It's also a pleasure to meet other artisans at these events, so I'd like to keep that going.
I post market updates and new work on Instagram at @mementovivere.studio, which is also the URL of my website. I’d love to connect and see what everyone's up to!
R: Sounds great! Thanks again for your time and thoughts!
Have you ever tried a new hobby or craft that humbled you? How do your values influence your creations and/or your lifestyle? Share your thoughts in the comments!