When you type in Joy Smithers' name into Google, you'll come across an extensive catalogue of her music, acting and modelling success – just don't expect to see her latest project attributed to her name. Now focusing her creative energy on creating ceramic works, that is just the way Smithers likes it.
After starting MUD ceramics with business partner Shelley Simpson in 1994, the ceramists decided in 2000 to leave the company, "which was heading in a creative direction she no longer felt a part of".
But the 53-year-old could not keep her true passion at bay. While the star was focused on her three children as a sole parent and her acting career, the deeply cathartic process of working with clay, a creative outlet she held close from her teen years lead to the star's launch of Batch# Ceramics in 2013.
"After such a hefty period I decided to step and look at what drives me," said the actress.
"I love acting but this was a process of sitting down and thinking to myself, what makes me happy? What passion drives me to get up in the morning? And for me that is ceramics, it is a passion I have held true since my teenage years."
With her focuses predominantly on building the #Batch brand on creative merits, the actress who found fame on shows including Home and Away, All Saints and most recently in Mad Max: Fury Road finds celebrities using their name to promote products distasteful, with the star focusing on her passion rather than extending her name.
"I'm often repulsed by celebrities that use products merely for their self-promotion rather than creating material they are passionate about," said Smithers.
"For me labelling my brand 'Joy Smithers Ceramics' or using my face to sell the brand would be a bastardisation of something that has been so spiritual for me since I was 13. They're my babies, a creative progression that has allowed me to create unique pieces that reflect a part of me, but aren't all about me."
She continued, "I don't want people say, oh that the lady that was on TV, I mean I am still doing voice overs for the ABC and other projects but they are separate from this project. I am not very good with self-promotion, it is all about word of mouth and developing strong relationships, which seems to be working for me."
The ceramists has noticed after the various trade shows she attended, that other companies that rip off her designs, or "have a red-hot go of changing them slightly to make them seem as though it was their own".
This is one of the reasons Smithers has ensured her pieces have character, with drips and shapes that are not completely consistent and work alongside the elements, something that "grounds" her. The ceramist has adopted a highly intensive labour process and teaches all her staff to harness environmental elements, particularly the sunshine that beams through her studio – something she believes differentiates her work.
And it is this attitude to her art form that has earned her collaborations with some of Australia's most influential restaurants, including Rockpool and Paddington's newly established To Kill a Mockingbird.
Creating unique pieces has always driven Smithers, who started learning ceramics at 13 years old after her mother insisted she completed art at school. And her ceramic passion has never been about competing but rather bettering her creative process and herself as a person.
"Mum insisted I joined an art class at school but having always entranced by formations I walked into my school's pottery room instead. My teacher who instilled the foundational skills in me, stirred passion that would leave me mad about ceramics," she said,
"I have always been about furthering my education in design and I was offered a position at the National Art school but didn't get to pursue this opportunity because I was offered modelling and acting work in LA. I still set up a studio in LA, for me the process of ceramics was and still is my relaxing and therapeutic vice, you need to stop and be in the moment other the stress translates into the work."
She also added: "People usually get crushes on other people but I get crushes on artists' work. I will do a masterclass of anyone I admire, even if their style is not something I am completely interested in pursuing for me it is about wanting to be better and being around people the spur inspiration."
And it is something that Smithers has begun to instil in her children. All focusing on creative pursuits, the actress has now encouraged them all to follow their artistic passions.
"Sasha, Orlando and Phoebe have all loved singing and acting from a young age," she said.
"Sasha is currently in her second year at WAAPA and has studied graphic design before. I found it strange because she never did art at school, but all three kids have grown up in my studios with clay in their hands. With art it is always a part of you, it is like someone with orange hair trying to dye it black, the orange will always come through."
When speaking to the ceramists, she seems anything but 'selfish' but that is what she labels herself when discussing the products being created to suit her lifestyle and "small home".
"I design pieces that are multi-functional and adapt to small spaces, so perhaps that makes me selfish. I have a tiny table and three kids making it often expensive to go out. And with guests always popping around, these pieces bring functionality and simplicity, something I think people have related to."
Smithers now uses her Botany Bay studio as a hub for other ceramists to pursue their dreams.
"I want to encourage other ceramists, especially younger ones and my studio has become a launching pad for this. Often these artists have exceptional skills, but can not set up spaces in their own homes or do not have the tools required to create their works. My space allows them to do this."
Being part of a collective of like-minded artists is something that Smithers is very passionate about, and stressing the lack of government support, fostering new talents has all become part of the project.
"It is important that we celebrate artisan work and foster the work of up and coming artists and actors, the government is cutting rather than encouraging passionate individuals who enrich Australia's creative industries.
"This is why I feel humbled to be part of a new project like Fairfax's The Store. To me it has a philanthropic drive that has been created out of encouraging people to pursue what they love, it is all about showcasing artisan work without promoting well-known names. It is all out of the love of the art and curating like-minded creatives, I makes me feel as though I am on the right track and part of a collective group that wants to keep Australia's creative industries alive."
Joy Smithers' #Batch are included as part of curated products available on The Store.