Tracy Helber has only been selling mugs since the beginning of 2020 and I think the future is looking bright for THtikis. There are some amazing mugs out there being made, although these mugs look especially amazing, sometimes you really have to ask yourself, how do I actually drink out of this!?! Mugs from THtikis are made to do what you’re supposed to do with a tiki mug … Drink out of it! And the mugs have a really cool style that is truly unique.
What brought you into the ‘Tiki lifestyle” and how long has it been part of your life?
Tracy- As a child, my Grandfather would take me to the Kahiki in Columbus every year on my birthday and for special occasions. I always loved the tiki theme of the restaurant and it seemed like I was in a different part of the world when I walked through its doors.
Can you give a little history of how you became a tiki mug artist?
Tracy- I took ceramics in high school (1986) but didn’t do anything with ceramics until a couple years back. My mother had a kiln that she’d had since I was a kid and was no longer using it. I had been collecting tiki mugs for a few years and thought it would be cool to actually make a few mugs that I could say that I made completely by myself.
I started watching YouTube videos on all aspects of the process from how to sculpt a mug and make a plaster mold to pouring and glazing the mug. I also had to figure out how to properly fire the kiln. It took me about 6 months of trial and error before I had my first mug.
I was thrilled to have made a few mugs, but I wasn’t happy with the quality of those first few mugs. I wanted to make a mug that was solid as well as functional and safe to drink out of. A few of the mugs that I had collected had some form of “crazing” which is when the glaze doesn’t match the clay body of the mug and the glaze cracks. If a mug has crazing, the liquid put in the mug will get behind the glaze causing bacteria to grow. While I wanted my mugs to be nice to look at I also wanted them to be 100% functional. I kept repeating and refining my process and little by little the quality of the mugs kept getting better.
I’ve only been selling mugs since January 2020, but I’ve actually been making mugs for over three years. During those first years I was seeing what worked and what didn’t work. After about three years I got to where I was happy with the quality and consistency of my mugs and decided to try selling a few.
I got into making tiki mugs not to make money but because I have a love of tiki mugs and tiki mug collecting and I hope that shows when someone holds one of my mugs. I also wanted to find a way to put my own little stamp on the tiki world.
How would you describe your style?
Tracy- I don’t know if I have an actual style. I make mugs that speak to me and each design so far has been totally different. When I make mugs, I like to try to make each one a little different by adding custom mug carvings and experimenting with different glaze combinations and textures. I would get bored making 100 mugs of the exact same color. When I glaze mugs I literally have no idea what colors I am going to use until I sit down to start glazing. Sometimes I’m feeling like blue mugs, sometimes brown, sometimes red.
Who or what would be some of your influences?
Tracy- Tiki Rob and Van Tiki would probably be my biggest influences and watching videos of them working on mugs has been a huge help to me. I feel they are some of the finest tiki mug makers and I consider them the gold standard in quality which I’m constantly striving to match.
What is your favorite Tiki drink?
Tracy- Mai Tai hands down. There are so many rum combinations that can be used. I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of them.
Anything else you would like to add?
Tracy- The best part of this whole process is when someone contacts me and says they love their tiki mug or that it exceeded their expectations. The thought that I was able to make something that put a smile on someone’s face is irreplaceable.
Buy your own THtiki mug here
Follow HTtikis on Instagram