a chinwag with the artist behind these whimsical hand-crafted ceramics

Step into the delicate whimsy of Not Core’s – aka Grace, aka Gici – ceramics. The Melbourne/Naarm-based artist experiments with clay as a canvas to dream up worlds straight from her imagination, memory and wanderings around her neighbourhood. We got chit-chatting with Gici to find out about how she brings these handmade goodies to life.Hi Gici! Tell us about you and your creative practice. Hey! My name is Grace, but Gici (pronounced G-C) has been a nickname that I found I really identify with – I am a full-time artist working in Naarm. I went full-time with my artwork in March 2025 after leaving my previous job. I loved that job very much so it was actually a much more difficult decision than I had ever anticipated choosing a career in the arts would be! (I taught people how to stand on and drive the oldest roller coaster in the world – I have been pretty lucky).

I knew that when I went full-time with my art that I would need to keep an eye on my priorities if I wanted it to be sustainable and fulfilling for me, which is why all of my illustrated pieces are very strictly one of a kind! When it is time to illustrate a mug (or something else), I put whatever I feel in the moment on its surface – I never have to repeat a design over and over again, and I can really let myself indulge in my feelings on the day. A lot of the motifs I end up using are things that I have observed on walks in my neighbourhood, nature and animals that I have seen while travelling in other countries, symbols I remember being in my environment from my memories. I write poems on mugs; I make apple jars if I have been thinking about the apples I had at breakfast. Freedom to create and put pieces of myself into my art is a privilege I am so grateful for, and it is integral to my creative practice.Where did the name Not Core come from? I created a social media account to share my artwork with the people that I was studying with back in 2020, a time when it was very common to describe our personal aesthetics as “something” core (cottage-core, for example). I didn't identify with one specific subculture in the arts and so naturally Not Core was born.

How did you get into hand-making ceramics? Growing up, I was constantly drawing and painting – it was pretty much all realism portraiture of my favourite scenes from movies and TV shows. I ended up studying Visual Arts in 2020 which is where I tried sculpture for the first time. We didn't do anything with clay but that class made me realise how much I valued 3D storytelling. In 2022 I tried pottery as I was looking for a new canvas for my existing artwork, and I found that the freedom in shape, the possibilities with colours and glaze, and the functionality all aligned so perfectly with my own values in how I create art.

I started making ceramics on my pottery wheel, but I came to realise that I much prefer the appearance of hand building as a surface for my illustrations – the slightly warbled surface and the faint memory of my finger marks on the clay. Not only does it make the surface appear more comparable to paper or canvas, but I think it has become an important part of my storytelling, a subtlety in texture that reminds the owner of the origin of their mug.Where do you gather inspiration for the beautiful illustrations that adorn your ceramics? Being outside in my environment, observing nature and people while allowing myself to come up with stories and poems. I really try to never overthink a composition – I use my ceramics almost like a visual diary and I never fully know what the story behind an illustration is until the ceramic is finished. There have been many times when I will see a memory from my life in a finished ceramic without having realised that is what I was depicting while illustrating it!

Do you prefer making the ceramics or illustrating them? I love working with clay, and I get so much joy out of all of the little things within the pinching process (making the most comfortable handles is something I am extremely passionate about!). However, my ceramics journey wouldn’t exist if it weren't for the itch to illustrate on a different surface. I love the act of both parts, but for me at this point in time the making of the ceramics is simple what allows me to illustrate them.What’s the best thing about running your own ceramics biz? And the worst? There are so, so many best things! I love that I get to share myself and my thoughts with people in such a functional and relatable way, I love having the freedom to try new things, and I love spending so much time with my very clingy cats. The worst part is very predictably the uncertainty that comes with being self-employed – the cost-of-living crisis is very real and I sometimes feel a bit silly for showing off my artwork to people when I know we are all seeing and experiencing some pretty horrific things. I feel so grateful that at this stage, despite everything, the positives overwhelmingly outweigh the negatives (my clingy cats are grateful too!).Do you listen to music while you work? Of course! I am usually rotating between long YouTube videos about films and books, audiobooks, and listening to my obnoxiously long and constantly changing playlists. You can very reliably expect to hear Fleetwood Mac, INXS, all of Boy Genius, Michael Jackson, Billie Eilish, Dev Lemons, One Direction, The 1975 and Billy Joel, but Phoebe Bridgers’ Lost Weekend has absolutely been my album of the year!

Where can we see more of your work? @not_core on Instagram, @not_core on TikTok, and notcore.co for my website! :)

For more rad crafty chats, have a squiz at our chinwag with artist Amanda Jones or check out our chat with snail mail artist Brandi Salmon. Plus, sign up to our newsletter for more goodness.