Planting the Dream and Watching it Grow | Julia Kofman

Julia Kofman | Episode 535

Julia Kofman is a full time ceramic artist. Julia works in her home studio in Ramat Gan in Israel. Julia was born in Moscow, and in 2018 she moved to Israel with her husband and children. Julia is selling her works twice a week in Nachlat Binyamin Artists Fair of Tel Aviv, which is a famous street market of handmade, supported by municipality of Tel Aviv.

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Do you find creativity is different from culture to culture?

It is an interesting question. I don’t think so. It seems to me that it depends on the person not on nationality. Here in Israel I met one fabulous potter. He is Russian but he has been living in Israel for many years and his works are great I would say, and it is not with some national characteristic. I don’t know. Maybe I didn’t understand the question but it seems to me it depends on the person.

Did you see your work change when you moved from Russia to Israel?

No, I don’t think it has changed, maybe I am working more here because I am selling a lot and when you are repeating the same things everyday you are getting better.

Do you ever get tired of making the same thing again and again?

This is a good question also. Some times when you have some problems and you are thinking about problems then when you don’t have those problems then you are starting to think, Okay, I don’t like my life doing everyday the same things. I don’t want to do this. I want to do other things. I am trying to stop myself and not to think about this because actually I am living in a warm country and I am drawing on ceramic pieces that I make and it is wonderful. I hope I will have a lot of time in my life and I will do something different but now it is a period where I am doing the same. When I am bored I can do something, I don’t know. I can draw another dog, another girl, another tree. I am doing this and I can see something new in this tree. Sometimes I do vases and some big things but it is not every day, yes, but if I want, I can.

How much does the customers response direct what you are going to make?

I don’t understand the question.

Do you find you make specifically because a piece sells?

Actually, I did this design and I liked it and people also liked it and I started to develop it and okay I can see that many people, they like to buy something small because they are tourists and they are buying presents for their friends, family and so on. So I know that I have to do a lot of small things. So if I sold all my espresso cups then I will do espresso cups. I will not do something that I do not want to do.