Atelier Conversations brings together makers and designers who find beauty in imperfection and meaning in everyday rituals. Karolína Kučerová is a Czech-Slovak ceramic artist exploring the fine line between strength and fragility, form and emotion. Working primarily with porcelain and clay, she transforms everyday materials into quiet reflections of care, patience, and feminine balance. Her pieces often carry a spiritual stillness — objects that seem to hold breath within them.

There’s something almost meditative about the way Karolína Kučerová moves through life — slowly, intentionally, as if she herself were a work shaped from clay and glass.
Her days revolve around small rituals: journaling, meditating, washing her hair. Even that, she says, can become a form of art — a gentle act of renewal, of washing away the past to make space for what’s next.

If her current mood had a colour, it would be matte crystal glass — frosted, pale, soft to the touch.
A hint of blush pink, a texture like silk - delicate yet strong. That’s where her creative energy lives: between strength and vulnerability, discipline and intuition. Meditation has become part of her creative process, a way to quiet the noise and let new ideas flow in. “Digital detox and sleep,” she says. “It’s amazing what a good eight hours can do.”

“I’m embracing my feminine side - finding strength in qualities such as vulnerability and care.”

Her ideal Sunday begins in pyjamas, with espresso and buttered toast, followed by a moment of silence before the day unfolds.
Between Stockholm and Prague, between meditation and the studio, she looks for balance — a softness that still holds its shape.
To Karolína, creativity isn’t about producing; it’s about being. It’s about presence, patience, and listening to the quiet voice that says, “This is the right path — keep going.”

When was the last time something moved you so deeply that you felt — I have to turn this into creation?

At my new school, Konstfack in Stockholm, where I just started a two-year master’s programme in the CRAFT! Ceramics and Glass studio, there is a flamework station. I’ve been interested in learning this technique for a few years now. There are also many thin borosilicate glass tubes, and I’ve been wondering what I could do with them. I recently saw a photo of a friend wearing a crown made from wire, hot glue and seashells. I had an “AHA” moment to create a delicate glass crown from these thin rods. “What a wonderful idea!” I thought, and now I’m planning to make it. I also thought of my mother, who used to tell me, “Karolina, you’re a queen, don’t forget that.”

Which colour or texture would capture your current mood — and why?

Matte, crystal glass. Frosted, icy and subtle tones of grey to white. There is something beautiful and calming about it, soft in appearance and silky to the touch. I’ve decided to focus on glass for my master’s studies since there is both a hot shop and a flamework station. In terms of colour, a very light pink comes to mind. For texture, silk, like a soft buttery nightgown. I’m embracing my feminine side, finding strength in qualities such as vulnerability and care. My work also revolves around these themes, and I believe there is strength in this. We need more of that.

**What helps you reconnect with yourself when you lose direction in your creative process?**

Digital detox and sleep. Meditation. I often listen to guided meditations by Joe Dispenza, I try to every day. It has helped me a lot to create and manifest my reality. We have much more power than we think, and it starts with creativity. What do you want? What do you really want? Forget about the steps. I’m a dreamer and a goal setter. Sometimes I get creative ideas while meditating and have to write or draw them right away. I tend to get lost in the minuscule and mundane, so slowing down and meditating helps me reach a higher perspective. It’s also amazing what a good eight hours of sleep can do.
**What currently fascinates you in life, light, people, or details?**

I love to travel and live in different places. I’ve lived in the States for 22 years, Prague for 10, and have studied for a semester in Hong Kong, New York City, Jerusalem, Kyoto and Stockholm. It’s different from just visiting, because the time spent there lets you really feel the culture and the people. It’s always a bit of a challenge to settle in, but it’s so rewarding. I also love to study, this is my tenth year at university level, having completed two bachelor’s degrees, one in Fashion Merchandising in the States and another in Ceramics and Porcelain in Prague. I like connecting with and observing people. Maybe I’m a bit judgmental, probably because I’m so critical of myself. I’m working on that.

Do you have a place you return to when you need to feel creative energy again?

Yes, it’s a place inside that we all have, and I think we often forget how important it is. There’s no exact guide on how to connect, it looks different for everyone. When I meditate, I feel weightless and connected to an infinite energy within. It’s calming. Sometimes my mind wanders, but it’s like a muscle, you train it to connect. There’s so much creative spiritual work that can be done in this space. It takes imagination, you can talk to spiritual guides or create your own inner home, a safe haven with waterfalls and healing rituals. I used to think spirituality would just come to me, but I learned I had to create it myself, through imagination. That’s true magic.

What does your creative chaos look like, and how do you keep balance within it?

At the beginning of a project, it’s difficult to pinpoint what to do or which direction to take. I have so many ideas and no clear end goal. That’s where I am now in my master’s project, full of doubts, rational thoughts and creative impulses. Projects take time to develop, so I have to narrow my focus to start experimenting and find the way. That’s creative chaos for me: uncertainty, self-doubt and too many ideas. But it’s a natural part of the process. When I finish a project, I always think of what could be better, and only after some time do I start to appreciate it fully. Maybe that’s what keeps me motivated, to improve and keep creating.

If you could exhibit only one piece that would speak for everything you do — which one would it be?

That’s a difficult question, but I think it would be one of my glass pieces from the ESSENCE collection, probably the first pink one that resembles a blooming cherry blossom or cloud. It’s a beautiful light pink, very matte, evoking softness. Glass is delicate yet strong, and this duality fits who I am. It’s a recurring theme in my work, being emotionally vulnerable while maintaining strong boundaries. Being soft yet strong.

**What’s your favourite ritual that has nothing to do with creating?**

I love washing my hair and doing laundry. There’s something symbolic and magical about washing away the past, I feel so refreshed afterwards. I have very long hair, so it’s a bit of a ritual itself. My favourite shampoo took a long time to find: Carpathia Herbarium – Šampon na růst a lesk vlasů. I also like using natural cleaning products for cosmetics and detergents. One thing Stockholm doesn’t have is DM, I just packed my suitcase full of DM bio products on my last trip to Prague.

“Meditation has become part of my creative process. It’s where new ideas begin.”

What does it mean to you to be an artist in 2025?

Being an artist in 2025 means daring to live differently and realising your creativity. I once had a corporate office job and was miserable. I earned a good salary, I could have earned more if I had stayed, but I knew I wasn’t living up to my potential. It was a feeling I couldn’t ignore. I started ceramics in an evening course and followed my intuition from there. Learning to listen to intuition is a lifelong lesson, it’s usually right. Being an artist isn’t an easy or guaranteed path, but I believe in myself and my work. I know it’s going somewhere and I know I’m on my path. That’s exciting.

What does your ideal Sunday without work look like?

An ideal Sunday would start in my pyjamas, sipping multiple espressos after my daily two eggs and toast with plenty of butter and vitamins. I’d write a bit in my journal and do a 20-minute meditation. Maybe tidy up if I haven’t already. As a creative, it’s hard to separate school and work from life, it’s all part of my daily rhythm. Honestly, the perfect Sunday would still include a bit of studio time. Since I’ve been living in Stockholm for just a month, my lifestyle is still settling. I live about a 14-minute walk from school through a beautiful park.

Which film, book, or song is accompanying you right now?

I’m still waiting for it to arrive, but I’m excited to read the catalogue from the 1987 exhibition The Spiritual in Art: Abstract Painting 1890–1985 at LACMA, curated by Maurice Tuchman. Many great abstract artists such as Hilma af Klint, who explored metaphysical and esoteric themes, were presented in this context. Seeing spirituality in an institutional setting is fascinating. The curator mentioned that the exhibition only happened thanks to a few grants, otherwise it would have been hard to realise. I’m very excited to read it, as this subject deeply connects to my work.

Karolína Kučerová: Where Silence Finds Shape