Feminist Ceramics with Under The Lotus
Meg Strong (aka Under the Lotus on Instagram) is a ceramic artist who works in Australia on Dharug and Gundangurra land.
Meg began pottery after searching for a creative outlet that would also allow her to be mindful. Meg was after “something that made it absolutely impossible for [me] to be ruminating on anything else”, and this search led her straight to ceramics.
Amazingly, Meg is a self-taught ceramist, largely learning her craft from YouTube; “I’m self-taught thanks to living in an age of technology”.
Meg’s ceramics are adorned with bold feminist slogans – phrases like “Riots Not Diets”, “Smash The Patriarchy” and “Mansplain Me Harder” are splashed across her mugs. Meg explains that by adding these slogans to functional pieces, she “injects ideas into everyday items”. Each piece is a labour of love, with a single mug taking two weeks to complete from start to finish, all crafted by hand.
The name of the small business is deeply symbolic for Meg. “The lotus grows in the murkiest muddy waters and rises above all of that to produce the most amazingly beautiful flower”. For Meg, the name is a metaphor for the feminist movement and her wider life. “I like to believe I’m in the flowering stage right now,” she says.
To everyone’s dismay but no-one’s surprise, being a vocal feminist on the internet has attracted trolls to Meg’s account. “As a loud woman on the internet, I have received what I hate to call ‘the usual’ threats”. Meg explains that most of this online abuse comes from misogynistic men who fundamentally misunderstand feminism – “I have received horrifically graphic threats of assault, death threats and others advising me how and what I should do to hurt myself” (this specific form of online abuse, trolling, is explored in detail in Laura Bates’ book ‘Men Who Hate Women’ – read our review of that book here).
Meg with one of her creations
Thankfully, the positive responses of Meg’s work far outweigh the negative. She states that she is fuelled by the gratitude for her work; “I have amazing women in my social media DMs who are so loving and supportive and feel so empowered by my work, I’ve teared up so many times! It makes me so emotional knowing that what I do impacts so many people.” Meg says that a customer simply purchasing a gift for a beloved friend or positively interacting with the business on social media “blows my mind and makes my heart burst”.
We ask Meg about a book that’s had a big impact on her, and her reply is a book she’s read cover-to-cover many times. “Women Who Run With The Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estes – I’ve had to buy so many copies because I keep lending it out and losing track!”
Meg explains that this work examines the archetype of the ‘Wild Woman’ and is an important read as it explores “how we have been trivialised and suppressed by the patriarchal systems in our society”. The work is an empowering one, reminding the reader of how (rather than being ‘lesser’ or ‘weak’ as the patriarchy may have us believe), women hold vital wisdom and creative power.
Meg is currently reading “Ten Steps to Nanette” by Hannah Gatsby, inspired to read this after watching ‘Nanette’ on Netflix. “Nanette was one of the most moving pieces I’ve ever seen and just made me want to know more! Her quote ‘there is nothing stronger than a broken woman who has rebuilt herself’ gives me chills every time.”
Meg’s goals for the future are to continue to improve her art and raise awareness about why feminism is still required in today’s society. You can support Meg by checking out her online shop by clicking here and following Under The Lotus on Instagram.
All photographs supplied by Meg Strong.
