Buckets & Spades - Men's Fashion, Design and Lifestyle Blog: jake millers

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25 May 2021

Forest of Bowland | Salomon

Salomon XA-01 | andWander Jacket | Cartocon Sports Shorts | Uniqlo Socks

This is what I'd call my 2021 version of going "out out". My regular "out" means a walk around the park, down the beach or to our local coffee shop, so "out out" now means me going anywhere that isn't in my hometown.

The Forest of Bowland is approx 55 minute door-to-door from ours, but it feels like a million miles away. Nestled in between the Lake District and the boarders of Lancashire, is a part of the country that I'd venture up to a few times a years when I was growing up, but it's taken me a lot longer to rediscover the place. Quite frankly, it's beautiful; views of snowy peaks, tree canopy as far as the eye can see, flowing freshwater rivers and winding hillside walks which don't require checking Google Maps every 5 mins. You may need to use your imagination here, but some parts of Bowland's forest floor reminds of Yosemite National Park.

It felt good to breathe in some fresh air - if only for a morning, everything felt good again.

- photography by Jake Millers

26 Sept 2018

36 Hours in Berlin

mat buckets wearing universal works denim trousers with jigsaw menswear resort collar shirt in berlin

mat buckets wearing the new skagen falster 2 smartwatch

interior of the visit coffee shop in berlin

mat buckets wearing universal works denim trousers with jigsaw menswear resort collar shirt in berlin with uk blogger brittany bathgate

Glasses by Moscot

This summer has been unforgettable. The past four months have been some of the most rewarding of my life, and if I could exchange air-miles for beers I'd be set up for life. Something that is niggling me though, I'm getting worse at catching up on things that I've said I need to. A blog post here, a month's worth of admin there, and, well, let's not even mention the blog re-design...

I feel pretty content with most other things, especially when it comes to this summer's opportunities. Being able to travel for work given be chance to strengthen friendships – something that would normally be missed due to being elsewhere. In a weird kind of way I feel like I've had plenty time for my friends – for photography, creative support and even the +1 perks for trips I always reach out to my buddies.

Earlier this month I was invited to Berlin with Skagen for the launch of their new smartwatch, the Falster ll. Jake Millers came along as my photography support, and it turned out that my old mate Brittany Bathgate was also visiting for the event. We haven't spent much time together since earlier this year - both of us busy with things across opposite sides of the UK - but then BAM, there we are together in a different country.

The next day only left us with a few hours to hang, but it was good to hear about Brittany's home DIY progress and chat through the issues that come with owning your own place, as well as being self-employed.

At the fear of this post sounding like it doesn't have a purpose, it's purely a life update. But hey, that's what my space is all about – I'm just pleased I still have the passion to share my journey with you.

Photography by Jake Millers.

28 May 2018

Support Your Friends

pop trading company long sleeve tee, campbell cole o tote collection

Support your friends. Celebrate their achievements, buy their products, send them constructive feedback, attend their exhibitions, share their work, listen to their ideas and issues, comment on their captions, read their blog posts, visit their gigs, purchase tickets to their shows, notice their nuances, subscribe to their podcasts, shout them dinner - build a community.

And if you're lucky enough to be gifted one of your friend's products then repay the favour by sending them something which you know they will love, just as much as you do. Congratulations to Campbell Cole and Oliver Hooson on the continued success of a product of their love, the O TOTE. I'm proud to call these guys my friends.

Photographs by Jake Millers

20 Apr 2018

Stepping Back to Push Forward

mat buckets in converse one star and universal works indigo trousers and asket sweatshirt and a days march chore jacket

Revisiting Manchester with a fresh mindset + an eagerness to try new things

mat buckets in converse one star and universal works indigo trousers

mat buckets in converse one star and universal works indigo trousers and asket sweatshirt

mat buckets in coffee shop in manchester

Sometimes it's good to look back at past successes to push forward with new ones. A few weeks ago I headed face-first into a metaphorical creative brick wall – it was the first time I'd experienced this feeling since becoming a freelancer. As I reflect on this now I realise there was a number of factors contributing to this slump; crappy weather, becoming irritated with deceptive tactics being used on social media, the lack of paid work coming my way and frustration with my own camera skills.

But, I don't want to dwell on the negatives, that doesn't serve any of us well. In fact, taking the positives from a negative situation has really helped me get "over it". Talking about my feelings helped tenfold, even if it was just to a 4.7 inch iPhone screen via Instagram Stories.

A few people suggested ways to combat a creative dip; step away from the work to clear your head, move on to something completely different, try to figure out the components that you aren't happy with, or my personal favourite – go smash some stuff!

I did, however, find a certain solace in looking back at past projects, blog posts + creative work that I've been proud of (and the pieces of content which had that little bit of extra magic). Sometimes it's the natural light doing the hard work, other times it's the styling of an outfit against a certain location that fits perfectly, or maybe it was the photographer who had a super cool idea and things just fell into place. On many occasions inspiration comes from my close friend – Jordan Bunker has had a hugely positive effect on my creativity over the past 24 months.

Looking back on past achievements is seldom a waste of time, in fact it seems to be the main driving factor for enabling me to push forward, learn from mistakes and take my work in the direction that feels natural for me.

Photography by Jake Millers. Thank you to Just Between Friends for letting us take over their coffee shop!

13 Feb 2018

10 Years of Blogging!

mat buckets at the patron bar in manchester wearing mr porter beams

Visiting The Patron, Manchester

the patron bar in manchester craft beer selection and food

I've officially been writing on these pages for 10 years! In February 2008 I decided give blogging a go; I was in my first year at university, believe it or not I had a decent amount of hair, and Instagram was just an idea scribbled out on a napkin...

Well, maybe that's not quite how "IG" came about, but you get the idea, things were a lot simpler back then. I started Buckets & Spades as a handy place to store images, as well as a way for me to brush up on my writing skills and grammar... it didn't take long before I found myself totally immersed within a community of creative, witty, funny and honest people from all around the world. I've been hooked on blogging ever since.

The way in which we consume new media has changed a lot since my early experiences, and as regular opportunities started to come my way I decided to take a risk by giving this whole full time blogging / content creator thing a shot. And for the past three years that's what I've dedicated my life to - I wouldn't change a thing.

Beams Plus Zip Shirt | Folk x MR PORTER Trousers | NN07 Jumper | Campbell Cole Card Holder | Vans Old Skool Anaheim

Buckets & Spades has grown organically into something much more than I'd ever considered it could, and I am still extremely proud that I managed to turn a hobby into a fully sustainable job, (securing a mortgage wasn't easy but we did it) especially back in the infancy of what is now a flourishing industry. It's been an incredibly fulfilling few years, but I'm definitely guilty of forgetting how lucky I am sometimes.

So, what's next?

As content became spread more evenly across multiple platforms, many of us started to obsess over followers + chase "likes" – we joined a perpetual race to that "next number", seldom being satisfied. With that mindset it's easy to lose perspective of why we started creating content in the first place (read Jordan's enlightening post on the subject here). For me, it was always about pushing myself creatively and celebrating the blogging + design community. Integrity holds that all together.

Sure, we may be way behind schedule with the redesign of Buckets & Spades (it does feels like a proper relic now!), I haven't dedicated as much time as I'd have liked towards my blog reading list, or indeed dedicate time to create regular weekly blog content, but it will happen!

No one can predict what the next 10 years has in stall for us, but if it's half as rewarding as the previous 10 then I'll be a very happy blogger :)

Photography by Jake Millers

Thank you to The Patron for your welcoming hospitality, as always.

15 Dec 2017

Time Well Spent

Time well spent - Moments in Atkinson's Coffee at Mackie Mayor, with VOID Watches

If I was to look back over my diary from 2017 it would quickly become clear that my time has been spread evenly between being at home and on the move. Sometimes the trips away become tiring, and I'll long for a few days at home to collect my thoughts, but being in the position to travel so frequently has contributed hugely to why this year has been so fulfilling.

The train ride from Blackpool to Manchester has been a route which I've become more than accustomed to. The same seat, on the same train leads to the same walk into the city's Northern Quarter. I visit to catch up with friends, meet new clients, brainstorm ideas with regular collaborators, or to spend time on my own, catching up with work. This change of scenery gives me chance to focus on current tasks, and helps me fill my notepad up with new ideas. It's all time well spent - nothing is wasted if you're leading yourself towards something productive.

This post is in partnership with VOID Watches.

Which brings to the title of this post, "Time Well Spent". When I'm working from home I battle with time management issues (too many attractive distractions), so, I see the days in which I set up in a coffee shop or cafe as just that: time well spent. This time my camp was the newly opened Atkinson's coffee shop, inside Mackie Mayor. I'm sure this place was made for me; the stunning rich blue wood, against the marble countertop + copper fixtures, topped off with genuinely friendly batistas, puts Atkinson's high on my list.

Checking in at the newly opened The Patron bar + restaurant

VOID Watches was started as a side project by Swedish designer David Ericsson, in 2008, with the simple concept of creating a product that represents something greater than the hands on a clock face. How we can use our time to create meaningful ideas and improve ourselves is a message the Hong Kong-based team live by. VOID's design message certainly resonates with my feelings towards time, and has given me ideas with how I can improve my productivity while I'm working from home.

Filling the void of those long journeys between cities has never been a tough task for me. It gives me a chance to step away from my work - to catch up with new podcasts, push through a few more pages in a book, or simply to process my thoughts from the day. The urge to clear my inbox is strong, but on these occasions time away from work is a positive thing.

My second visit to Manchester this month led me to visiting the newly opened bar + restaurant, The Patron. These guys are on to a good thing here - I'll be back to try out their own beer soon. By choosing to step out of the "same-old-same-old" routine, it can give you a different outlook on your city; sparking conversation with fresh faces and reaffirm your love for the community.

Are you happy with how you've used your time this year, and how do you plan to move forward in 2018?