
In her work, Mickey Philips does nothing as it should be done. She is not deterred by conventions and defies the laws of the materials she works with. Trial-and-error: preferring to keep trying and let a lot break down. A crate of three hundred beans made of clay? Impossible, she was told. So Mickey made one. Not limited by product knowledge, she puts materials such as clay completely to her hand to capture everyday situations in free-spirited objects.
Between Mickey and clay, it was love at second sight. She studied graphic design at the Hogeschool voor de Kunsten in Utrecht, but decided to make a U-turn six weeks before her exam. She graduated not with a graphically designed book, but with an infographic about the crisis in Greece, executed in a hundred molded clay cups. Yet her graphic design background is still woven into the DNA of her designs.
In addition to developing her own collections, Mickey enjoys collaborating with brands and companies. Her projects range from personalized collections to designing furniture in ceramics.
'I have many more ideas than time. Still, I try to clay one idea every week. I think in clay, but dream in all materials and techniques that I cannot control, from glassblowing to woodturning. I like materials that do what they want to do for themselves, because that's what I do.'