There is a handy dynamic attribute in active-record called find_or_create_by:
Model.find_or_create_by_
>
You can do:
User.find_or_create_by(first_name: 'Penélope', last_name: 'Lopez')
User.where(first_name: 'Penélope', last_name: 'Lopez').first_or_create
Or to just initialize:
User.find_or_initialize_by(first_name: 'Penélope', last_name: 'Lopez')
User.where(first_name: 'Penélope', last_name: 'Lopez').first_or_initialize