Meet Shiloh Stardust of Stardust Ceramix

Today we’d like to introduce you to Shiloh Stardust.

Shiloh, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I took a few ceramic classes when I was at the art program at USC, but they were more sculptural classes. When I expressed interest in wheel throwing my professor wouldn’t teach me, which is wild seeing as she was the ceramics professor. I am about to age myself, but when I was in college we didn’t have access to YouTube learning, and I had to kinda teach myself to throw on a wheel. So, basically I never really learned how to do it. I just felt my way around the wheel. (Very Ghost movie like 😂)

Fast forward to a couple of years ago, and about a decade out of college my mom gifted me with a ceramics class, and I couldn’t get enough of it! The rest kind of fell into place as friends started commissioning me to make mugs for their work, and I started to sell things to strangers, and it made it all feel real! I remember one of my first sales. I was shocked when people bought my work. By the end of that sale, I had saved up enough and earned enough to buy my own throwing wheel!

Has it been a smooth road?
Luckily, I have made great connections with people, and they have been incredibly supportive. It was definitely a HUGE learning curve for me with pricing and knowing what my worth and time are as a maker. I think that was one of the hardest things was being confident in my worth in terms of my work; it’s a really weird space for me to navigate. I had a lot of help along the way with friends that have knowledge in this area and were really encouraging me to see the value in my ceramics and my time.

Another roadblock for me was getting digital hahaha! Making a website is NO easy task!

It took months of procrastination and screaming at the computer! I still have a long way to go knowing the business side of what I’m trying to do and keep it all moving. It’s difficult when you are making the product, doing social media stuff, and shipping and website work! But again I am able to do this solely because of the insane amount of support from my friends, family, and husband (he basically made the website for me).

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Stardust Ceramix story. Tell us more about the business.
I make utilitarian ceramics from my patio in Glendale while my dogs sunbathe. Because my ceramics are mainly used as vessels for food and drinks, I naturally made what I use the most which is fast food cups and my favorite local grocery store seven eleven!

I LOVE A BIG GULP full to the brim with ice and a Diet Coke, there is nothing better, and I wanted a cup that wasn’t just plastic, and I could keep forever, and that’s how the ceramic big gulp was born.

I also weirdly have a green thumb, but most everyone I know tries to get house plants, and they die in a week, so I made some planters that say “R.I.P.” Every plant deserves a proper burial.

How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
I hope to see my production to grow enough to buy my own kiln, have my own full studio. I want people to be able to eventually see the ceramics I make and recognize them as my creations because I have honed in my style.

Contact Info:

• Website: Www.stardustceramix.com
• Instagram: @StardustCeramix

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