Creative Profiles

7 questions with mimi & lu designer michelle watson + a giveaway! [now closed]

February 6, 2015

Mimi&Lu jewelry designer Michelle Watson via My SoCal'd Life

For jewelry designer Michelle Watson, it all started at Cirque du Soleil. More specifically, it started backstage, where she worked behind the scenes in props and wardrobe at the famed Canadian circus company. It was there that the performers kept asking Michelle where she got her self-made jewelry, and the idea for an official jewelry line came to life.

She launched Mimi & Lu—a combination of her name, her husband’s name (Michael) and her dog Lucca’s name—in San Diego in 2007 and has since been featured in People magazine, Exquisite Weddings, and other publications. Her line of delicate, handmade pieces includes charm necklaces, cuffs, dangly earrings, and rings. (The Esther ring is my absolute favorite!)

Today Michelle talks about her love/hate work relationship and being a city girl at heart…among other things. Plus, read a head for a giveaway and special discount for My SoCal’d Life readers!

Name: Michelle Watson
Age: 37
Neighborhood: Little Italy (home), Gaslamp (studio)
Profession: Jewelry Designer/Business Owner

What did you eat for breakfast today?
That saying “But first, coffee” could be stamped on my forehead. A coffee with cream, no sugar, followed by yogurt, berries, and granola (my go-to for any meal), scarfed down on my walk from my home to the studio.

What’s the best thing about your job?
At the end of the day, everything is up to me.

The worst?
At the end of the day, everything is up to me…it’s a love/hate.

How do you tackle a creative block?
More materials and more coffee. If that doesn’t work, I clean my space. I work best on a clean and organized surface, but my jewelry workspace is generally a little chaotic. Believe it or not, I’ve had more than one design come out of simply the way things were piled onto the table. In the middle of the pile, a certain stone might be lying next to another unexpected element and in that moment the design clicks. So maybe chaos is not so bad after all.

What are you currently reading?
I have a two-year-old, so Goodnight Moon or Goodnight Ocean, and then I tackle the 28,000 unread emails in my inbox.

What’s your favorite spot in the San Diego and why?
There is a section downtown, it’s maybe four square blocks around 7th and B, that when I walk through reminds me of a larger metropolitan area. It’s the combination of many things—the diversity of people, the busyness, the way the height of the buildings create shade—I love it. I am a city girl at heart.

What was the most awesome thing about today?
The online retailer, Revolve, received our opening order today! We are thrilled to be working with them and look forward to seeing Mimi & Lu live on their site.

Michelle and I are also partnering up to give away $50 in credit to her online shop (for a purchase of $50 or more, excluding tax and shipping). Here’s how you can win:

1. Enter via the Rafflecopter widget below. There are multiple ways to enter, so the more times you enter, the better your chances of winning.
2. The contest will run until 11:59 p.m. PST on Thursday, February 12, after which a winner will be chosen at random.
3. Open to U.S. residents only.

We’re also offering a special 15% off your order for any My SoCal’d Life reader through the end of the month! Just enter SOCALD15 at checkout (ends 2/28/2015).

Good luck and happy Friday!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

***This giveaway has closed. Congratulations to Allison K.!***

Photo: Jen and Bec Photography

3 thoughts on “7 questions with mimi & lu designer michelle watson + a giveaway! [now closed]

  1. Alison Kinsey

    Just entered!! Love her pieces, and her mantra about her work being “all up to her.” It’s so powerful and so true.

    Reply
  2. Alyssa

    I absolutely LOVE her stuff!! I own about 12 of her pieces that I wear everyday and there is about 20 more pieces I need to have! The quality of her work is amazing! I loved this Q and A and learning more about small business owners. Hopefully I win.. Keeping my fingers crossed!! RIP Lucca, so sad

    Reply

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