In the ongoing Shondaland series Head Turners, we meet interesting women from every facet of life who are crushing it in their careers. From artists and tech mavens to titans of the boardroom, these women are breaking barriers, and they’ll share how you can too.
As soon as a new drop is announced, Lalese Stamps’ creations fly off virtual shelves. Since launching her brand in 2020, she’s collaborated with Saint Heron, Merit, Trevor Noah, and SSENSE. However, Stamps isn’t crafting coveted kicks or must-own streetwear. She’s making pottery.
The creative force behind Lolly Lolly Ceramics, Stamps is known for her eye-catching monochromatic mugs, vases, plates, and pitchers with whimsical handles. (Stamps was casually dubbed Lolly in high school by one of her teachers, and the name stuck with her into adulthood.) Her pieces turn the everyday ritual of pouring coffee and tea into a striking occasion.
Stamps never intended to be a pottery maven. In 2017, the graphic designer started taking ceramics classes for fun. That same year, to raise money to study abroad, she started selling her ceramics. Two years later, she embarked on a 100-day personal challenge to create a new mug every day. Today, the magic happens in a small-batch ceramics studio in Stamps’ native Milwaukee, where she and her growing team produce each piece.
As a business owner, Stamps bet on herself by molding a new career path, and she hasn’t looked back. Now, she wants to make sure the next generation of Milwaukee creators has a reference point for what is possible when you commit to your craft no matter your background or pedigree.
Shondaland recently spoke with Stamps about how she turned her pastime into a business, why mentorship and artistic growth continue to be important, and what upcoming topics she plans to explore through clay.
PRISCILLA WARD: Were there goals that you had for yourself to leave your full-time job as a graphic designer?
LALESE STAMPS: At that point and time, not particularly because, in 2020, I was excited about growing in my career as a graphic designer. I often think back on that time, and everything was such a whirlwind. I felt sad that I was quitting my full-time job. I worked so hard to get to where I was. My side hustle business just grew so quickly that it forced me to reevaluate if I wanted to continue growing in my career or take a risk and focus on ceramics full-time.
PW: Did you always believe you’d be an entrepreneur?
LS: I never thought that I would be an entrepreneur. It’s just one of those things where the universe was like, “You’re good at this. Let me shift you in that direction.” It’s truly one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.
I think there are obvious things like the freedom of not having to work for someone else. There are pros and cons. Sometimes, it would be nice if someone just told me what to do because I’m always the person making decisions. I get fatigued by making decisions sometimes.
PW: Does your work in graphic design translate to your ceramics?
LS: Absolutely. Someone actually told me without even knowing [me] that I am a graphic designer. They see my work and tie back to design.
PW: How did your 100-day project inspire you?
LS: Affirmation happened after that project because that was truly a fun project. It was more for me to push myself out of my comfort zone. Leading up to that point, I was working full-time as a graphic designer, and clay was something I did on the side for fun. I only started it in 2017, and I was 27 years old at the time.
I don’t have all that much experience in clay. My career didn’t build a lot of traction until 2020 when we were forced into this pandemic, and then even further when George Floyd was murdered. That’s when I was getting a lot of traction. I have some thoughts about it, but I think it was a moment when a lot of people were like, “I’m not doing enough to support Black and brown people.”
PW: Do you have a mentor in ceramics?
LS: Not really. I have a few mentors on the business side of things. I have been reevaluating some new work that’s for me again and not really for the business. I have been thinking a lot about identity, and who I am as I grow this business. There have been a lot of interesting challenges that I’ve come across being Black and a woman. There aren’t a lot of examples out there of manufacturers who are running a ceramics business.
I have been thinking about what it would be like to do my work again. I don’t have a mentor right now to help guide that, but I have been doing a lot of my meditative work toward figuring out what I want to do. Identity is something I’ve mentioned. I’ve always wanted to do something related to being Black but also being mixed. My mom is white, and my dad is Black. There are a lot of interesting parallels in my life that have brought me to where I am. I have been exploring what I can do with clay to represent that.
PW: How are you creating a lane for yourself in the ceramics industry?
LS: A lot of what you do in life is led by examples. My parents weren’t artists, so they didn’t know how to guide me. The question was always “What can you do to make money in art?” Now, I’m a business owner, and clay is my focus. I tell people it just so happens that I’m working on clay. I could have done anything, and this just so happens to become a business.
I think financial support is probably the hardest part of being a Black woman-owned business. I’ve been thinking about how to make money as an artist but also how to make sure it’s funneled back into the community.
One of those ways is doing more workshops and connecting more with Milwaukee public schools. I want to show Black young artists that there are options out there and let them know you can do this. It’s going to be a lot of work, but it’s possible. You can only be that person if you see it.
Priscilla Ward is a Washington, D.C.-based writer who has contributed to The Washington Post, Washington City Paper, Salon, Fast Company, and Architectural Digest.
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