22.08.17

Mizuyo Yamashita

Ceramicist / Maker

Mizuyo is a Japanese ceramicist working in a studio just off Broadway market in Hackney. She makes and sells/supplies tableware and home decorative items mainly through shops and galleries. Recently she worked on a commission by Tate Modern. She also runs a small group workshop for anyone who is keen to learn ceramics.

What role does music play in your day-to-day life as a creative?

Music is very important to set the mode of the day. As some of my work such as throwing and glazing requires a lot of concentration, I listen to classical music and piano music get myself focused. My mother was a classical pianist and I also played piano as a kid, so the sound of it always bring me back to my childhood memories with family as well. My favorite has been always Chopin.

When I have a good focus already I tend to listen to bossa nova to get the rhythm going.

When I need to speed up my production in other tasks such as making glazes and sanding I listen to up tempo music such as motown and samba.

I’m not sure if I can say my case as ‘music inspired my creative career path’, but the reason I chose to come to London was music.

When I was in Japan, club jazz was a thing. We have amazing artists such as Mondo Grosso, united future organizations and Kyoto Jazz Massive.

Obviously I was admiring the city for creating this music scene originally and made me want to visit one day.

Tell us about your playlist:

The theme for this playlist is ‘to get set’. The title I gave to the playlist ‘totonoeru’ means ‘to get ready’, ‘to tidy up’ and ‘to arrange’ etc in Japanese.

The sound of piano is what I’m very used to since a little child having a pianist as a mother. Consequently it calms me feeling like being at home of my childhood.

The music I chose are from my favorite contemporary classical musicians and my all-time favorite Chopin. These are very beautiful in melody and romantic, which makes me really dreamy and happy. That’s exactly what I need to get set for the work.

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Totonoeru 整える


  1. The Theory of Everything – Jóhann Jóhannsson
  2. Light Dance – Akira Kosemura
  3. Soffia la notte – Fabrizio Paterlini
  4. Fragments Found – Fabrizio Paterlini
  5. Written On The Sky – Max Richter
  6. Chopin: Berceuse in D-Flat Major, Op. 57. Andante – Frédéric Chopin, Peter Donohoe
  7. Chicago Morning – Hauschka
  8. My Piano, The Clouds – Fabrizio Paterlini
  9. il – Jean-Michel Blais
  10. Comptine d’un autre été, l’après-midi – Yann Tiersen
  11. Kenaston – Chilly Gonzales
  12. Part5 Kanki No Uta – Kan Sano, Masaki Ishikawa
  13. Liebsträume, S. 541, No. 3: Oh Lieb, so lang du lieben kannst in A-Flat Major – Franz Liszt, Classical Piano Ringtones
  14. Waltz in C-Sharp Minor, Op. 64, No. 2: Tempo giusto – Frédéric Chopin, Khatia Buniatishvili
  15. Venetian Blinds – Chilly Gonzales