Murals, Memory, and the Meaning of Home

In this episode, Lyssia sits down with Hollis Callas, a California-based illustrator, muralist, and designer, to explore how art, nature, memory, and personal expression can bring a space to life. Working across illustration, textiles, tile, interiors, and large-scale murals, Hollis creates art rooted in the natural world and in the small experiences that make a place feel meaningful. From flowers sketched on neighborhood walks to birds painted across the sides of buildings, her work asks what happens when the spaces around us begin to tell a story.

The conversation breaks down why so many homes today feel polished but strangely impersonal. Hollis explains how social media has made people increasingly concerned with whether they are decorating correctly, often replacing their own instincts with trends, references, and rooms that already exist online. They explore why so many spaces are beginning to look the same, what gets lost when we design for approval, and why a home feels more soulful when it contains evidence of the person actually living there.

Hollis also shares how murals can completely transform the experience of a place. She describes how an unexpected opportunity to paint her first mural led to projects inside homes, hospitality spaces, neighborhood bars, and across the exterior of a three-story building. They discuss why public art can create a stronger sense of care and identity within a neighborhood, how murals become landmarks people feel emotionally attached to, and how color and artwork can even encourage drivers to slow down and make a street feel safer.

The conversation also explores the relationship between art and permanence. Drawing from her background in ceramics and her award-winning tile collection with LiLi Tile, Hollis reflects on the objects and images humans have used to tell their stories for thousands of years. From ancient pottery and the mosaics of Pompeii to contemporary murals and decorative tile, they discuss how the things we place on our walls and floors can reveal what we valued, what brought us joy, and how we lived long after we are gone.

Hollis also explains why creativity often requires giving yourself permission to make something ugly. In a culture focused on productivity, perfection, and immediate results, she shares why experimentation can feel wasteful even when it is essential to the creative process. They discuss how constantly searching for inspiration online can quietly replace original thought, why some of the most successful ideas begin without a practical outcome in mind, and how making space to play can lead to work that would never emerge from trying to predict what other people will like.

Nature is another central part of the conversation. Hollis shares how growing up around gardens in Georgia and spending much of her life outdoors shaped the subjects, colors, and feelings within her work. She explains why observing plants, animals, and changing seasons can help us slow down, reconnect with our senses, and notice the small transformations happening around us every day. They also explore why bringing plants, natural imagery, and organic materials into a home can create a greater sense of calm, curiosity, and life.

Hollis offers practical advice for anyone struggling to make their home feel personal. Rather than beginning with what a room should look like, she suggests asking how you want it to make you feel. From there, color, artwork, objects, photographs, plants, and materials can be chosen based on the memories and emotions they carry. Whether it is a handmade mug collected while traveling, a photograph from a meaningful day, or a painting that simply makes you laugh, the most powerful pieces in a home are often the ones that could not belong to anyone else.

By the end of this episode, you may realize that your home does not need to look more perfect. It may need more evidence of your life: the places you have been, the things you have noticed, the people you love, and the stories you want your walls to keep telling.

More Room to Think:

Hollis Callas
Website: https://www.holliscallas.com/
Tile Collection: https://lilitile.com/collections/hollis-callas-cement-tiles

Room to Think
https://roomtothinkpodcast.com/

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Transcript

Permission To Make Ugly Art

Lyssia Katan 0:00

How do you give yourself permission and room to play?

Hollis Callas 0:03

Just make ugly things. Things start to look the same. With art, it creates life in a space.

Lyssia Katan 0:09

Do you think we've lost part of that? Like the desire to paint our favorite food on the wall? Like, is it just because we're scared of what people will think?

Hollis Callas 0:17

I feel like there's less storytelling about your life in your space and what brings you joy. And more like, am I doing this right? Okay, this needs to like look like this or I need to have a beige couch. I think people fall into a lot of that because of social media. You're definitely affected by it, whether you're thinking about it or not.

Lyssia Katan 0:32

A lot of people struggle to make their home feel soulful. What do you think is usually missing?

Hollis Callas 0:37

Oh, probably.

Lyssia Katan 0:40

What if the thing your home is missing isn't more stuff, but something that actually feels alive?

Meet Hollis Callis And Season Finale

Lyssia Katan 0:47

Welcome to Room to Think. Today I'm sitting down with Hollis Callis, a California-based illustrator, muralist, and designer whose work explores the connection between nature, emotion, and the spaces we live in. In this episode, Hollis shares how her childhood, surrounded by gardens and the outdoors, really shaped the way she creates art today. We talk about why nature has such a powerful effect on how a space feels. And we even get into how murals can transform a room, a home, or even a whole city street. Hollis also breaks down how to make your home feel more soulful. Things like why handmade objects carry a different kind of energy and why the most personal design choices often come from a memory or a feeling, not just a trend. By the end of this episode, you might realize your home doesn't need to be more perfect. It might just need a little more life. Let's get into it. If you're hearing this, it means you've made it to episode 30 of Room to Think, the finale of our very first season. We've talked about everything from light to color, memory to materials, even clutter and creativity. And all the strange, beautiful ways the spaces we live in shape who we are. When I started the show, I wasn't sure anyone would care about the psychology of a room the way I do. And then you showed up. So truly, from the bottom of my heart, I'd like to say thank you. Now, here's something I love about today's episode. We opened it this whole season with Adam Trest, an artist and designer who collaborates with Lily Tile. Today, we're closing the season with Hollis Callis, another one of the brilliant artists behind Lily Tile. So we're ending exactly where we began. It felt like the right way to close a chapter. And speaking of chapters, we've got so much lined up for season two. We're going to take a short break before we come back. So over the next few weeks, keep an eye on the feed. I'll be dropping some special recap episodes, just something to hold us over and get you ready for what's next. So settle in, enjoy this one, and I'll see you in season two. Hollis Callis, I am so excited to speak with you. Welcome to the show. Thank you so much. I'm happy to be here. Well, Hollis Callis is a California-based illustrator, muralist, and designer whose work explores the connection between nature, emotion, and the spaces we live in. Through murals, interiors, and even her collection with Lily Tile. She creates work that brings organic texture, warmth, and a sense of calm into everyday moments. Hollis, welcome to Room to Think. Oh, thank you. That was such a nice introduction. So I loved working with you. We've worked together on uh as you were designing your collection, your award-winning collection with Lily Tile, which it went on to get a builder's award, which is very exciting. And I'd love to talk about that. But before we get into your beautiful work and everything that everyone has seen you do through Lily Tile and through your murals, I want to start with what is it that you do and why do you do it?

Hollis Callas 3:44

Yeah, that's a loaded question. What do I do? Well, as you as you said, I'm an artist. My art comes in many different forms. So illustration, mostly, is like the majority of my work, which ends up on tiles, um, ends up on textiles, different, you know, wallpaper, print, different things. And I also have recently in the last couple of years started painting a bunch of murals um and kind of changing the spaces that we're we're living in. Um, but yeah, why do I do it? I've always I've always been drawn to art when I was a kid. I said, I remember in kindergarten I said I either wanted to be an artist or a veterinarian. And now I draw plants and animals. So I kind of like combined the two, minus med school expenses,

Growing Up With Gardens And Sketchbooks

Hollis Callas 4:24

all that kind of stuff. So I've always been drawn to art and um yeah, and and nature. So it's kind of that that perfect uh connection between the two is where I really focused my art.

Lyssia Katan 4:35

Yeah, something I noticed when we first started collaborating for the collection, your your tile collection, is you sent inspiration of your notebook and it was just drawings of flowers that you would go on a walk and just sketch a flower. Is this something you've done for your whole life?

Hollis Callas 4:52

Yeah, I think I've always, I mean, I guess when I was younger, it it was more um just observing nature and like, you know, constantly playing outside. I grew up in the south in Georgia and I like pretty much spent my entire childhood like in the red dirt or in a magnolia tree um playing outside. So I would say nature has always been a massive part of kind of my just like enjoyment and balance and and connection. Um so yes, I think I think it's always been a part. Uh the sketching, I think started later when I got older. Um, and now, like since I've lived in California for the last decade, I something is always in bloom. Um we don't, I'm in San Francisco, we don't have a lot of seasons, so which uh has its pros and cons, but something is always in bloom. But succulents are always going wild. So I think my practice of observation and and just taking in nature has really um changed since I lived out here.

Lyssia Katan 5:46

When did you realize that this is something that you wanted to do? Because you saw, like you said, you've been living in California for the past 10 years, but uh your work is so heavily influenced by nature. Were you inspired by an event in your life or a place, maybe?

Hollis Callas 6:03

I think I've always, you know, as I said, I've always been drawn to nature. My parents are huge gardeners. So I grew up with like a massive garden, always tomatoes and lettuce and turning over the, you know, the next crop in our in our uh garden in Atlanta. Um and so that was always a big part of it. And like being around conversations and my parents, you know, talking about the trees that they were going to plant and what, you know, just that conversation and and having it be a priority in my life has always been there. Um, my husband and I are super active and we're like hikers, campers, and and that's kind of like just my lifestyle. Um, so I, you know, as I started to draw more for myself over the years, um, I I just was drawn to capturing that beauty and and trying to kind of translate my own experiences in nature into something that can can hold a memory and and transfer it to someone else so maybe they can experience it. So that's kind of where it began um as I started to share my art more publicly over the years before I started kind of my art business. Um so yeah, yeah, that's kind of I guess the the beginnings of

First Murals And The Power Of Scale

Hollis Callas 7:11

it.

Lyssia Katan 7:11

And what made you decide that you want to start with you want to do murals? Because that is a huge undertaking. Did it start smaller and then it moved into something as large as murals?

Hollis Callas 7:23

Yeah, I never really thought I was gonna do murals. I um so I started my career as a designer. Actually, way back I started as an art teacher and then went back to school to study design. Um, I moved out to California for a three-month internship at a design firm. It was like my dream design firm. And I I moved out here um not knowing if I would get a job. I ended up getting a job and working there for years. And then I in 2020 ended up going out on my own. Um, and I started to share my illustration more and start people started to hire me for my illustration as well as my design. Um, and I had a design client, maybe in 2022, um, that I had done her whole branding, illustration to go along with their branding. They have a beautiful, like um high-end campground in Tennessee. And I had done all the all of the work for for the brand as they opened their their new campsite. And they had this big wall, and they were like, you know what? It would be great to have a mural. And I was like, why don't I, why don't I see if I could do a mural? And they were so trusting and wonderful. And they let me come paint a mural um, you know, on their big blank wall. And so that was the first one I did. And I was like, oh wow, this is amazing. I love, I love the impact of art and that scale, how it can completely change the experience of a space, the memories you make, the the feelings you get. And so I got really excited about doing murals and and it just kind of snowballed from there. I came back to California and um had a a a friend that also let me, she owned a bar, she owns a bar in my neighborhood, and she's like, why don't you paint the bathroom? I was like, okay, so I had a few people trusting me along the way for for projects. And then once I I I gained the trust, I started being hired for murals. So yeah, it was it was a really it's been a really fun journey with that, that was completely unexpected.

Lyssia Katan 9:16

As you were designing or or sketching out this mural for the space, at what point did you realize this is really gonna change the way a space feels? Was it after it was done or was it during as you're sketching it out?

Hollis Callas 9:28

Yeah, you know, with this particular project with the company's Romestead, if anyone wants a wonderful camping experience in Tennessee, shout out Romestead. They, yeah, shout out to Romestead. Um they just they have done such a good giant good job with interior design. They had, you know, we had done the brand colors, and then everything that they picked, just kind of all the cabins, their their lodge area really had such thoughtful approach. So I think when I was approaching the mural, I was considering that as kind of considering the elements, the brand elements, the colors, um, and knowing that that it could really kind of create a cohesion with the experience. So I think that's where the ideation started. And then, you know, obviously when you see it, you're like, oh wow, it does change the whole thing. But there was definitely a lot of thought that went into the choices we we decided to make for the final uh piece.

Lyssia Katan 10:20

We see how paint changes the space, but we also see how adding a painting on a wall changes space completely. You combine them where it's art on the wall, totally different story. Oh, yeah. You've since moved on to murals that are multi-story buildings. I want to hear more about that. What was that like?

Hollis Callas 10:38

Yeah, I had so I one of my clients um who's now actually become a dear friend. I think that's one of the the one of the funnest parts about my job is I've painted a lot of interiors and and homes, and you you're in their house. You're living in their house for a week plus, and you get to know the families, you get to know the people. It's it's a really it becomes an intimate experience. Um, and you're bringing loving art that you curated together to their home that they're gonna enjoy. So it's a really personal thing, and I I've really enjoyed it. So, anyways, one of my clients that has not become a dear friend, um he had to repaint his house, like his entire house. So he had scaffolding up this house. And he was like, you know what? I met him at a craft show. I was selling my textiles and different things, and he was like, I I want a mural on the outside of my house. And so the scaffolding was already set up, and we're like, all right, let's do it. So that was my first like large, you know, three-story uh we painted a big great blue heron on his on this house, and you can see it from the from the um street. And it's been a that was a really fun project to do, and it just changed. I mean, to be so bold, to be like, I'm gonna paint a big bird on my house, like not everybody takes that chance. So I was I felt very fortunate that I had um such a uh spontaneous connection with an art lover that wanted to to have my art forever on their

Murals That Change Streets And Safety

Hollis Callas 11:56

home.

Lyssia Katan 11:56

It's really special because your work gets to become part of the culture of the city. Like I lived in Philadelphia. I went to school in Philadelphia. Apparently, it's the mural capital of the world. Yes. Apparently. There's so much going on in Philly. Yeah. So much going on. And the murals in Philly just change the streets completely. Like it transforms a space beyond anything else, right? Nice buildings, architecture is one thing. But when you see this massive mural, you think, wow, someone really put some intention into this space. Do you feel that when you when you were doing that?

Hollis Callas 12:34

Yeah. And I feel like it, it just feels, you know, it's kind of like keeping your streets clean. Like it, it, it feels like people live there. It feels like people love the space. It feels like there's, you know, the human touch in a place mode, maybe you don't see someone else, you know. So there is this kind of care and um attention that it brings to a space, a neighborhood, a home. I painted a um like a street mural, so like a ground mural on the asphalt last year, um, with a fellow artist, Natalie Heard, who's an amazing muralist. Um, we collaborated on a street mural and and it was with SFMTA and slow streets and um street plans was like a whole collaboration between a lot of people trying to make the street safer. And statistically, when you see art and color, the cars slow down. So so that it was, it was not only bringing like a bunch of joy and vibrancy to the neighborhood, um, but also like it served a technical purpose of being like, okay, statistically, we want cars to slow down on this street. There's a lot of pedestrians, so let's do that. And we kind of they actually ended up um narrowing the street and making the curb a bit bigger so that we could have these big street murals so that it was, you know, more of an effort than just art. So the impact is kind of profound how it can not only extend to just like a feeling of, oh wow, this is a really fun place, to like it's a safer place. Um, so yeah, there's there's a a lot of impact that that has been pretty cool and and rewarding to be a part of.

Lyssia Katan 14:02

Yeah. I'm curious if that that translates over into crime rates because I know there was this a study they did. I can't quote it directly, but when they encouraged they were adding public parks to neighborhoods, the crime rate went down because people were actually engaging with the park and gardening and and it kind of became like a community space. Crime rates actually went down. Is there any research about art or nothing that you know of?

Hollis Callas 14:31

Yeah, I don't know. I would imagine. I mean, I I do think like, especially for parks, you know, just going back to the nature thing, like people need to feel grass, like people need to be connected to the earth and in some way for balance. You know, there are studies about that and um kind of like our nervous system regulation. And I do think that with art, you know, it just it it creates life in a space. So I do think like again, there's more care. It's like we we live here. Um, and and then when you see that people live there, there's a little bit more respect for a place. So yeah, I love I would love to think that crime rates go down.

Lyssia Katan 15:11

Yeah, right, making the world a safer place with art. And it also, at least the how I see it in Philly when I'm walking around and discovering new neighborhoods, it gives you a glimpse into the personalities and sense of humor of the people who live there. And that's really cool to see. Like you might be in the it might be in the middle of the day, you might not see any people walking around, but you see the art, you're like, okay, I get it. Or many times it tells a story about the history of that place and and how the people feel. And that's such a beautiful thing to be a part of.

Hollis Callas 15:44

Totally. Yeah. I I do a lot of like location-based illustrations and and it comes up in my roles as well. But yeah, just like, how do we capture the sense of place? And and so that when you look at that, you're like, oh, this is my neighborhood. Like I I recognize and I feel, you know, a connection to this, this art because I've also experienced that. Um, and that's a lot of my like San Francisco-based art. That's kind of my goal is to like just celebrate what a beautiful place this is and also help people connect to that feeling of of home and nostalgia and connection and care for where we live.

Lyssia Katan 16:18

Yeah, of course. And it becomes a landmark. Like I know in Philly there was the whale mural for the longest time that was a landmark. And and when they ended up doing construction, they had to take it down. Everyone was heartbroken. The fact that this whale mural was taken down, it's like you took down part of our city. So it's it's it's cool to that you are creating these landmarks.

Hollis Callas 16:38

Yes, definitely. People get upset when you try to take murals down. And and and to be fair, murals do need to be repainted over time. Um, but it is, yeah, like you get connected and and there's there's kind of this sense of of home and place um when you pass by something every day, you know. So this jarring to see it disappear.

Lyssia Katan 16:57

Yeah, I I live very close to Wynwood in Miami, and there are just murals going up and down all the time. And sometimes you, if you see a mural that you really love, you have to take a picture of it because you don't know next time you come by, it might be painted over, it might be completely changed. And that's just the beauty of the art.

Hollis Callas 17:16

Totally. I mean, art like it's it's ephemeral. I mean, you can paint it on a wall. I mean, there's a there's an extent, you know. Like I I actually really love the fact that some of these, hopefully these murals will last a long time and that people can enjoy them for years over years, you know, instead of something that you perhaps would end up tossing over time or something that's not built well that will fade, you know. So I do think there's something about the permanent perm, you know, semi-permanent nature of murals, but at the same time, like we're evolving. You have to keep your expression evolving. So let's let's keep painting new things.

Lyssia Katan 17:49

Yeah.

Designing Tile For Timelessness

Lyssia Katan 17:50

We're also semi-permanent at the end of the day. We're we're semi-permanent, you know, we're not gonna be here forever. So going into your collection with Lily Tile, starting off, did you ever think that you would design tile?

Hollis Callas 18:03

Um, no, I mean, I really wanted to. As a, you know, like as I had kind of when you when I started my illustration career, it's like it feels overwhelming. It's like, sky's the limit, what could my illustration live on? So many things. Um, but to actually have the tile collection happen was just so cool because I just love, again, the permanent nature of like walking into a space. You've chosen this art because it brings you some sort of feeling. Hopefully it's joy or peace or you know, serenity, and you get to see it every day. And it's it's kind of this um staple that that won't go away. And again, you know, less wasteful, something that isn't thrown away and the art can be cherished for a really long time. So that nature of the tiles was really was really special to me, and I was very excited. Um so yeah, I don't know that I I thought I would ever have a tile collection, but um it's it's yeah, it's been such a cool experience. And seeing it recognized and get an award, that was what was that like? That I I mean, shocking. I I didn't know about all these awards. I knew that you know they would apply to different different awards, but I'm like, whoa, this this is really an honor. This is so cool to have people vote and be like, this is you know an important product. Um, so yeah, that was really, really special. I was very surprised.

Lyssia Katan 19:27

Yeah. I mean, we were too, it's a beautiful collection. It's by far one of my favorites. So I wasn't that surprised, but it is cool to to win an award for your designs. Now, when you were designing something that was going to be more permanent, at least more than something hanging on your wall, was there something that you had to take into consideration in terms of longevity?

Hollis Callas 19:48

Yeah, in terms of like, yeah, like the design itself, you mean? Yeah, I think, you know, I actually don't um really follow a lot of trends when I'm making my art. I I kind of followed my intuition and again, my experiences like that I've collected in nature and want to share. So I think I just like was trusting my gut. You know, I I took some nods from from, you know, you guys in in terms of like, oh, brass is in, or like, you know, maybe some of the details that I wouldn't have thought of, um, which was really cool and added a lot to, you know, one of the specific tiles. But yeah, I I don't know that I um considered considered, you know, like a certain thing to to hope that it lasted. I think my goal would be, you know, to make it simple and bold enough um that it felt like it was timeless and something that wasn't gonna just, you know, next season you're not gonna enjoy it. Um and I do feel like, you know, the ode to the garden flowers, like we have been celebrating them through art and just like design forever, and they're never not gonna be beautiful. And so that was, you know, the subject matter I think kind of lint itself to being a very timeless piece.

Lyssia Katan 21:03

Yeah, of course. And the nature of these tiles. I mean, they exist in Europe and the palaces of Europe in the Middle East for so long, these generations and generations, and and still those patterns we see are repeated. People go back. It's like they call it um like grandma tiles because a lot of people grew up with these tiles in their grandmother's house, right? Even in Mexico or or it in in in most of Europe, really. So the fact that if those designs have been around for so long, just think about your designs, they'll be there for really generations.

Hollis Callas 21:39

Yeah, it's it's funny. I actually like going way back, I actually have a degree in ceramics from the University of Georgia. And I was a painting teacher for a couple years until I studied abroad in Italy and we were learning about the Etruscans and their pottery. And I just fell in love with the fact that you could find A little piece of ceramics, and you could learn like what these people ate, how they lived their life, what their ceremonies were like, you know, like the history was in this pottery. And so, like the stone nature of something that, you know, can carry on through generation and generation, and we can still see it. That was, I was just like blown away. I was like, I'm studying ceramics, I'm getting out of here. And so I ended up changing my major to ceramics. So I do feel like with the tile and the stories that we can tell and the permanent, you know, semi-permanent nature of um this art is something that I've always been fascinated with. So I'm very excited to participate in that. And hopefully, you know, in thousands of years, someone will find a piece of my tile and be like, what were they thinking?

Lyssia Katan 22:44

But it is, it's crazy. Like you said, like even so many, like I recently had the privilege to go to Pompeii. That is so cool. The fact that there are like mosaics on the floor where you can see the art and the way they adorn their homes. And this is hundreds of thousands of years ago, like so long ago, these beautiful pieces that we would have never known, like human preferences. That the fact that we've been adorning our homes for so long, we've been adorning the floors, the walls, the decor. Someone is gonna look at our homes today a thousand years ago, hopefully not with a you know, a volcano situation, um, but hopefully, hopefully by choice, not by circumstance. Um, and really admire and say, wow, these people really love nature. They love beauty, they love color. And it it encapsulates this time in humanity.

Hollis Callas 23:41

Totally. I I got to go to Pompeii a couple years ago and I had the same feeling of like, wow, like we have been trying to make our spaces just aesthetically pleasing forever and celebrate what's important to us. And and like I love how some of the, you know, you go into these old houses and like they decorate the sidewalk in front of their house. They're like, this is my vibe, you know, come into my house. And then the paintings of just like food, you know, they're like painting their favorite food on the wall. There's just so much the storytelling that's captured that then we get to kind of decipher and yeah, that would that is just like history frozen in time, literally. Um, it's fascinating. And yeah, that's exactly like why I think that I was drawn to, you know, the storytelling of art and how it can sustain through time and and kind of keep keep giving our our story even if we're long gone.

Have We Lost Personal Storytelling?

Lyssia Katan 24:33

Do you think we've lost part of that? Like the desire to paint our favorite food on the wall? Like, is it just because we're we're scared of what people will think, or maybe we have less time on our hands, or yeah, really less time on our hands because we have social media and we have other things to focus on and we're not just, you know, we don't have the time to paint. I don't know. Like, do you think we lost that?

Hollis Callas 24:56

Yeah, I think there's like a lot of um, feels like people have a lot of like, oh, am I doing this right? You know, like especially if you're like not necessarily super in touch with your creativity and you, but you still want to make your space, like there's a lot of like looking at other references and trends and things like that, maybe that um, you know, like things start to look the same. And I do feel like I love, like we try to collect, you know, little like if we can go and find local art from somewhere that we traveled, like we have a few different spots in the house to like celebrate those moments. And I feel like there's less storytelling about your life, you know, in your in your space and what brings you joy. Um, and more like, am I doing this right? Okay, this needs to like look like this, or I need to have a beige couch, or I need to, you know, like I think people fall into a lot of that because of social media, of like seeing how other people are doing things and being like, oh, well, that looks nice. That must mean, you know, that's how you do it. So yeah, like maybe there's less creative thinking in that and and that kind of, you know, our spaces suffer for that. Um, so maybe we hopefully we can change that. Express yourself, put up the, you know, put up the weird painting and you know, the things that bring you joy or or make you laugh, you know, it doesn't have to be so perfect. Um yeah.

Lyssia Katan 26:13

Yeah, it feels like that's exactly what you said. There's less creative thinking because when I I I know this, when I'm gonna make a ceramic piece, for example, I'll Google like, and I'm a very amateur ceramic pottery, very, very amateur. But when we're doing like a painting night with friends, we'll Google like um or Pinterest different designs or different styles or different air dry clay inspiration. And why are we doing that? Why are we looking for the, you know, the waffle tic-tac-toe? I don't know if you've seen that. It's like an air dry clay trend where you create like little waffles and there's little blueberries to be, you know, to play tic-tac-toe. It's cute. It's cute, but like, why aren't we using our own brains to creatively think of things instead of let me see what other people have done before and then try to replicate that rather than have an original piece that I came up with?

Hollis Callas 27:04

Yeah, I think that there's like, I mean, it goes way, I think it's so deep and deeply ingrained in our culture of just like productivity. Like, we don't give ourselves space. I and even me as an as a working artist, like giving yourself space to play and like not worry about the

Making Space To Play Without Results

Hollis Callas 27:20

outcome because a lot of those, you know, like the end result eventually will be something amazing, but the space to get there looks pretty ugly sometimes. And maybe it's not something that you're proud of, you know? And and I think that there's a lot of focus on the end result and things being instantaneous, um, just with how we're wired these days. So yeah, it is, you know, like, yeah, people probably aren't giving themselves enough creative space to play um and just make ugly things or or hang something somewhere and be like, paint a wall and be like, that didn't work. Uh you can always repaint. That's the thing.

Lyssia Katan 27:55

How do you give yourself permission and room to play?

Hollis Callas 28:00

That's such a good question. I've been focusing on that lately. I actually just got back like two weeks ago from a creative retreat for the first time. Um, and it was with Elizabeth Olwen. Shout out to Elizabeth Olwen. She has a creative uh retreat. She's also an artist. Um, it's called Art Sisters, and it was all women. And um we had a whole week of like an art studio that had all sorts of stuff. So you could paint, you could make jewelry, you could, you know, do textile stuff, anything. And and the the week was planned where we were doing some other like wellness stuff as well and fed really well and it was very nurturing. But I went in with the goal of like, you know, I have not given myself space to play in a really long time. And it was so refreshing. I made nothing that I would share with anyone except for one painting, but like, but I had such so much fun and I just like let my creativity kind of, you know, just lead me where it wanted to go. Um, and I think that's so important for working artists because we we often get dictated by deadlines and you know, things that clients want to see, and um, there's a lot of different factors kind of uh make not giving enough space to, you know, maybe just a little bit of that kind of exploration that might lead to something else. So, you know, currently I'm working through trying to balance that and and make sure that I have time and then it's not time that I look at as like, oh, I'm not doing something productive. I think that's the hardest thing is like filing that time as, you know, something that's actually important to your creative process as opposed to just like an extracurricular. Um, so yeah, I think that's a a mindset shift that I'm actually going through right now.

Lyssia Katan 29:44

It's it's a big mindset shift. The productivity and in our case and with tiles, will it sell? Will someone want this? And and that's something that I got to experience with the canine collection, which I designed just for fun, you know, these dog faces on tiles, right? It was something that, and this was years ago, it was something like, how crazy can we get? Can we put dog faces on tiles? And I wasn't thinking, will people want this in their house at all? I was just saying, this is cool. How creative can we get? And not in my wildest dreams did I ever imagine now, years later, people putting it in their dog baths or boutique hotels or vet clinics. Like in my mind, I never thought a vet clinic would want tiles with dog faces. And just this morning I got an email saying, and this is a consistent email that's been coming happening very often, we want doodles. Can you make doodles? We want cats. They ask for cats. And it's like that didn't come from a place of let me design this because people will buy it. It came from a place of, I think this will look cool and I don't really care if anyone likes it. Yeah.

Hollis Callas 30:50

Yeah, that's amazing. Yeah, and and that like had you had the doubt come in of like, well, no one's gonna buy this, and that's the worth of it, then it might not ever never have been created. So it is like, yeah, like the value factor of of having everything have to be, you know, evaluated through monetary, you know, value is like it it can hinder what actually comes out. So that's awesome.

Lyssia Katan 31:16

It can, it can, it can really um mute your creativity.

Hollis Callas 31:21

Yeah.

Lyssia Katan 31:22

So that's but that creative retreat sounds amazing. I'm sure it would be so much fun. It really was. All the art supplies, do whatever you want. So cool.

Hollis Callas 31:30

Yes, yeah, it truly was. It was it was a gift. I had been wanting to do one for a really long time, and finally the stars aligned, and it was, yeah, it was amazing.

Why We Crave Nature In Interiors

Lyssia Katan 31:39

So going into interiors, uh so many modern interiors today, they kind of feel disconnected from nature. And and you work with nature so so often. Why do you think people crave these natural textiles? Is it because we've just been exposed to it our whole lives or is there something else?

Hollis Callas 32:00

I mean, I think it's uh I think it's deeply primitive how much we need nature. Um you know, I think that there's there's lots of like studies about the nervous system and and like how like five, 10 minutes in nature can help you re, you know, regulate. Um and I think that, yeah, like personally for me, like when I look at the colors in nature, like I'm always surprised. And I'm like, how does that color even exist? Like there's just so many beautiful surprises and changes and and um things that fascinate me. And I I think that there's you know a constant curiosity there with with things always changing that connects to just like our human, you know, just just our humanness of like always wanting to kind of discover things. Um so yeah, I don't know. I think that that yeah, a lot of people are disconnected these days, but but I know that we need it. And and we also need to take care of it. So it's like we need to um want to care for it, you know. Um, so that's that's kind of a a disconnect in in society right now, unfortunately.

Lyssia Katan 33:11

Yeah, it's I've had that exact same thought looking at certain flowers. Um, I was in Seattle not too long ago, and their foliage is so different than what we get on the East Coast that I was admiring flower after flower, saying, How is this color natural? Like, is this a real flower? And and in my mind, it's like, no, for sure, somebody dyed it. But no, it's it's a wild flower that actually is fuchsia colored and it is exceptional. It's like someone painted it, and there's endless inspiration in nature. Like, is I mean, I want to hear where you're getting your inspiration from. Is that is that really what you're doing?

Hollis Callas 33:47

Yeah, I that's so funny you say that because when I I used to hate the color orange, and when I moved out to California, I saw a California poppy, which is like this bright orange, and I was so taken aback at like that color existing in nature, you know. I was like, this is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. I think I love orange. Um, but yeah, I I as I mentioned, like I do a lot of um hiking, mountain biking. I'm outside a lot. I would say that, you know, I probably have tens of thousands of pictures of plants and animals on my phone that I take for reference. Um, but uh a place here in the city, the botanical gardens, um, has been a massive like source of inspiration for me. It is, it's got all these different ecosystems, you know, plants from Australia, New Zealand, plants from temperate South Asia. There's just like so many different um things blooming and things to discover as the seasons change and it has become a really big source of inspiration for me. And I also teach workshops there where I teach people how to just observe and and do like field guide kind of like sketches and and kind of nature journaling that doesn't necessarily have to be about what type of plant this is, but more like how does this make me feel? How do I, you know, does it conjure up any memories? Um so just connecting to nature and in kind of like a visual, verbal sketchbook um is something that I've really enjoyed doing in the past couple of years.

Lyssia Katan 35:18

Very cool. What a cool concept, too. With with the world being so busy today, we often it's such a cliche, you know, stop and smell the roses. But really, we just walk past it. We're most of the time on our phone or or thinking of seven other things at the same time, and we don't stop to just admire these beautiful things, these beautiful flowers blooming in our path and and really finding inspiration in them.

Hollis Callas 35:42

Yeah, definitely. There's a big, like one of the workshops I do is about noticing nature, and there's a big like slowdown factor, and even just like connecting with your senses before you do anything, like you know, what do you smell? What do you hear? What do you see? And just like, you know, sitting with the plants um and and and just taking a minute, taking a beat, because I feel like we really don't do that enough.

Lyssia Katan 36:05

No, not at all. Not at all. What about trends? You said your work is not trend driven. How do you avoid getting pulled into those trends? Because they're everywhere.

Hollis Callas 36:15

I know, are they? I don't know if I see them. I don't look at a ton of okay, with different algorithms for sure. Yeah, yeah, definitely. I know I'm getting like whale videos. Um yeah, I don't know. I really don't um, you know, sometimes I'll look at like maybe color inspiration, but but uh again, like I'm getting a lot of my I I take a lot of photos and a lot of the palettes that I get are taken from those photos. So I do a lot of kind of like mining through my own memories um to create my work. Um and then, you know, like my experiences. So if if something happened, like I had a um a harbor seal jump on my kayak one time and and like you know, that memory, I wanted to like preserve it. So I drew that and and the bridge and like I puzzled together kind of like all the pieces of a memory kind of in a a pattern. Um, so yeah, I don't know that I pull a lot from from trends. I'm sure I'm affected like subconsciously, you know, but I I've been I've I've been more focused on kind of like capturing memories and and experiences and uh things that I'm curious about uh than what's going on in the world. Maybe I should look at the trends.

Lyssia Katan 37:36

No, I think you're doing it right. You're pulling inspiration from your own life and your own experiences and rather than someone else's. And that's actually even more special because it's something so unique to you. And a harbor seal jumping on your kayak, that's crazy. Who does that happen to?

Hollis Callas 37:52

I know it'll never happen again.

Lyssia Katan 37:53

It wasn't amazing.

Hollis Callas 37:55

Did it no? He just like jumps on and then jumps right off.

Lyssia Katan 38:00

Yeah, but they're heavy, aren't they? They're like a couple hundred pounds.

Hollis Callas 38:03

The the so sea lions are bigger, harbor seals are the smaller. I mean, they're still they're big, but they're it was a baby, so it was, you know, it wasn't like that big. Yeah. So cute. It was very sweet. I'm we're very lucky to have a lot of amazing nature experiences here in the bay. My husband and I kayak in the in the bay in the ocean, and um, there's always like we've seen whales and dolphins and all sorts of stuff. So I I do feel like I get a lot of inspiration from my home here in San Francisco.

Lyssia Katan 38:31

Absolutely.

How To Make A Home Soulful

Lyssia Katan 38:32

That's so cool. A lot of people struggle to make their home feel soulful. What do you think is usually missing when they're designing their home, they're maybe choosing tiles, they're planning art. What do you what what's the missing factor?

Hollis Callas 38:45

To make it feel more soulful. I think it's like pieces of you, you know, like like what even if that's like a color that you like, like just pieces of you. I think that that when you're just like buying art from wherever, you know, like IKEA, it's like a you know, grab and go. And and then what does that say to you? What does that make you feel like? You know, I'm not to say that you couldn't find somebody you connect with, but just, you know, I think that the pieces of people and um honestly photos too. Like having having pictures of of people and things that make you happy around you probably in my in my case, in my house, um, make it feel more soulful. Um, we just did like a massive wall of like tons of photos, which really like changed our space. And then another thing I will say personally, um having plants in my home. I have like probably 40-something plants, and there's just like life in there. Like they are growing and breathing, and you can see the changes. And I do think that having we have like a whole garden wall and and having that and you know, um different things that are feel alive in your house bring bring soul.

Lyssia Katan 40:00

I like the idea of of using your own photos because uh not too long ago I I went with a friend to go see some Highland cows because we we love we love animals. And the first thought I had when I looked at this Highland cow is oh my God, that looks like the home goods painting. And you know exactly which one I'm talking about, that like black and white home goods painting. And that's a crazy thought because I'm looking at this beautiful creature in nature and I'm thinking, oh my God, this looks like the commercial duplicate. And that's like I I never want to have that feeling again because I mean, I'll love the Home Goods and I love Home Goods, truly. But being able to use our own photos that are original as our art makes our space so more, uh so much more individual to us than just some commercialized copy of something that often we've never even seen.

Hollis Callas 40:57

Totally. And nowadays, like I feel like it's not that like mixed tiles. I don't know if you've ever used them, like there's not that expensive to print like a big, like if you wanted to, you know, you don't have to, it's not a huge monetary commitment to print something these days. And you can have your own picture of this magnificent Highland Cow, you know, and then it reminds you that experience and that feeling. Maybe this one was you, you know, you have a different memory with it.

Lyssia Katan 41:21

Yeah, but so many, so many times things have been so commercialized that we're like, oh, I definitely need this painting in my house when you know Home Goods has it at every single store. They have that same exact painting and guaranteed that if it's your own photo hanging up on your wall, no one's gonna have that photo. That exact same image is unique to you.

Hollis Callas 41:41

Yeah, definitely. Definitely.

Lyssia Katan 41:43

For someone listening who struggles to really find themselves in in their home, what what kind of advice

Designing By Feeling Not Trends

Lyssia Katan 41:52

would you give them? And and this is how, you know, how would you suggest they go about creating a space that's really theirs?

Hollis Callas 41:58

That's interesting. I actually kind of like had, I I kind of helped my um my brother-in-law and and sister-in-law with this like task, because they're both like they're they're super smart and um they are both really creative, but just like visually they were having trouble like figuring out like what colors, what rug, what you know. Um, and and so we kind of went through an exercise of like, well, what do you like to look at? Like, like how does a room how do you want a room to make you feel? Like we were talking specifically about the living room. And I was like, do you want it to feel calm? Do you want it to feel like energizing? Like when you get home, you you actually need a space that lifts you up, or do you want it to be like a serene space? So I think like it comes down to like the way you want a space to make you feel. And then asking yourself, like, what makes you feel that way? Like, what about color? Like, does blue make you feel calm? You know, does red make you feel buzzy and energized? Like, how how do you want to feel in your in your bedroom? Probably not buzzed, you know. So, like thinking about that. And then how asking yourself kind of like what makes you feel that way? And when you look at a bed spread or a pillow, like, oh, am I feeling like this has a lot of energy or am I feeling like this is calmer? So I think that's where I would start is kind of checking in with like how you use your space and and what recharges you or energizes you or or gives you certain feelings, you know, um, wherever you're whatever room you're in.

Lyssia Katan 43:31

Do you think that's something we overlook? Sometimes we don't even think about the feeling. I mean, it really is the basis of this entire podcast, but where you just say, Oh, that pillow looks nice there, that's fine. But we don't think about really how does it make you feel.

Hollis Callas 43:43

Yeah, totally. Yeah. I mean, I've seen a lot of like bedrooms painted bad colors, and you're like, Whoa, you sleep with that color next to you. So yeah, I'm sure people overlook it. But it's all about, you know, I think it is about checking in with yourself again. Um and that's also something that we don't Do very often these days. We're always finding ways to fill space. You know, like there's not a lot of downtime. Like if you're sitting waiting for something, you grab your phone and you're constantly exposed to things. So yeah, like what happens if you just sit and you check in in a room and you're like, okay, I need this to be a little brighter. Like I want my room to feel a little more energy, you know? And I know that, you know, maybe that's like not something that people would normally think of if you're not used to thinking about art and color and space, but um people you're definitely affected by it, whether you're thinking about it or not, you know. So it's I I think that yeah, starting to check in and ask yourself what what what do you what do you want to get out of of each room of your house can can hopefully start to reconnect to to what kind of decor and design you put into.

Lyssia Katan 44:50

And when it does come to the decor

Handmade Objects And Human Connection

Lyssia Katan 44:52

and design, you having worked with and studied ceramics, is there something that changes emotionally when someone brings home a handmade item rather than something that's mass-produced? Yes.

Hollis Callas 45:04

I have like a whole, I collect um handmade mugs from like, you know, wherever I have them all all the way back to like my studio mate in college. Like I have some of hers and I have, I just went to Portugal and brought one back. And and just, you know, I think that just going back to like my love for pottery and the storytelling in it, like I love to pick up a handmade object that I know where it came from and you know it's got its own little story, and then I can just like kind of have that in my home and and remind me of the places that I've been. And yeah, I think anytime there's something that's handmade, um, you're gonna just feel a better connection to it. Like it's just that human touch that that we we connect with as as humans. So yeah, handmade all the way.

Lyssia Katan 45:56

Yeah, I agree with you. It it just it just has more intention in it. It feels like a human has has touched this and has really put their love and care and attention to it. And they, even if they are addicted to social media, they put their phone down for half an hour to create this beautiful piece of work. Yeah, totally.

What’s Next And Final Takeaways

Lyssia Katan 46:19

Looking ahead, what are you, what are kinds of spaces that you're most interested in creating next? You've done murals, you've done textiles, you've done tiles. What's next?

Hollis Callas 46:29

Um, you know, I really I just did a really big mural for um like the hospitality space. It was in uh, it hasn't opened yet, but it's it's in a uh rooftop bar. And it was just, I just love being a part of kind of the initial phases of of thought towards like how a space is going to be. So this space, you know, I worked with an interior design firm and the space um, you know, I was able to see kind of the tiles they chose, the colors that they're they're working through and and the themes. And and once I had that, then I was able to like bounce off of that and create something very custom for them to reflect their their creative process. So I really have enjoyed doing work like that. And I would love to be in more, you know, hotels or or public spaces that people, that multiple people can enjoy. I love doing private homes and I've done, you know, several that, but but it's sad because I don't see them again. I I put it, you know, and like I I know that I know that they are very enjoyed by my clients and and and sometimes I'll even I have a very dear client that also has become a friend, and she will invite me over to like have coffee with the mural associate because I like pour my heart into it and then I don't see it again. So, you know, I would love to um do more work that that is changing public spaces or changing hospitality or bigger spaces that more people can enjoy um and be part of the creative process from the start with the um the the designers that are also making the space.

Lyssia Katan 48:01

That's not something you think about, but it's the same thing with our tiles, right? We have these beautiful tiles and and and someone will order this gorgeous, you know, maybe even custom color a pattern, and it'll go into their primary bath and we won't even get pictures most of the time. And it's crazy. Like, I want to see this beautiful, like even with the dog tiles, I got one blurry photo of the vet clinic. That's all I got, just in my dog tiles. And I don't have a pet, so I can't go find this vet clinic somewhere in in who knows where. So it's it's even in the back section where customers aren't even allowed. So, but the dogs are getting to see these tiles, and so I definitely feel like it is like, yeah, you want to see where it's at.

Hollis Callas 48:46

Like, I definitely with my tile collection, yeah. I I want to see what people are doing, like where where do these end up?

Lyssia Katan 48:53

Yeah, there's so many bathrooms and kitchen backsplashes with your tiles that you'll just never know, which is wild. A crazy comment. So whether they are in a public space or in a private space, what do you hope people feel years later when the they're still living with your work in their homes or in their at their favorite restaurant or down the street where wherever?

Hollis Callas 49:16

Yeah, I think like um, you know, I try again, like going back to like the timelessness of nature and kind of the storytelling that that is portrayed in in the art that I do. Um I hope that they can just, you know, connect with it. I hope that they can find that that it's still relevant in kind of what, you know, hopefully we still have plants on the planet in a hundred years. I sure hope so. So I hope that it's still something that you know they can connect with and and can spark a curiosity. Um I I really, you know, kind of like in my heart of hearts, I want my by by drawing nature, I want people to get curious about, you know, what kind of plant that is, or where is that that's so beautiful. I would love to see that and then want to care more, you know, want to do the little extra step and and actually try to, you know, take care of our n natural spaces more. Um, so yeah, I just hope that there's some sort of connection to um the earth that that I've captured in some way.

Lyssia Katan 50:21

I hope plants don't become a relic of the past.

Hollis Callas 50:26

I don't think we'll be here if if we don't have plants.

Lyssia Katan 50:29

So we definitely won't. We definitely won't. They really keep the world going round. So, what do you hope someone takes away from this conversation?

Hollis Callas 50:37

Oh, um besides for save the trees. Yeah, save the trees, obviously. Um, check in with yourself on how your spaces make you feel and like can you add a little nature in there if you want them to be calmer, you know, kind of balance your nervous system. Um and then yeah, anyone listening that wants to make some beautiful nature in your space, I'd love to help.

Lyssia Katan 51:01

And absolutely, and and and and your advice of finding that inspiration and nature and going outside is something that we all really need to listen to more often.

Hollis Callas 51:11

Oh, yeah. It's out there. I mean, you know, you're there's so many just like little moments that I think we miss. And I think that that's what's so cool about checking in with nature. Like even on your dog walk every day, you know, oh, that thing is blooming. The next day, oh, it's gone. Like the next day, oh, something else is happening. Oh, you know, so like just checking in. That's been like one of the funnest things about having, I have a little garden. We have a one-bedroom apartment, but in the backyard, I have a little garden that I've curated and I um I grew dahlias for the first time this year. And so you plant them in the spring and they're supposed to bloom kind of towards like August, and they came early this year. And I've just been every day checking. I'm like, oh, what's happening now? So just like this curiosity of like, you know, checking with the smaller things because it really grounds us, and and there's a lot of magic and miracles that are happening around us that we're too busy to notice.

Lyssia Katan 52:04

Yeah. You don't realize everything that's constantly moving around is we're so busy in our lives. They have their own little lives too, and they have little seeds sprouting all the time and flowers blooming. So that's that's really good advice. Hollis, this has been such a great conversation. I loved working with you. I love looking at your tiles and and uh I know that they really make an impact on people. Your art makes an impact on people. I love seeing what you're working on next. And I I really appreciate your your time and your your work and your wisdom.

Hollis Callas 52:36

Thank you so much for having me. Thanks for nerding out on nature with me.

Lyssia Katan 52:40

Thank you so much for spending this time with me on Room2think. If you enjoyed this episode, feel free to follow the show, subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who you think would really appreciate a more thoughtful approach to their space. You can find more Design Meets Psychology insights on social, in our community, and definitely in upcoming episodes so you can build a better life by design. Thanks again for listening. I'll see you next time.