Meet Hazy Mae | Cookie Jar Maker

We had the good fortune of connecting with Hazy Mae and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Hazy, why did you pursue a creative career?
One day a gift package was delivered to me, and when I opened it, I found a sweet boy bear Cookie Jar with a love letter inside it. I was instantly smitten- with the size, the character, the functionality- and I began collecting Cookie Jars from the 50’s and 60’s, and I ended up with almost a hundred of them.
Then one day, I decided I wanted to make my own characters, so I began sketching Cookie Jar design ideas, joined a ceramic studio, and that’s when Hazy Mae Cookie Jars began.

Now I offer a collection of historically, culturally, and imagination-inspired hand sculpted ceramic Cookie Jars and flower vases, which I call Hazy Vasies.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.

I hand sculpt each Cookie Jar or Vasie made to order. After the characters are sculpted, they dry and then are fired, glazed and then fired again. The entire process takes around 6 weeks.

The Cookie Jar characters are either from my imagination or based on iconic people who I’ve chosen, or who others encourage me to make- I often have people commission or suggest icons to make, and that’s really fun and inspiring. I do a lot of research on these iconic people because the designs aren’t portraits and they aren’t caricatures so I have to find what makes them who they are to me.

Having a business where the product is handmade ceramics has some challenges. The hardest part is the physicality of all of it, carrying the clay and the sculpted pieces back and forth between studios, and pieces not coming out right from the kiln, but life before making cookie jars was a lot harder. When I launched my cookie jar business it was like immediate joy, like I found the thing I was supposed to do. I feel so much better now, much much happier, like I’m really the best I can be, doing what I should be doing. When it does at times feel overwhelming, I’ll get a message or comment that makes me feel like what I’m doing is bringing joy to people, and that keeps me going the most, because that’s the most important thing to me.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
My favorite place to be in Atlanta is the shops at Buckhead Village District. I also always enjoy dinner at Tiny Lous at the Hotel Clermont. The Skyview Ferris Wheel at night is pretty amazing.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?

It would be impossible to list everyone. I love the people in my instagram community, and meeting people at markets like Atlanta Market, where Katrena Griggs, who owns Curated Home Brands, invited me to be a part of her space during the markets. Also located in Atlanta Don Purcell Jeweler, located in Buckhead. Bloomingdales and Saks Fifth Avenue, and all of the beautiful shops who carry my work have been essential to the success of Hazy Mae Cookie Jars.

Website: www.hazymae.com

Instagram: @hazy.mae

Image Credits
Weston Kloefkorn