Alicia loves her viral affirmation mugs for a sip of soulcare.
– KEYS SOULCARE
Somewhere on the Sunshine Coast of Australia, you’ll find lightworker Haifa Hamad shining at full wattage. As the creator of Made With Love Ceramics, the artist caught the eye of our Goddess-in-Chief with her collection of affirmational pottery. To empower people with reminders of who they are, Haifa imbues her high vibrational energy into each piece and then carves in uplifting “I AM” affirmations.
The lightworker recently chatted with Team Soulcare about the years of internal work and self-love behind every affirmation. Here’s our chat.
HOW DID YOU FIND YOUR WAY TO THE SUNSHINE COAST?
I’m originally from Germany, and I moved from Berlin to Australia six years ago. I lived in Melbourne — another big city. I had a beautiful time there, and it was aligned with who I was back then. In the last few years, I did a lot of work on myself and went more internally. Don’t get me wrong: I love people, but I do love my space, and I love quiet time. I love silence and where [my partner and I] live now. We just moved a bit more inland, and we are surrounded by the forest. We love where we live, and it’s so important to appreciate your home.
WHAT DID INTERNAL WORK LOOK LIKE FOR YOU?
I grew up in a family where women didn’t have much of a voice or many rights. [I was] fighting and lying my way out of that family just to create space. [In 2013,] I moved to Seattle for a year. That time was transformational for me. I asked myself the question almost every day: Who am I? Who is Haifa?
I love my family, but I moved to a different country: Away from my friends, away from everyone who thought they knew me, and got to know myself. When I came back, 95 percent of those friends weren’t there anymore, and I remember my mom said, “You’re so quiet. It feels like you’re still in America.” Thing is, I got very quiet when I came back because if I said something, it would clash. So I just stopped talking. Before that, I was like them. I was in those conversations because I didn’t wanna be seen, whereas now I [am] more ready to be seen, so I [don’t] get involved [to show] I [am] disagreeing.
WHEN DID YOU SETTLE INTO YOUR TRANSFORMATION?
During that time in Seattle, I understood I was not what I pretended to be for so many years. I didn’t know what spirituality was. I didn’t know anything about self-development. I came back to Germany and lived there for a few years. Then, I moved to Australia; that’s where the magic happened. But, again, the magic happened when I had the space from everyone in my past. I created a new version of myself. I had an identity death. I became this new person looking for the answer internally, not externally. I brought the power back to me. If I had a question, I asked myself.
Of course, I had friends [who] I talked and shared with, but no matter what they said, the answer always came from my gut [and]my intuition. My intuition is my strongest guide. And no matter what happens, what decision I have to make in life, it’s coming from there. Taking space from people, from things that I was familiar with for a very long time, where I believed or felt I couldn’t be me… that’s what shifted things for me. Looking inside myself brought the power back to me.
WHAT WAS THE CONSEQUENCE OF BEING MORE YOURSELF?
I got disowned by my family because I used my voice. I was silent. I was very close to my parents, and they loved me. I was known in the family as their favorite child, especially with my dad. I still deeply love them. I feel their love and I know they’re happy for me, but they’re as trapped as I was for so long in their own culture.
Five years ago, [I met my] partner, who doesn’t meet their criteria. I came out and posted on social media about my relationship. I knew I would be disowned, but it took me 28 years to be able to do that. I had to do a lot of work, especially the last three to four years, before I came out with my relationship. I had multiple relationships before that were all hidden. I couldn’t live like that. It didn’t make sense anymore to me to not be myself. It was just impossible. The universe was just telling me, “What are you doing?”
It’s been two years [since I got disowned], but to be honest, it’s the best thing that ever happened to me. I told my partner Brett, “I’ve never felt this feeling in my life.” A week later, I got clear on that: It’s the feeling of wholeness. I felt whole for the first time in my life.
WHAT’S YOUR CALLING IN LIFE?
I want to empower women to use their voices and know how powerful they are and what’s inside of us. We are such powerful beings and are so conditioned that we forget who we are. We were born enough. We were born worthy. We were born loved. It’s all within us. My work is there to remind people of who they are and that they have it all within themself. They just need to learn to let go of the layer that’s not them and return to this pure, beautiful raw diamond we are.
HOW DID POTTERY COME INTO PLAY?
I was doing [women’s empowerment] coaching work for myself. My partner and I lived in Melbourne, but we left because of the lockdown and everything. The energy there was not aligned anymore. We traveled in the van for three months up Australia’s coast before settling on Sunshine Coast. I never had the desire to do pottery, but when I moved to Sunshine Coast, I was drawn to do a class. I tried a pottery class in 2021, [and then]I did 25 to 30 classes within a few months. I started doing hand building at home, and within two to three months of having my hands on clay for the first time, I had my first market store with my products. The “I am” affirmation idea came to me in the middle of the night. It took off straight away.
WHY ARE CERAMICS PART OF YOUR SOULCARE PRACTICE?
Being connected to clay [connects me to] the earth. I’m so deeply connected with the clay; every piece is made with intention. I’m in my zone. I’m in a flow state, and this is how I really recharge my soul. I also don’t create if I’m not feeling in my heart fully.
WHAT WORD IS GUIDING YOUR YEAR?
My word for this year is trust. Trust life, the universe, and everything will come at the right time.
WHAT ARE YOU UNLEARNING?
I think safety. I have a picture of what safety looks like, and I’m doing a lot of work around what safety means and what safety is outside the external. I’m learning to come back to the inner safety within myself, [not the] safety that has to do with how much money you have or what house you have.
WHEN DO YOU FEEL MOST CONNECTED TO YOUR HIGHEST SELF?
When I’m in silence at the beach in nature. We have the most beautiful beaches here. I walk barefoot in the water and take a deep breath to come back to myself.
WHAT IS YOUR HIGHEST VISION FOR YOURSELF?
I know I’m living my purpose to leave an [impression] on this world, to make this world a better place with who I am. I want to make the world a more enjoyable place to be.
WHAT AFFIRMATION DO YOU ALWAYS COME BACK TO?
One that I love at the moment is I am free. I constantly remind myself of my freedom. Freedom is my highest value, not just for myself, but for everyone around me. I am free and unstoppable because, especially with the business going so well, I have to remind myself not to limit myself.
What affirmation do you have on repeat? Share your mantras in the comments!
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