We had the good fortune of connecting with Lem Nguyen and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lem, what do you want your legacy to be?
Most of my ceramic works are handbuilt with the intention for them to last and evolve over time. I am sure some of them will live longer than I do. Each piece is built with clay which is basically the earth, and I often leave the exterior unglazed so people can feel the textures of the earth when they touch or use it. I believe that clay – the earth – helps us feel grounded and connected to our surroundings, our world, ourselves, and eventually to others because we are all connected. Through my ceramics, I want people to remember me as a person who helps them bring out all of their senses & appreciate the little things in life which often make us happy everyday: the smell of freshly made espresso, the distinct sound each cup makes when you throw in a couple of ice cubes, the interesting pattern of each piece, the smooth texture of a ceramic stool, & the special feeling of having human-made functional art in your hands & your space. All colors you see from my work are from clay and/or colored clay so each piece is truly one of a kind. I want people to remember that they are just like my work – unique – and I hope to inspire people to embrace their uniqueness, to create and to follow their dreams.

Please tell us more about your art. We’d love to hear what sets you apart from others, what you are most proud of or excited about. How did you get to where you are today professionally. Was it easy? If not, how did you overcome the challenges? What are the lessons you’ve learned along the way. What do you want the world to know about you or your brand and story?
My whole life I have always done the typical things: focus on Science classes, go to college, get a couple of degrees, be realistic, find a stable well paying job, and pursue the things that often define success in our society. After a few years working my corporate jobs, while I was very grateful for having a stable income to support myself and my family, I realized that I wasn’t happy and the typical kind of success doesn’t seem to work for me. I had always wanted to try pottery so I took a few wheel throwing classes and fell in love with clay. The feeling of creating something with your hands is the best feeling in the world. Experiencing this has helped me reassess my life and make some changes. I decided to leave the corporate world and start doing my own thing. I am very much at the beginning of my creative career and I have so much to learn. When you choose the road less traveled, you may question yourself a lot on top of others questioning your choices; but I think continuing to do things that are not for you is also not easy. One of the best changes I made for my life is to start my daily meditation practice. These 20-30 minute sessions give me some quiet time to mute the outside noise and listen to my inner voice. It changed my outlook on life and desire to be a creator of my life, instead of a victim; to be grateful for what I have, rather than focusing on what I don’t. I trust that the universe is always on our side as long as we keep putting one foot in front of the other.

I am proud of myself for showing up and working on this everyday, for learning to take rest, rather than quitting. And it is really nice to see my efforts have been reflected in my work as well.

Although I started with wheel throwing, I mostly hand build my ceramic babies now. Clay teaches me a lot about life and the more I work with it, the more I realize it is such a beautiful metaphor of life. I started mixing different clay bodies together soon after I started ceramics and haven’t stopped since. The idea of combining multiple clay bodies of different origins, colors, shrinkage percentages, textures,… to build one whole piece together reminded me of the diversity that we have right here. Working with multiple clays is slightly different from working with just one. It is a very slow process and it has a higher chance of cracking, but I learned to believe that nothing can’t be fixed with a little gold and glue. And some cracks make the piece even more beautiful and unique when you think about the meaning of it. This is like having two or more groups of people of different cultures/backgrounds living together. It may take some time for them to integrate and understand each other and there may be some conflicts between them, but given the time and help, they will grow stronger and more beautifully together.

All of my works are products of my hard work just as much as products of my manifestations because there are a thousand steps before each piece is finished and the piece continues transforming over time. How I hand build my pieces from multiple clay bodies gives my works organic feels and wabi-sabi vibes. It is also impossible to remake the exact same piece even if they come from the same design. I would love for my babies to be loved and appreciated by many for their looks, to be held in people’s hands for their textures, and to used on dinner tables and displayed in living spaces from different corners of the world for their functionality and good vibes,…etc. More than anything, I want people to think about the connections that clay makes and the uniqueness of each piece and find some insights to apply to their lives: connect with themselves and their surroundings, cultivate self-love, embrace their uniqueness, listen to their inner voices and follow their hearts.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I am from Huế so I’m going to feed my best friend with a bowl of home cooked Bun Bo Hue first. There are a lot of thing to do in NYC but I would definitely show my friend my neighborhood Sunset park, Brooklyn. It is so beautiful during sunset and has an amazing view of the city. We will get tacos (al pastor, lengua & tripa to be specific), jamaica drink and mangonada from our local shops for a sunset picnic.

The next day we can go to some popular attractions that are justifiably famous. We can start by walking in Central Park, and if weather allows, ride a boat in the lake. Then we can go to one of my favorite buildings in the city, the Met, and spend a few hours enjoying art & architecture. One of the best views of the NYC concrete jungle is from the Top of the Rock, or the Rockefeller center rooftop. The best time to go to Top of the Rock is during the golden hours. We will get a BLTA or an everything bagel with cream cheese from Ess-a-bagel and also get some slices of matcha & OG layer cakes from Lady M.

On my friend’s next day here, preferably a weekend, I will take them to DUMBO to visit some of my ceramic babies on display at Alternative Space Chiropractic & maybe let them get adjusted after a long flight here and to get ready for all the walking over the next few days. After that, we are going to explore DUMBO, starting with coffees at Devoción, spending some time outside at Brooklyn Bridge Park, and discovering different view points of the city. This can be followed by walking to Water st & Washington st for some IG-worthy pictures of the Manhattan Bridge, shopping from the local artists & vendors at the Empire stores, get some food (NY pizza!!!) and drink from Timeout market and eating on the rooftop of the building. There is a great view of the Manhattan bridge and downtown Manhattan from there. In the late afternoon, we will take a walk from DUMBO to the Brooklyn Bridge to catch an amazing view of the city during sunset. We will walk across the bridge to Manhattan and then we can go to Manhattan Chinatown to get some pork xiao long bao & dimsum at Joe’s Shanghai & soft serve ice cream at Soft Swerve.

The next day, preferably a weekday, we will explore downtown. First off, we will get a mazapan latte and baked goods from 787 coffee and visit Wall St & the NY stock exchange building. This area is great to admire the many amazing buildings and narrow alleys of downtown Manhattan. Then we can visit a couple touristy attractions and spend some time observing the pace of life of the people who work in the Financial District. We will then walk to the 9/11 memorial and 9/11 museum and spend some quiet time here paying respects to the victims and heroes who passed away due to this tragic event. After that, we will walk around One World Trade Center, the Oculus, the Brookfield shopping center, and Battery Park. We can go to Seaport village to get some seafood dishes and catch a water taxi to see the skyline and lady Liberty from the water.

On day 4, we are going to Chelsea. Here we can check out the little island, visit a couple of art galleries, get lunch at Chelsea market (lobster rolls!!) and then walk the High Line all the way to the Vessel. We can enjoy the art, plants, street views, and buildings along the way and hopefully we can visit and walk up to the top of the Vessel.

We have been walking a lot the last few days, so the next day, I’d suggest my friend come with me to Doclay – a community ceramic studio in Koreatown where I’m a member. I’ll give them a tour of the studio and offer to teach them to make a little something from clay. After that, we can go eat some Korean bbq and get boba from fiftylan. We can do some shopping on Fifth ave (fashion avenue) after.

The next day, we will visit the Flatiron building, get some Italian things to eat/drink and spend some time at Eataly. After that, we will walk to Washington Square Park and NYU area, hang out at the water fountain, and admire all the beautiful buildings – old & new – in this area. Then we can walk around and find something to eat. This area has many food and drink options, from doner kebab, to Sichuan cuisine, to Taiwanese food, so I’ll let my friend choose.

On the last day, we will start with Soho to do some shopping and also admire the beautiful cobblestone streets, the history, and many gorgeous brick buildings in this area. Then we can go get some pastrami sandwiches from Katz’s. After that, I will take my friend to Queens – the most diverse place on Earth – to have a food tour. We will most likely visit Elmhurst for Thai or Malaysian food, or Jackson Heights for Nepali, Tibetan or Indian food.

A few more things we could do if we have more time are: Brooklyn Botanical Garden & Prospect Park, take the cable car to Roosevelt Island, MOMA, Bryant Park and the NY Public Library, catch a stand up comedy show at Comedy Cellar, go to a rave at Brooklyn Mirage, take a boat ride to Rockaway beach to relax, or spend the day at Coney Island.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Definitely! We are not alone on this journey and I couldn’t be the person I am today without others love and support. I wanna dedicate this to my partner for his unconditional love and support for me every day. His trust in me and my work has helped me believe more in myself, work through my self-doubts, and keep going on this path. His dedication to self-improvement has always inspired & motivated me to work on myself, show up and move things forward.