A Day in the Life with New York-based Pottery Superstar Helen Levi
Photos by Joel Barhamand
See how this in-demand artisan moves through a typical 24 hours.
Since moving her eponymous studio from Brooklyn to Ridgewood, Queens, last year, potter Helen Levi has managed to stick to her schedule while introducing more regular monthly open studio days—which began earlier this month. The New York-born creative began her career in 2013 after a chance meeting with fashion designer Steven Grossman, at one of his Steven Alan pop-up events in Manhattan. After seeing some of Levi’s pieces, the designer placed an order and put Levi in a position to focus full-time on her passion. Since then, she’s collaborated with creatives like Diane von Furstenberg companies like Subaru, and her work is now sitting pretty in Lyric’s loft at 70 Pine Street in NYC.
For the last 7 years, Levi’s days have often been a balancing act between work, studio visits, and time with friends and her canine sidekick, Bill. We recently caught up with Helen to see how she navigates a particularly busy 24 hours.
8:00am – I get up and immediately make some black tea with milk and honey – it’s a crucial part of my day. Then I read the news and slowly wake up.
9:30am – Head out the door and to the park with my dog, Bill (on the way to the studio). If I have time – like I did today – I take him to Jacob Riis Beach so he'll be super mellow all day.
10:30am – Hit the studio and get my assistants set up for the day of work.
11:30am – Run over to Joya Studio to pick up an order of candles. They're an awesome local candle and scent producer that makes my beeswax candles which are cast from ceramic pieces.
1:00pm – Lunch break! My favorite neighborhood spot is C Lo Cafe which has an amazing horchata latte. I don't start my day with coffee, but I sometimes like to have one in the afternoon.
1:30pm - We listen to a lot of podcasts in the studio, so around this time, we're probably blasting "Who Weekly", "Slow Burn" or "The City".
3:00pm – Studio visit with Homecoming, one of the local shops that I work with. They've been supporting my art since the very beginning, and they sell all the best things: donuts, plants, and ceramics.
6:30pm – Leave work, drop the dog off at home, and go meet my bestie, Ellen Van Dusen, owner of Dusen Dusen, for dinner. We'll head to Peaches in Bed-Stuy. I’ll order a salad so I can leave room for dessert.
9:00pm - Finally back home to watch "Love Island" (or a Lakers game if they're playing).
For more incredible pottery and cute dogs (hi, Bill!), follow Helen on Instagram @helen_levi
