Julie Solberg Berntsen

Art direction and ceramics

Full-time art director and part-time ceramicist, Julie Solberg Berntsen has no problem filling her schedule. From her workshop, she creates beautiful pieces of art and designs practical everyday items, intended to be used and loved daily.

Born into a creative family, Julie Solberg Berntsen grew up surrounded by arts and handicrafts. Her mother shared her love of crafts and her grandmother taught her different knitting techniques—and, from an early age, Julie attended a hobby club where she learned various skills herself. “I was an only child until the age of eight, so I would entertain myself by making things,” she tells Localfolk. It was on a trip to Tallinn with her mother that Julie discovered what would later become her life passion: ceramics.

“I was interested in ceramics before the trip, but seeing these beautiful creations made by one woman in Tallinn really awoke my passion.”

Julie decided to study Art Direction at Westerdals School of Art in Oslo and quickly realised that this education provided a solid foundation for several possible career paths. In the end, she chose to pursue event management and now works as an art director. But, looking for a source of relaxation and a way to recharge after her busy workday, she finally took up ceramics in 2018.

“Sometimes I have to fulfil a specific order, but other times I find it’s best to just let randomness rule—and to follow the different properties of different batches of clay.”

While Julie had initially thought of signing up for a ceramics course, no classes were available at the time—so she decided to dive right in on her own. She quickly realised that ceramics was a lot more difficult than it looked at first glance. Yet, despite the challenging start, Julie was determined to succeed, and so she rented a space in a shared workshop, where she picked up tips and tricks from other artists.

“My advice to anyone thinking of starting with ceramics? Go for it—but keep your expectations low in the beginning!”

Over time, Julie mastered different techniques and gained the confidence to exhibit her work online. She discovered that people loved her pieces—and she started receiving orders from friends and strangers alike. Instagram remains one of Julie’s main sales channels, and she’s currently putting the finishing touches on a new website which launched now in November.

Julie draws inspiration from other ceramicists on Instagram and tries to incorporate some of their ideas into her own work, but often she ends up making things without a plan. “Sometimes I have to fulfil a specific order, but other times I find it’s best to just let randomness rule—and to follow the different properties of different batches of clay.”

Decorative items with a practical purpose are Julie’s favourite things to create, such as plates, cups and saucers. “It’s much easier to make individual items, however, than a set of four plates that should look roughly the same,” she laughs. Her head is constantly spinning with new ideas for items and projects, and she has yet to run into a creative block.

Julie shares that she’s in a good place right now and doesn’t have any big career plans for the future. She feels that her high-paced job as an art director pairs well with her independent work as a ceramicist. “Sometimes I feel a bit of pressure to produce orders quickly, but I know it is entirely self-made pressure. People are generally happy to wait for as long it takes to complete an order.” For now, she’s just happy getting better every day.

Instagram / @julie_solberg juliesolberg.no