The importance of inspiration for bloggers and designers can’t be underestimated. We’re always on the look out for things that capture our imagination, provide us with motivation, and give direction to the work we do - be it writing, photography or design.
This is so clear when you look at the work on Buckets & Spades and the passions of our
contributors, like Yasumi. As Mat mentioned in our previous article on Shinola, he’s curious by
nature; searching the web and sifting through information to find that spark of
inspiration. It’s not just online though. Inspiration comes
from the places we visit and the people we meet. And if we can’t meet these people,
hearing about them comes a close
second.
Men’s style magazine Jocks&Nerds, teaming up
with the Community of Craft and Shinola, have brought us pure inspiration with
their website, American Craftsmen in Britain. It’s a fascinating concept: understanding the
reasons why craftsmen from one country are applying their craft in another, how
this change of geography influences their work and their product, and importantly,
what makes them ‘tick’.
Hearing stories from people with a passion for
their work, their product, and their industry, is the inspiration we look for
and thrive on.
“I’d rather spend my time raising plants to
understand the life cycle of my ingredients than sit in marketing meetings. As
long as my hands are connected to the soil, I know I’m still making a craft
product. I’m overjoyed that people are appreciating it today.”
- Jared Brown, drinks historian and master
distiller, Sipsmith Independent Distillers, London.
It’s an uplifting read and one that I think will
have a lot of people questioning the work they do now, how it can be tweaked,
improved, adopted, or perhaps changed altogether. Whatever people take away from the site American
Craftsmen in Britain, I can guarantee it will be positive. It definitely
has me thinking about 2015 and what I need to do to keep life moving in new and
interesting directions - I’m sure it’s had the same impact on Mat.
New interviews will be added to AmericanCraftsmen in Britain, so keep an eye out. We're expecting to hear more about the people who continue to inspire us to push ourselves a little further, especially with those projects we've only managed to note down on paper. I for one can’t wait to see how the project progresses.
About Jocks&Nerds:
Jocks&Nerds is a quarterly print men's style
magazine. Read online here, for your nearest stockist visit here.
This post is in partnership with Jocks&Nerds. Thank you for taking the time to support the businesses that make this blog happen.
You can find Nik at - Twitter | Instagram | Conrad's Beer
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