Unapologetically Creative: An Interview with Artist Lexi Kanias

Georgia O’Keeffe once said: “To create one’s world in any of the arts takes courage.” And for our first Women’s Month instalment, we’ve interviewed artist, Lexi Kanias of Xoxopottery, who found the courage to create her world through clay.

Instantly recognizable, her work is ethereal yet bold, delicate yet strong and always bright and cheerful.

Here’s how she found the courage to live her life creatively.

What inspired you to become an artist?

I’d like to say it happened by accident, but when I think about it now, it happened organically and when the time was right.

As a child I went to weekly canvas painting and ceramic classes.

As a teenager I delved into drama and acting ending up in Grahamstown in my matric year performing for the arts festival. 

And in my early 20’s, I owned a Mediterranean restaurant for 4 years (I come from a cooking and baking background). 

So, you could say that I’ve always been involved in something artsy.

But in life, timing is everything. 

How did you officially become an artist?

“Officially” sounds so official (giggle). 

The short answer? When I finally allowed myself to answer a calling in my soul to do what I love all day, every day and to accept and acknowledge my gifts and talents.

This incredibly definitive life-changing shift came about in 2016, whilst I walking the Spanish Camino.

I was at a crossroads within myself, and the pilgrimage helped me face the simplest (and hardest) truths.

When I was younger, my art teacher at school pulled me aside one day and said: “You need to drop art, it’s not for you, you have no talent.”

I dropped art as a subject, but somehow, I never let those harsh words grow deep roots.

But I still had some cold, hard truths to work through.

With each step I took on my journey, I questioned myself, trying to break through barriers of my preconditioned behaviour.

I kept asking myself the same questions: What should I be doing? What was acceptable? What made sense?

And the answers were glaringly obvious.

By the time my journey ended, I knew that I needed something more out of life: I needed to “officially” be creative all day, every day.

So that’s what I did – and I’ve never felt more alive. 

You have to be brave to live a life you love unapologetically, to do work you care about, that brings you and others joy and that pays the bills.

Where do you take creative inspiration from for your work?

I’m a go-with-your-intuition kind of person, so inspiration comes in many ways, shapes and forms on a daily basis.

Some influences are purely external, such as exposure to the world and nature (which is something I always crave).

My travels have hugely impacted my designs and colour palettes. I visited South America in 2019 and walked part of the Inca trail to Machu Picchu which had a massive impact on me as well as my work. My Mediterranean and Greek heritage also comes through in many of my sculptures and ranges. 

But many internal factors play a very big role too – what I see and feel in daily life always has a huge impact on me.

Its more about how receptive and open I am to acknowledging and ‘downloading’ it in whichever form it presents itself.

What would be your ultimate commission?

Oh, I love thinking about that, but at this point in my career I’m not a commission-based artist. I create and sculpt various bodies of work throughout my various ranges and sell them.

What is your dream exhibition space?

I know I should have some fancy location or museum or gallery as my answer. 

I am currently exhibiting a piece at the Zeitz Mocaa.

But my honest answer is I love knowing that my work is in the homes of people who have connected with my pieces.

When you buy something from an artist, you’re buying more than an object – you’re buying hundreds of hours of errors and experimentation.

You’re not buying just one thing.

You are buying a piece of a heart, a piece of a soul… a small piece of someone else’s life.

That is my great joy and greatest high. Whether it’s one of my large sculptures or one of my smallest bowls – they joy remains the same. If you love your Xoxopottery piece then I’ve achieved my objective. 

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What do you do in your spare time?

I had a little giggle reading this question, because if I have spare time I still choose to be in the studio – It’s truly my happy place. 

As I’m a one women entrepreneur, spare time generally revolves around my brand. 

Staying current and up to date on the ever-evolving and adapting social media and online portals seems like a full-time job in itself. 

The thing is though, I feel somewhat exhausted from the pace and demands my business has experienced over the last 6 months as it’s grown exponentially!

I also truly LOVE what I do. 

But sometimes finding a balance is hard. 

Creating my Xoxopottery pieces doesn’t feel like conventional work. My creative process ignites an abundant amount of energy and sparks huge joy. 

I’m blessed with beautiful friendships and a tribe of awesome humans to journey through life with. 

I am a social butterfly in normal circumstances (thanks for clipping my wings Covid). Lately spare time is home-based, which I love. I’ve enjoyed aspects of more alone and quiet time over the last year. 

My home is my sanctuary and a very peaceful space. 

Where do you work from?

I work from two studio locations in the loveliest and most beautiful city in the world – Cape Town!

I know I’m biased, but the city itself is a canvas of daily inspiration to me. I grew up in Pretoria and moved to Cape Town 20 years ago, and I still don’t take its beauty for granted.

One studio is in the CBD and is a shared space. More of a social hub, where ideas, knowledge and stories of clay are shared.

The other space is in Green Point, where I am on my own and the work I do here is more introspective, focused and quieter.

I need and love the balance of both spaces.

My time in the studio and my working hours are a constant “flow state” of mind – also known as being in ‘the zone.’ It is the mental state of operation in which a person performing an activity is fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and enjoyment in the process of the activity. 

That’s me on a daily basis. 

Don’t get me wrong: some days I’m just a total potato and can’t access my creativity let alone remember to buy milk #justsaying. 

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What is your mission statement?

Do what you love, access the desire and passion from within you and share it. Abundance multiplies. 

What motivates you the most?

The freedom of expression I experience through my work.

Although sometimes, as motivating as it is and can be, it’s also a little daunting at times. 

I love the freedom I feel when creating. 

I love working with clay and I often go with the flow of how the clay falls and where it decides it would like to be placed. I don’t ‘over work’ any of pieces I want you to see it’s handmade. 

I don’t overthink it. I like to just play and create and let each piece come to life on its own, and believe me they do.

Creating each piece is a process. All pieces go into the kiln twice and some a third time in order to achieve the desired finished look. 

I love how unpredictable it can be. 

How I think I’m in control and the creator but sometimes even though it’s hard to accept my pieces go into the kiln and don’t come out as intended.

The kiln gods, every so often, come down and let me know who’s boss. I’ve learnt to accept these moments and “roll” with them – pun intended. 

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What is your greatest strength?

My heart and its ability to expand and grow. 

What is your greatest achievement so far?

My ceramic business

My Xoxopottery startup reached its 1000 days in business milestone during a global pandemic and our national lockdown in 2020. 

My ‘scary’ leap of faith to pursue my passion and dream paid off. I hedged my bets followed my gut and gambled on myself.

I’m an all-or-nothing kind of person, so I went all in. Xoxopottery’s journey from the first year to the third year is a great mix of dreams and practical execution. 

The first year (the great hope) was all about the dream, the passion, the process and building my brand.

The second year (the great grind) was all about ‘getting out there’ hitting the ground and market and creating awareness. 

The third year (the great sunrise) was all about a strong take-off and seamless flying while off the ground. 

A beautiful culmination and medley of both years before it. 

Each stage taught me something new – every bag of clay, every bottle of glaze, every range, every collection, every event, every sale, every delivery, every success and every failure – I needed them all. 

Even though a global pandemic hit my business in mid-flight and while I was staring day 1000 in the face, I regrouped and stood strong.

“Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out.”

Xoxopottery is available to purchase here.