Seyramics is a hand-made pottery brand started by ceramic artist Zara Albert, who creates one-of-a-kind ceramic pieces inspired by Seychelles flora and fauna. Zara was born and raised in Seychelles but lived and studied in California for 12 years. Upon returning home, age 24, Zara worked for several businesses, but now her small side hustle, ‘Seyramics’, has grown into her full-time occupation. Zara’s husband has fully supported her passion every step of the way. Together, they have a beautiful daughter, whom Zara sees as her biggest achievement in life.
Seyramics officially came to life mid-pandemic in 2020- a time when many were able to explore their creative passions. Zara had always been interested in art, but ceramics wasn’t something she’d tried out until a few years ago. It all began when she started taking pottery courses as a therapeutic means while overseas, which she says slowly grew into a passion. Zara took a break from work and decided that she wanted to pursue something creative for herself. Her business started by taking only custom orders – mugs and specific custom made items requested by her customers. Her creations are available online on made-to-order. Zara has also created her own line and is available in various retail outlets on Mahe. Seyramics pieces will soon be available at Concept Studio, Island Thyme, Duty-Free Seychelles and AQUA Boutique Hotel in Seychelles.
The business name ‘Seyramics’ came from Zara’s desire to keep her branding ‘simple, local and to the point.’
Zara considers herself an artist first and foremost, though, as her true passion is for creating ceramic art over the business side of things. Her studio is based at Machabee, Mahé, at her home.
The ideas for Zara’s useable artwork usually come when she’s surrounded with inspiration. The creative process starts with a lot of sketches. Then, it takes a lot of drawing and refinement of ideas to get to a final piece.
Seyramics pieces are only made with the best materials. Zara researches and tests all of the materials she imports to make sure she’s choosing the best ones. “With pottery, there are so many stages in the process at which something could go wrong, so it’s important to use high-quality materials, and it takes immense focus,” says Zara. It is for that reason why she feels overwhelming excitement and pride when she finishes a piece.
Zara admits that striking a perfect work balance can be still a challenge. ” I manage this by focussing on smaller orders so that I can have more family time.” However, she also has the flexibility of working around her daily life, as the nature of being a pottery maker means that she can choose her hours of work.
Zara hopes that one day, she will be able to set up classes in her studio, as she recognises that there is so much creative talent in Seychelles. “Still, the opportunities to learn pottery are incredibly limited,” observes Zara.
The future goals for Seyramics itself include releasing new pieces with new concepts by the end of the year. You can check out the Seyramics range on Instagram. Zara can also be contacted for custom designs, but she takes limited orders per month.
You win a beautiful piece crafted by Zara by entering the competition.
