Stash Studios

Turn Around. Take a Step Forward

“The hardest thing in the world is to simplify your life. It’s so easy to make it complex. The solution for a lot of the world’s problems may be to turn around and take a forward step.”— Yvon Chouinard

There was some philosophical discussion over the winter break about my pattern of leaving the city to work. Something obvious and necessary to what I do. But words had never been put to the idea of it. I only knew that when I drove out through the open prairies and rice fields that separated my city home from my work that there was a shedding of a skin. An opening to a connection of something more elemental.

I find one is more mindful of resources when they are harder to come by. A stark difference from our flip a switch daily convenience. Ingenuity has more time and space to grow in places like these.

Physically things are harder here. There are no bots to automate repetitive tasks. Work is done by hand and many days blood is drawn and the first aid kit is mobilized.

There is no heat and thermostat controlled air. The roof leaks on one corner like a sieve. Bones creak when the wind blows. Roosters crow. But the place and the work plugs into a deep part of my soul.

Then a friend came to visit me working at the factory and suggested I watch 180º South.

And I did. You need not be a surfer or climber to appreciate this film. Beautifully rendered. Simply stated. It gave me pause to consider the year ahead of me. The idea that there is so much more out there than the postage stamp we call home and that sometimes our greatest potential lies beyond our front door and certainly beyond what we may have imagined for ourselves.

And I also started reading Let My People Go Surfing : The Education of a Reluctant Businessman by Yvon Choinard. 

Last year was interesting. I had been seeking a space to expand to and I had a vision of what I hoped for, but I would never have dreamed that I'd have the opportunity to work in a century old mattress factory.

There was discussion about growth. I had some dreams of PR and expansion. I traveled. I was invited to wholesale market. I kicked myself because things didn't seem to be happening fast enough. I worked 7 days a week. I grew a list of potential wholesale vendors longer than my arm. I found and began to train a few folks to help. We launched headlong into production. But things weren't right. We'd begun to push the river.

There are thousands of people making millions of bags. I've always been clear about one thing. Though I dearly love what I do, I have no desire to be 1,001. Just making more stuff.

So I stopped. I turned around. I took a step that I realize now was a step forward for me. I pared back to just me building. Occasionally I bring back the people who I know love what and where we are creating as much as I do.

And I realized that maybe for now it is enough to work with a waiting list. To make elemental beautiful things for people who really plug in to who I am and what I do. To only use resources when they are certain to be used in a product that someone wants. Less speculation. No buy-backs. And that weekends are necessary to recharge. Because whatever you do, it is simply not worth it if you don't have time to live your life.

Oh, I still work weekends but fewer and usually only before our thrice yearly appearance at Urban Market. I'm not sure exactly where 2012 will take me but I am certain that I am looking forward to the journey.

Touch Taste Smell Sound

Completely thrilled about the prospect of this which is surely to be another amazing lovely creation from Gail Chovan, the owner of Blackmail in Austin, Texas. Please support Gail and Zelda and Creed and Evan V and Aaron and their team via Kickstarter.

Best,

It's Better In The Wind

 

Digging this...

"Because we read "The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost, and were taught that art is a path chosen by those who will themselves into the unknown.

Today we face a world that is unkind to change, filled with the reluctance of apathy. Pioneers are just faceless figurines in museums, rather than part of tomorrow's manifesto.

There is something to be cherished in our wide open spaces, if only the chance to breathe an unknown air, in search of a new way forward.

A group of artists, riders, and blue-collared intellectuals. Drew, Samson, Greg, Brandon, Curtis, Colby, Scott. We are young but not naive, we are tired but not jaded.

Setting out across the West. On vehicles without windows to restrict the scenery. With sincerity on the mind, we will be alone to reflect on past and future paths, only to find that the solidarity of the group will take us another day forward. "Whatever it is, it's better in the wind." Follow us, share your stories. Enjoy the art, and the journey."

-Scott

Scott G Toepfer documents some of my favorite things - road trips, indie musicians, wheels, and generally interesting people. His work can be found in Surfshot Magazine, Invisible Children, LA Weekly and on his tumblr - It's Better In The Wind. An editorial and commercial photographer based in LA, Toepfer has been documenting his motorcycle travels via tumblr and plans to release a documentary photobook which he used KickStarter to fund. I'm looking forward to the results. 

 

[photo credits: all Scott G Toepfer]

 

Connections

Several weeks ago I was searching the net for inspiration. I was seeking a photo that captured a woman warrior spirit. Something of the moment. What I found were tintype photos from Surfland taken by artist/photographer Joni Sternbach. This serendipitous discovery opened a line of communication with Joni and now she is carrying one of my favorite Stash Co bags. Thanks for the postcard Joni. You made my day, again. 

Collaboration and community have been a theme running through the studio in 2010. It is a topic I will visit more in upcoming posts. Today we are often so focused on immediate results that we do not take the time to connect and savor and take in those intangible benefits of just being together and communicating with one another. 

In the last week, I've put 1,000 miles on the car and spent about 6 days in the fields of Central Texas visiting old friends and making new ones. One evening as we rested our weary bones under the starlit sky, a wise friend noted that we are all pieces of a puzzle and gathering like this helps us figure out how we fit together. I love that sentiment.

On a final note, I have to share something that came across the desktop this week from Seth Godin.

The best thing to say to an artist of any kind might be, "someday, people will think what you did is really important." 

If it's popular with everyone right away, it might not be art, it might just be good marketing. But if it earns attention and respect over time, if it wins over the skeptical, then you've really created something.

Good food for thought,

Extreme Handcraft

Laura West is a classically trained award winning bookbinder specialising in traditional and contemporary hand-sewn books. Laura has been running her bindery, The Isle of Skye Bindery, since 1999 where she works to archival standards using archival or acid free papers, board and leather, binding books to last a lifetime.

Laura's signature range of unique artefact books draws on her studies and interest in historical book structure from all cultures. She says "I want to take the form and structure of the book and continue its evolution in the digital era. To inspire journalists, observers, artists and bloggers - the new generation of book lovers."

Shown above is Laura's Kashgar Travel Journal. Available for purchase via Reverie Daydream Boutique. Thanks to The Drifter and the Gypsy for helping us find these journals. Visit The Drifter and the Gypsy for a special 15% discount and FREE shipping on your Reverie Daydream order.

Godspeed 45/60

 

My friend Cicero of Godspeed 45/60 contacted me this weekend while I was tipping back a few Micheladas. Funny timing on his part because I had just been talking about an increasing need for speed and my ideal bike.

 

Now that I'm recovered, I'd like to share a peek at his latest book with Kutty Noteboom, Rico Fodrey, John Copeland, Jeffrey Schad, Duane Ballard, Nelson Kanno, Josh Mills, Lock Baker, and Yoshi Kosaka.

 

Godspeed 45/60 is completely independently photographed, designed, and published. Hard bound and hard core. This book rocks. Great gift. Buy it.

 

Later,

 

Spread the Bird

Yellow Bird Project utilizes the talents of indie rock musicians by collaborating to create unique t-shirt designs that benefit an array of charities chosen by the musicians.

tee photos by Alicia Vega

And now Yellow Bird has expanded this collaboration to create The Indie Rock Coloring Book. Music fans can keep themselves out of trouble for hours with mazes, connect-the-dot games, and coloring pages for the Shins, Devendra Banhart, Rilo Kiley, the National, and more than 20 artists. With all royalties going to charity, it is sure to warm even the coolest of hipster hearts. 

Yellow Bird Project has been featured in USA Today, Spin, NME, and many other venues. Andy J. Miller is a UK-based illustrator who has worked with Nike and Sony and has exhibited in London.

 

Like Steve McQueen

Steve McQueen by William Claxton

"One time when I was with him, he drove a brand new Ford convertible, with only thirty miles on the speedometer, at top speed for such a long stretch of the Texas highway that the engine began to smoke and eventually caught on fire. He slowed down and shouted to me, "Clax, when I tell you to jump, jump!" We did jump out of the car just as it burst into flames. Steve sat on the side of the country road at a safe distance from the burning vehicle and laughed his head off."--William Claxton

Native Californian, William Claxton began photography as a hobby in the 1950s. For someone who dabbled in photography as a side-interest, he took it quite far. Prints go for thousands of dollars. Claxton is known for defining the visual look of west coast cool jazz.

Light-flooded photos were soft which gave his hard-edged subjects a tangible vulnerability along while balancing their innate coolness.

Claxton was well-known for his work with Chet Baker and Steve McQueen but he also photographed Dizzy Gillespie, Wynton Marsalis, Bob Dylan, Ray Charles, Muddy Waters, and Frank Sinatra.

You can become better acquainted with his work through several of his books. The ones intriguing me at the moment include New Orleans 1960, Steve McQueen, and Jazz Life.

Chet Baker at a piano, 1950s by William Claxton

Haunting Los Angeles jazz clubs, camera in hand, Claxton ultimately became the house photographer for the Haig, a premier jazz hotspot in LA.

 

Hot Dog Stand, Los Angeles, 3a.m. by William Claxton

His work with Chet Baker introduced him to Dick Bock, the west-coast jazz producer and founder of the Pacific Jazz Records. This led to his work as LP cover artist for the label. 

The best part of the story is how Claxton just did something he loved and it led to an amazing career. We should all be so lucky. Claxton passed away last year just a day away from his 81st birthday.

Helima and Chet Baker, 1955 by William Claxton

Keep shooting,

Case of Curiosities

Keri Smith is author of Wreck This Journal which is a favorite of mine and especially Stash Jr. She has recently released How to Be An Explorer of the World. I love her take on the world. Other titles include The Guerilla Art Kit, Living Out Loud, and The Non-Planner Datebook.

Book It

4 Artists

2 Continents

1 Well-Traveled Sketchbook

For thirty-six weeks, a sketchbook was sent in random order between four artists: two in Brooklyn, two in Belfast.

Every Wednesday, one participant would receive book. In order to maintain schedule, it was sent out the following Monday, giving each artist five days to complete a spread in response to the one that preceded it.

A small portion of each entry extends on to the following page. Beyond this, there was no communication between the artists concerning the content of book during its making.

Artists Include: 

Mac Premo and Duke Riley from Brooklyn

Oliver Jeffers and Rory Jeffers from Belfast

Look at BOOK.