We absolutely love seeing artists in their natural habitats — whether at the canvas, in the recording studio, or at the wheel. We asked beloved L.A. artisan, Lucy Michel to let us into her ceramics studio as part of our In The Studio series for a glimpse at how she works and what’s inspiring her lately.

Lucy is perhaps best well-known for her Loop vases and speckled mugs, but, personally, we’re obsessed with her  elegant, yet practical ceramic snack bowls. Join along and get inspired as we visit Lucy in studio. Want more artisan inspo? Explore the full series here.

Name: Lucy Michel 

My work in 3 words: Organic, Californian, Useful 

My favorite current project is:Lighting — coming soon. 

coffee,tea, water or juice? All of the above. I’ve always been a multi-beverage person. I have coffee the second my eyes open, water all day long, kombucha, and peppermint tea in the evenings — all in Lucy Michel mugs and cups, of course.

Latest inspirations: Vintage West Coast Pottery and Alice Waters

To get the creative juices flowing I… just start working. I’ve found, for my creative process, it helps me to just start. I treat ceramics like a practice. It’s very meditative for me, when I just start throwing, ideas will start to flow through me. 

Daily necessity in the studio: Airpods, workwear, Osea Hand Cream, and some sort of salty snack in one of my snack bowls. 

Soundtrack in the studio is usually… Music when throwing, Podcasts when trimming and glazing. 

Current faves: Podcasts: Endless Honeymoon Podcast, The Deep Dive, Bitch Sesh, The Sarah Silverman Podcast, WTF with Marc Maron, and Smartless.   

Tunes: Phoebe Bridgers, REM, Lil Nas X, and Joni Mitchell.

Other artists inspiring me right now: The painter Alec Egan, the floral company Pretend Plants and Flowers, and Multi Media artist Yassi Mazandi.

I was first inspired to become an artist when… I first discovered photography around the age of 12. I studied photography for years, even graduated from Parsons with a BFA in it. At this point, I’ve changed my medium to pottery, but I still love taking pictures. For my birthday this year my husband got me a new (old) 35mm camera so I can start taking pictures again. 

When I’m not in the studio I am usually…Hanging with my husband and our almost 2 year old son, Levi. 

Favorite objects/tools in the studio: I really love this company called Garrity Tools. The tools themselves are art. 

Favorite art gallery / installation / museum lately?

Art Gallery:  Blum & Poe
Museum: LACMA / The MET
Installation: Any of Richard Serra’s sculptural installations

Currently reading: Circe by Madeline Miller

Best way to order: Check out retailers like Midland and General Store here in L.A. I usually announce product drops on Instagram for all available pieces and some pieces are available for pre-order.

Get more insights from artisans we love in our In the Studio Series here.