Shiloh Blondel is the heart and soul behind creative workshop concept, Au Revoir Shiloh.
After a decade of juggling work, study and a creative business, Shiloh found herself struggling. Completely burnt out and feeling a disconnect between her body and mind, she packed her bags and travelled to Albany for a much-needed break. It was here, at a beautiful artist-run ceramic studio, that pottery found her.
Since wedging her first lump of clay, pottery became the catalyst that helped Shiloh to rediscover a sense of mindfulness and form lifelong friendships with people in her local community. Inspired by this experience, she took her birth name Shiloh – meaning a place of peace and tranquillity – and used it as the foundational concept for her own creative community.
Now offering a range of workshops that encourage mindful making over a glass of bubbles, Au Revoir Shiloh is founded on the belief that art is best when shared.
The first thing I ever made…
Was a noodle bowl! And I took about two days to make it because I was enjoying the process so much that I didn’t want it to end.
I’m on a mission to...
Promote good by peace and tranquillity. Our philosophy at Au Revoir Shiloh is that creativity and community are our superpowers. Community is the foundation that supports us, nourishes us, and offers us unconditional love. Through the creation of this business, I have been about to continue to expand this community, using creativity as a vehicle.
When I’m working with clay, I...
Am forced to surrender to the creative process. Pottery can’t be rushed or created from a “thinking” place. Working with clay is expansive and not bound by time and it always feels a little mystical to me!
Teaching others has taught me…
That we are all creative beings; we all have our own process and style, and our personalities are always reflected in our approach and end product! I love watching the same set of instructions manifest with such incredible diversity. My student’s pieces are always so different. You wouldn’t believe that we had all been in the same class!
Christmas smells like…
Oh! To me, Christmas smells like burnt orange and cinnamon! I used to live in North America, so I think I took a fair bit of festive inspiration from my time there and brought it back to Australia. Each festive season, I dehydrate hundreds of orange slices to use to decorate candles, garnish drinks, put on packaging and finish festive grazing boards.
When I’m gift wrapping products for the festive retail period, I also include cinnamon sticks wherever they can be attached. I’ve also taken to making alcoholic eggnog on Christmas Day, complete with a cinnamon stick and blood orange garnish. My partner always comments on how crazy it gets with the production line in our space in the lead-up because I begin to bring work home from my studio from the first day of December. But I just love it! Citrus and spice always smell like Christmas to me.
This year I’m grateful for...
My incredible partner who has been my rock. My beautiful friends, family, and the community I have been so fortunate to cultivate through my creative business. I couldn’t do life without them.
