Meet Alle Lacoste | Ceramicist & Photographer

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

Hi Alle, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
I pursued a creative career because I feel the most at ease when I am creating. I love working with my hands and keeping them busy so my mind can wander. I feel the freest way to express myself is through my artwork.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I make mostly functional pottery with very intricate designs. I enjoy using colors and imagery that is heavily inspired by nature. I spend a lot of time outdoors admiring all that nature has to offer and it is often reflected in my work. I love incorporating landscapes, mushrooms, flowers and many other forms of plants and wildlife on my pots. I believe what sets my work apart from others is my use of vibrant underglazes in combination with sgraffito carvings to tell a story. I also make custom pet portrait mugs. I paint and carve portraits of people’s beloved animals on my handmade mugs and I try to capture a hint of each pet’s personality in every portrait. These really mean a great deal to me. As someone who has three of my own pets that I view as family, I know the value of having something tangible that reminds you of a loved one, especially if you can use it every day as a part of your morning routine.

Getting where I am today was not an easy road. There were many craft shows where I made little to no profit, social media growth has been a lot of time spent with very little reward and there have been tons of deigns I’ve made that I thought would be a huge hit only for nothing to sell for months. I realized after a while, I needed to invest in my story and find a way to show my work as an extension of myself. I started talking to people more, spreading my love for pottery by word of mouth and I quit my day job to do this art thing full time. After opening up, fully immersing myself in the process of telling my story, and pouring my heart into every piece I made, people began to see that I’m not just trying to sell pottery. I am giving life to a piece of my soul for others to hold onto and admire. I believe I have finally, after 8 years of honing my skills, started to find my niche designs that I love making and that others love enough to want these pieces in life.

If there is one thing I want people to take away from my story, It’s that if you work hard enough, make real connections and pour your whole heart into your passions, you can do what you love and be your whole authentic self without sacrificing a good chunk of your life to do a job you dislike just for a paycheck. There’s no telling how many days we have on this Earth, so I really value making my day-to-day as enjoyable as possible.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If I had a friend visit me in Boulder, I would have so many things to show them! First of all, there’s no shortage of outdoor adventures in Colorado. We could go on some short day hikes around Boulder or Golden to get some views of the city and the surrounding mountains and reservoirs. On a warm day, I would take them to swim or float down Boulder creek to cool off and maybe go to a rooftop bar downtown to end the night. Some of my favorite restaurants in town are Osaka’s, Bar Taco, Rosetta Hall, and the Boulder Dushanbe Tea House. Osaka’s would be a fancier dinner spot where we could dress nice, have some delicious authentic Japanese cuisine, and their matcha mille crepe cake is to die for! Bar Taco and Rosetta Hall are great places to go for lunch or dinner after a nice long hike. They both have tons of options for any kind of eater. The Tea House is my favorite though. Being vegetarian, I feel they have the most options for me and meat eaters alike. I’m also a huge tea drinker and there are tons of teas, lattes, and tea cocktails to choose from. The Tea House is my go-to brunch spot for the incredibly intricate atmosphere, delicious food and the best teas I’ve ever had.
Rocky mountain national park is only a 45 minute drive from Boulder and home to some of the best hikes in Colorado. Trail ridge road is also an incredible feature of the park where you can drive all day and see some of the most epic views around, all from the comfort of your car. One of my favorite outdoor activities is backpacking. If my guest is up for it, I would love to take them for a one or two night backpacking trip to be completely immersed in the wild mountains of Colorado. This is the best way, in my opinion, to get in some good stargazing, see tons of wildlife and absorb every detail of the landscape up close.

I also can’t forget to take them to my pottery studio. To me, it’s such a lovely place to work and my studio mates at Centercraft Studios are all so nice and they love meeting new people. I could also show my guest a bit about how to throw pottery. I like to teach private pottery lessons when I have time, and it brings me great joy when my friends want to learn how to do the thing that I have built my life around.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I have known since I was very young that I wanted to be an artist when I grew up. I am lucky enough to have a very loving and supportive family that has always encouraged me to be creative and pursue my passions. My mom, aunt and grandma all have an artistic side to them and they have always included me in art projects or provided me with the tools I needed to explore my own artistic ambitions. My dad owns his own small business and he has never doubted my ability to do the same for myself. He has been a huge help in giving me all the advice I have needed to start and run businesses of my own. I also have many friends and loved ones who have encouraged me over the years and give me so much praise, which made me believe I could actually make something of myself in the creative industry.

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