Esther Claire
is a creative whom I greatly admire. I found her first through her pottery (to know me is to know my love for pottery), and have since thoroughly enjoyed getting to know Esther’s way of translating astrological concepts and the snippets she shares of her beautiful garden, home and studio. I am now so excited to get to know her better in this Magic Muse Interview and through her own Substack publication,
Star chapters
, and I know you’ll love getting to know her too.
Introduce yourself - who are you, and what do you do?
Hello! I am a potter, writer of sorts, astrologer, amongst many many other things. I am a multifaceted person, I can not contain myself in the one field, instead I feel myself constantly expanding and evolving as I seek new ways to express myself and learn. I have a little pottery business - Little Cottage Creative - I mostly stock my work at the local coffee shop, Sixpence Coffee, here in Bright, but occasionally I have works available on my website.
I suppose you would say there is an intersection of philosophy, creativity and alchemy in what I do. I was born the morning after my parents went to a fireworks show and mum commented ‘they look like little stars’ - my name, Esther, means ‘star’.
I also recognise the water element within myself, as a Scorpio, a friend of depth and feeling; connection and meaning-making runs deep in my veins.
How did you get started on your path?
I moved from South Australia with my partner and young family to the Alpine region of Victoria. We moved into a little miners cottage which was so run down we had to live in a caravan for 9 months whilst we made it ‘liveable’. We cooked on a bbq for almost a year! I didn’t have a house to nest in, so took to the garden and made it my mission to beautify the space, as well as grow veggies and flowers. I took great joy in nursing seeds into seedlings into plants of yield. My body loved the grounding work.
I soon started a pottery course and found the grounding theme mirrored in the pottery process. Nursing something through many phases, learning to let go when things did not go as expected. Pottery teaches us many lessons of impermanence. Another big catalyst was Covid - my passion for astrology was born from the time and space and search for meaning during that time.
What/who are your greatest muses and what/who do you draw inspiration from?
Nature. Plants, animals. I love birds. I love watching and listening. I find the patterns, colours, the connections between nature awe inspiring. I don’t know if there is anyone specific in terms of a human muse - people who follow their heart in kindness and creativity. Musicians blow me away how they can evoke such strong feelings. I am inspired by myths and stories and love learning through these means.
What little rituals do you have to start your day?
I would love to say I begin the day with meditation, honestly it is on my list of things to implement, however, I admit, routine making is not a skill of mine - I tend to be quite a loosely structured person, and so ebb and flow with how regimented I am. I also have two children who still require quite a lot of my attention getting ready for school, so once they are awake it is go time! At the moment I am enjoying exercising in the mornings as it helps to start my day with an uplifting mindset - I have been alternating between going to yoga and weight lifting classes.
One thing I do take joy in is selecting a mug to drink out of. The mug has to be the right shape and size for the beverage, but it also needs to possess the energy I am either feeling, or, hoping to instil. As you can imagine, I have many vessels, so approach this part of my morning with curiosity and allow myself to connect with my feelings to guide my selection. It aids as a little self inquiry activity. Sometimes, if I am feeling particularly called, I pull a tarot or oracle card for the day, or pull a couple for my partner and we have a brief discussion about this. It is a nice way to connect before heading off to work.
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Do you have any little rituals to end your day?
My family and I each share a little comment about our day over dinner - what we found interesting, or what we enjoyed about our day. As the kids get older, I am making a sustained effort to keep this practice up in order to ritualise connection with each other, however small, it deserves protected time. Recently, I have been having some trouble sleeping, so have been working on developing a supportive bedtime routine that feels achievable.
After tucking the kids in, I like to read for half hour before going to sleep. In the lead up to bedtime, I also like to light a candle to dim the artificial light sources and spray some lavender room spray. I have some amethyst and celestite crystals on my bedside that are nice to hold and look at. Trying to involve my senses into my bedtime rituals feels like a holistic approach.
Tell us what you like to do in your free time, do you have any hobbies?
Between work, creative play, and parenting, there is not a lot of free time, but when I do get it, I love to spend some time alone reading or listening to podcasts, working in my garden, writing, making any kind of art.
Give us your best advice for either business or life (or both).
I am not a business minded person - all I want to do is be honest and integral to myself and my expression and experience; business is a sideline to this.
I feel the best thing I can do is tell my story, whether that be through pottery, art, astrology, writing, and hope that it connects with someone somewhere.
Lately I have been thinking a lot about connection and community and vulnerability, and in thinking of them, I hope to channel and bolster these themes in my work and life. I acknowledge things take time, so am working on patience and endurance in order to stay committed to my vision - this takes conscious reminding to stay the course.
Do you have a favourite plant, and if so, what is it and why?
I love love the scent of geranium - it is so nostalgic to me as it reminds me of my childhood, mother, and growing up on the coast. I also adore roses, David Austins are my favourites. I could live in the scent of rose. I can’t walk past a rose without cupping the petals and smelling them!
Do you have any dreams that you are wanting to bring forth in the near future?
I am studying a masters of Art Therapy currently, AND I am about to begin a course in herbalism! Very exciting! I am hoping to combine astrology, herbalism and art making to support people in navigating this human existence. I hope to build a community of my own that connects people.
I hope to continue to learn and deepen my ability to experience and share with others. I am not sure what these offerings look like, but feel them developing deep within. The rumble is growing louder as I bring all the threads of my practice together.
How can our community support your work?
If you are interested, say hello on Instagram and check out my website - I promise I will have creations and offerings available soon! Thank you for reading and connecting with me here!
Much love, Esther.
You can find Esther and see more of her work on Instagram, her Substack and via her website where you can also book an astrological reading or shop her ceramics.
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