| Hayden Youlley

Hayden Youlley

I studied a Bachelor of Design at COFA which gave me the opportunity to experiment with various design disciplines and introduced me to ceramics. Things really clicked for me as a designer when I found ceramics in second year because I felt like I’d found a medium that gave me the freedom to create in the moment and the ability to explore whole ideas from start to finish. The endless possibilities malleable clay offered to explore my ideas about of surface, scale and volume really sparked my interest. Once I started working with clay, I realised that it appealed not only to my fascination with materials and process but also to my sense of independence as a designer. It’s the only medium I have worked with that I can use to make a product by doing each step in the process myself - from designing and prototyping to realising and manufacturing. For me, the process of designing, prototyping and producing ceramics, both sculptural and functional, involves the right mix of instant satisfaction, challenge, surprise, problem solving and beauty to keep me interested in exploring all its possibilities. That’s the fanciest way I have found to say that it is a really fun and rewarding way to get your hands dirty and throw mud around all day.

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