Meet Janet

Half way through last year I joined the VOB Running Club in Constantia. Because I only ever used to run when I had entered a race, I knew my personal discipline needed some accountability and, determined to get fit and stay fit, this was it.

On only my second evening with the club, I met this lovely friendly face (when discussing where to put our keys before the run – you know, a newbie), and her name was Janet. Turned out, she was also brand new and it was her second evening with the club as well. Being the ‘chatter’ that I am while running, we fast became good running friends.

As luck would have it, a few of us had all joined the club at a similar time and really enjoyed running together. As you do with new friends, the discussion went from family, to work, to life, and which race we were all working towards. Janet was an artist. How cool?

WAIT a minute. This beautiful humble soul was not just an artist – she was a really accomplished ceramicist, an artisan, with her own company, Janet Ceramics, located right around the corner from us in Constantia. She was not only selling her ceramics locally, but also overseas and on Yuppiechef. I get really impressed with this kind of stuff.

The more I learn about her, the more amazed I am. I love that these local gems are all around us, and are producing beautiful one-of-a-kind art for us to enjoy. Step aside @home and Le Creuset, this stuff is what we are looking for. There is a deep appreciation for not just working with your hands (and hearts) but for artisans who take simple and often underrated raw materials and raise them up and make something beautiful with them. There is a story, there is meaning and there is deep beauty in that.

LET’S MEET 

As a child she always enjoyed art and ceramics. Her earliest memories of joy was paint being mixed and slopped into a bottle and on the brush in pre-school. She continued with art into high school and registered Janet Ceramics in 2013, after quitting a corporate job in property lending the year before. After a month long sabbatical (which included a 10 day mountain bike trek in the Himalayas), she was changed, and inspired by living an extra-ordinary life – the first step was telling herself the truth that her childhood dream was to be an artist, and that it was time to follow that dream.

Her purpose is to live a life she loves and in doing so inspire others to do the same. Check out the Life a Life you Love Collection here.

The theme of Ubuntu runs deep within her and her artwork (which we love, since we named our second son along the same lines).

Ubuntu (/uːˈbʊntuː/oo-buun-too; Zulu/Xhosa pronunciation: [ùɓúntʼú]) is a NguniBantu term roughly translating to “human kindness.” It is an idea from the Southern African region which means literally “human-ness,” and is often translated as “humanity towards others,” but is often used in a more philosophical sense to mean “the belief in a universal bond of sharing that connects all humanity”.[2]

And now… two of Janet’s beautiful artisan pieces are available in Woolworths (Cape Town – Cavendish Square, Willowbridge, Durban – Gateway, Johannesburg – Eastgate, Sandton, Benmore Gardens, Design Quarter).

Have a happy heart – the Heart Shaped Dish

‘Have you ever noticed how if you wake up on the wrong side of the bed, weigh in a few kg’s more than usual, or how running late for your first meeting, can so easily dictate the way in which the rest of the day pans out.

I know myself that I have fallen prey to the spiraling drama of mishaps and things just not going your way. As much as it is your choice to continue in this regard, it’s also your choice to stop and create something different.

If it’s love you want, give it and create it; if it’s respect you want, give it and create it.

The Heart Shaped Dish is designed as a daily reminder that it’s your choice to create whatever you wish for yourself and your experience of life.’

The Mouse Cheese Platter

Start with what you hope for

‘Have you ever found yourself stuck in a corner, unfulfilled, and spending more time running an elaborate commentary on the status quo than on a plan to work towards what you want? I remember paging through the words of Dr Spencer Johnsons, award winning book, Who Moved My Cheese, and bursting into fits of laughter as I identified with the mouse named Haw. At this point in my life I had never really taken time to think about what I wanted and it was easier to talk about the current circumstance than to risk setting new goal posts that I could possibly miss.

The key here is to recognize that your cheese, a metaphor for what you want to have in life, is a transient thing. As life unravels, and we experience new encounters, what we want may change or shift in priority. For me, laughing every day has moved to number one, whereas meaningful work and financial abundance is now a product of a light, energised and joyful existence.

The Cheese Plate in my ceramic range is designed as a daily reminder to ask yourself what it is that you want. Previously you may have enjoyed Camembert and fig preserve, but that may no longer give you satisfaction. Remember, there is a whole larder of cheeses to choose from and the variety of combinations is limited by your imagination.’

Keen to follow her journey? She has numerous other gorgeous items on her website – please check them out. You can follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, or find your nearest Janet Ceramics stockist here.

Well done my friend.

xxx

Picture credits: www.janetlightbody.com and www.yuppiechef.com