COSMIC CONVERSATIONS W/ KIRBEE LAWLER

For this edition of Cosmic Conversations, I’m sitting down with artist Kirbee Lawler, who created the beautiful artwork for our three new ritual tea designs: Heart's Alchemy, Oracle and Witch's Garden. 

Kirbee and I first connected through my previous business, where I was drawn to her intricate vintage style artwork and jewellery pieces, I now consider little treasures of my own. We supported each other’s creations from afar before finally meeting in person during a Sydney market trip a couple of years ago.

When I finally decided to go ahead with our first CWS collaboration supporting real artists, I knew Kirbee was someone I dearly wanted to work with on this first project. We are both so happy with how they turned out and hope you love em!

Kirbee is a true ray of sunshine, warm, genuine, and impossible not to adore. So, let’s step into her world and take a closer look at what shapes her creativity and makes her so wonderfully unique. 

At what point did you realise you wanted to explore being an artist? Was there a pivotal moment that hooked you?

I was always the kid with a pencil in my hand, and just loved being able to bring things to life on paper. I have parents who encouraged me to be creative, so I think that helped too! I know it’s a cliché answer, but it kind of just always felt that I would do something creative as a career, and didn’t ever have a set idea of what that would be. I’ve just followed my heart and tried to find jobs that align creatively with me. I studied as a Graphic Designer, so that has definitely helped in broadening my skills to make being an artist a more viable career path!

You have a real vintage flair to your art — what first inspired you to draw and paint in this way?

I have always been enamoured by objects from the past. I think that things from times past were created with wonder in mind, and things in modern society have become so ordinary by design. Things are created now to have mass appeal and to be as resellable as possible to other people, and in the process I think we have lost ornament and objects that hold meaning.

I love thinking about all the hands an antique item has passed through, and the lives they have been a part of. So I try to bring this back through my work, because I think it’s important (and ok) to create something that you love, even if the person next to you doesn’t. It brings back personality to things, and I think it’s really important for our mental health to have nice objects around us. I am a trinket girlie at heart!

What is your signature scent or ultimate scent? And how does it make you feel?

I love a moody, woody scent, anything with notes of tobacco, sandalwood. A lot of my favourite perfumes are by Heretic. I love a perfume that smells like a campfire with subtle floral notes.

Some of my faves are Scandalwood, Coeur Noir, and Dirty Violet by Heretic, Velvet Haze by Byredo, and my favourite Cosmic Witch Society perfume is Midnight Grove.

These scents make me feel mysterious and a little bit powerful.

You’re a Sydney local — where are your fav witchy, spooky places to visit?

I love a wander through a cemetery, and my favourites are Rookwood Cemetery and Newtown Graveyard. There’s something so beautiful about an overgrown cemetery where nature is taking things back, and I love seeing all the beautiful headstones with their carvings.

If we peered behind the veil of your daily morning routine, what is one non-negotiable ritual that keeps your spirit grounded?

I think it’s really important to take some time in the morning to wake up properly and not rush around. I find it stressful to be rushing before the start of the day, so I really make sure to allow myself the time I need in the morning to get ready so I can step into the day grounded and not in a flurry.

Even if it means not lying around in bed for that extra 15 minutes or so, I hate leaving the house in a panic, and I feel like it sets me up for a stressful day.

What is your ultimate sensory pleasure or midnight indulgence?

I love an ocean swim. It’s something I find very relaxing and it helps me reset when I need it. I especially love a swim at night in the safety of an ocean pool.

Let’s play a round of Banish, Hex, or Draw In. If you look at your current life, environment, or the collective vibe right now, what are you completely clearing out, what are you mildly cursing, and what are you magnetically calling into your space?

I’m completely clearing out things that no longer serve me, whether that’s expectations I’ve put on myself or things I do because I feel like I should. I am definitely being really mindful of checking in with how I truly feel about things, and leaving behind situations and feelings that make me feel shit or get in the way of who or where I want to be.

I’m full on cursing the patriarchy and the systems that have kept women and minority groups oppressed for too long. I’m cursing capitalism and the way we as a society have collectively moved away from community to a more individualistic society.

I am calling in strong and powerful friendships, and I think it’s so important to have a community of people around you. When you can pour love into a community of people around you, it’s beneficial to everyone involved. Human connection is so important, and I think modern society has slowly been stripping us of that.

Connecting with other people is true happiness to me, and I’m being so conscious of spending less time on my phone and more time engaged with the people around me. Time is precious, and I want to spend it with the people who are precious to me.

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You can connect with Kirbee via her socials @kirbeelawler or www.kirbeelawler.com 

Shop her latest prints and jewellery. She also has the sweetest snail mail club.