Browsing Tag

Inspiration

Maker Resources, Maker Stories

Inside the Artists’ Studios: A Look Back at Our 2016 Studio Tours

December 30, 2016

It’s hard to believe that we’ve been running our Studio Tours series for almost 5 years. Maybe that’s because every time I step into a another studio, I feel like I’m entering a whole new world. Over the years I’ve visited jewelry makers, potters, woodworkers, and even an industrial kitchen. And that’s just to name a few. Every time I leave an artist’s space, I feel creatively refreshed and ready to get making myself.

In 2016, I actually did get in some hands-on experience, when Jim Loewer gave our team a tour of his Philadelphia glass-working studio and let me use the torch to make own pendant. It was was definitely as much fun as you’d expect playing with fire and molten glass to be, and I now have a memento from the visit. Other adventures this year included checking out a sustainable studio made from reclaimed shipping containers, one contributor’s trip to London to meet world-renowned jewelry designer Alex Monroe, a look inside our own Product Development team’s creative space, and more. It wasn’t easy to pick just a few highlights from each Studio Tour to show you, but here are some moments that I hope spark your interest and maybe even put you in the mood to get creative too.

Laurel Begley

Laurel Begley | UncommonGoodsCreating the Faux Bois Vase | UncommonGoods

Laurel Begley’s Personalized Faux Bois Vase includes a symbol of lasting love, so it’s no surprise that she told us about some of the symbols of love an nurturing in her own life as she gave us a virtual tour of her Santa Rosa, CA, studio. She also shared some great advice: “Don’t try to be anything you’re not. Do your best work, put it out there, and everything else will fall into place.” | Visit Laurel’s Studio

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Gift Guides

Our Favorite Inspirational Jewelry Gifts For Graduation 2016

May 3, 2016

Graduation season is coming, and soon countless students will walk across a stage toward their individual destinies: college, adventure, or a new career. Very exciting! But let’s be honest: commencement ceremonies usually entail a tedious wait through a seemingly endless roster of names, peppered with cliché-riddled speeches. How do you make this super-meaningful, yet often dull occasion more memorable for your favorite graduate? We think one of the nicest ways is congratulating them with a beautiful and inspirational jewelry gift to mark their hard-earned milestone. Bearing profound, uplifting messages, these necklaces and bracelets make ideal graduation gifts (and mercifully rescue you from the daunting task of crafting a sentimental speech yourself).

To help you choose the right gift, we put together a collection of our favorite inspirational jewelry pieces. Some of our pieces feature inspiring quotes while others are more symbolic. We tracked down motivational quotes to complement theses abstract pieces to illuminate their meaning. Honestly, this post is so packed with forceful wisdom, we’re afraid it might explode. Read at your own risk!

For The Trail Blazer

Ralph Waldo Emerson Inspirational Jewelry - Necklace | UncommonGoods

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Maker Stories

Penmanship Meets Pendant: BB Becker’s Your Story Necklace

February 3, 2016

Jo and BB Becker | UncommonGoods
Falling in love prompted BB Becker’s first attempt to make jewelry in the 1980s; he deconstructed and transformed found pieces into charming gifts for his future bride. Today, his work is a collaborative effort that marries BB’s lovingly-designed sterling silver pendants with his wife Josephine’s graceful handwriting.

Your Story Necklace | UncommonGoodsThis particularly pensive medallion bears a meditation on the bonds we share with family and friends. With one corner curled over as if turning a page on your personal story, each one is engraved with a quotation handwritten in delicate cursive that reads: “The only people who truly know your story are the ones who help you write it.” A recent conversation with BB revealed how ancient art, a meaningful sentiment, and the devoted characters who fill our personal stories inspired the creation of this writerly, wearable artwork.

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Gift Guides

New Year’s Resolutions: 15 Motivational Goods to Help You Achieve Your 2016 Goals

January 15, 2016

Inspirational and Motivational Gifts | UncommonGoods

The cork was popped, the champagne spilled, and the New Year’s festivities are over–which means it’s time to focus on a fresh new start in 2016! Chances are you’ve made a New Year’s resolution with the hope of a successful year, but sticking to your goals is easier said than done. Perhaps you’re struggling to make changes or maybe you’ve already broken your resolution, but fear not, we’ve got the goods to help you get back on track and keep you motivated all year-round!

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Maker Stories

Inside the Artists’ Studios: A Year of Creativity

January 8, 2016

Inside the Artists' Studios | UncommonGoods

One of the most exciting things about serving as Editor of The Goods is that there’s always a Maker Story right around the corner. I am honored to get opportunities to meet talented artists, to see what they make and how they make it, and– when I’m extra lucky– to actually step inside their creative spaces. Over the past year, I had the pleasure of visiting several artists and seeing them in action, as did a few of our blog contributors, photographers, and buyers.  

From woodworking to weaving to jewelry making and beyond, we saw so much creativity last year that we couldn’t help but give our 2015 Studio Tours one more chance to shine before heading out with cameras and notepads to capture more inspirational moments in the year to come. Here are a few hand-picked highlights from those Studio Tours, complete with a few inspirational quotes, photos that made me want to drop everything and start a new creative project on the spot, and plenty of great advice. 

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Maker Resources

How to Cultivate a Positive Workspace

September 4, 2015

Editor’s note: When we visited jewelry artist Jen Pleasants for a Studio Tour earlier this year, we knew we’d found a special place we wanted to tell everyone about. “I could really feel and see the love she built within her surroundings,” said our contributor, Emily, after spending some time with the artist.

We asked Jen to share her favorite tips for turning a workspace into a place filled with creativity, happy thoughts, and positive energy.

Jen Pleasants | UncommonGoods

I guess something about the showtheLOVE studio feels good to people– which is why I was asked to write this article, even though I am in no way an expert on the topic.

If you walk into work and you feel good just being in that space, then you are more likely to put good energy into whatever you are working on. If you are an artist making things for others to enjoy, this becomes especially important.

Below you will find two lists of ideas for cultivating a positive workspace – one more mainstream and the other more out there. Pick and choose items as you please that might work for improving your space!

Jen Pleasants' Studio | UncommonGoods

10 Basic Ideas for Promoting a Positive Workspace

1. Hire people who are positive, happy, and kind

If for some reason you accidentally get a bad egg, don’t hesitate to let them go and skip to my second set of advice to remove bad energy.

Go into the World and Do Good

2. Hang inspirational posters on the walls

I love inspirational quotes and love to surround myself with them. Some of the ones hanging in my office are:

-Change your thoughts, change your world
-You are looking particularly good today
-Your day will go the way the corners of your mouth turn
-Somewhere over the rainbow
-If you work really hard and are kind amazing things will happen
-Everything will be okay
-What would you do if you knew you would not fail?
-The only zen you will find at the top of the mountain is the zen you bring up there
-Live what you love
-Give and be happy
She believed she could, so she did

Inspirational Quotes

3. Speak kind words

Try not to gossip or speak ill of people in the space you want to keep clear. One of my favorite quotes is by Hafiz, “The words you speak build the house you live in.”

Be Kind

4. Burn candles

This helps the office smells good without toxins. (Which is why I use beeswax candles with essential oils, not synthetic fragrances.) It also creates a peaceful atmosphere because something about candles is magical. Just don’t forget to blow them out before you leave!

Beeswax Candles

5. Remove clutter

It is so obvious that a clutter-free environment feels better. Having said that, this is the one that I have the hardest time with. I am a pack rat and want to turn everything into an art project and don’t have an organized bone in my body. This one is really challenging, though I always feel better when I finally pick up my messes!

Computer Space

6. Provide good healthy snacks and drinks.

Fresh organic fruits and nuts are good, though I am partial to dark chocolate and tea too.

Jen with Elwood the Rainbow Unicorn Mug

7. Hang a team mission statement or manifesto on the wall

I haven’t done this yet but I think it is good idea! Instead, I have #8 posted on my wall.

8.Keep a copy of the Desiderata–or any poem or sentiment that speaks to you–on hand

I have posted this special poem on my bulletin board and anytime I start getting upset I look at it and it brings me back to what is important “…for you are a child of the universe no less than the trees and the stars, and whether or not it is clear to you now, the universe is unfolding as it should”.

Desiderata

9. Avoid indoor air pollution

Office space can be polluted by plastic off-gassing, asbestos, radon, mold, pesticides, etc. Be acutely aware of any products you bring into your space that might be a culprit. We use natural cleaning products and pesticides. Sick employees don’t foster a positive workplace!

Open Door

10. Surround yourself with live plants

Not only does this create a peaceful feeling of being in nature, but the plants also clean the air! Oh, and they are beautiful decorations too, making the space a happier one to be in just from a pure aesthetic level.

Indoor Plants

10 Things That Only a Half Hocus Pocus/Half Crazy Person Will Do to Create Good Ju Ju in an Office– A.K.A. How to Remove BAD ENERGY from an Office (CAUTION: The list below might not be up your alley, but it has worked for me!)

1.Keep on hand a magic selenite wand

I have one on my desk and I use it to clear negative energy from me or anyone who needs it. I just use it like the security guy at the airport uses the wand to check for metal. I slowly wave or rub it across the person or myself including my head and shoulders until I feel cleansed! Selenite works well to clear people and promotes mental flexibility. Black tourmaline is also said to clear negative energy.
Selenite Wand

2. Post sign at front of office that says “Take responsibility  for the energy you bring into this space”

I love my sign but don’t always have the nerve to put it at the front door, so sometimes it is hidden back by my desk.

You are responsible...

3. Burn white sage

When we need to remove negative energy we do what many cultures before us have done and burn dried white sage to get rid of bad energy! It smells so good and the ritual itself just puts everyone in a better mood as we are being proactive!

4. Combine salt and Saint George’s sword

Cut the leaves of the plant Saint George’s sword  (also known as snake plant) and put them in a jar of half water and half salt (maybe 7 teaspoons salt). Hide the jars behind doors and under desks. This keeps bad spirits at bay, according to my Brazilian friend Ju Ju, who has the best ju ju! We do this a couple times of year.

Change Your Thoughts-Change the World

5. Play new age music

You will feel like you are in spa and all is well. Monk chanting is good too. Both of these choices are only to be done if you are trying to rid negative vibes not if you are in regular work mode. High frequency music is recommended by some too, though it gives me a headache. Most of the time we have on a variety of top 40, reggae, or R&B, just to keep the environment fun and relaxed.

6. Spray essential oils

Take some drops of essential oils and mix with water in a spray bottle, and then spray away (not near computers). Use basil oil to stimulate the conscious mind to invoke happiness or lavender oil to calm and relieve nervous anxiety. Sometimes if I don’t have a spray bottle, I put it on my wrists and rub!

Essential Oils

7. Open windows

Fresh air can make a world of difference; especially in a small office.

Open Window

8. Plant some rue outside your office or studio

On our office deck, we have some rue. It’s supposed to purify the environment and it clears the mind of negative thoughts and energy. And  it smells good! Plant with some rosemary in the same pot for extra potency.

Rue

9. Light a Himalayan salt lamp

I love my lamp and in addition to giving off a warm peaceful light, it gives off negative ions, which supposedly are a really positive thing!

Salt Lamp

10. Wear meditative charms

Like our Tibetan Bell to remind you to think good thoughts! Wear it and do great things!™

Tibetan Bell Necklace by Jen Pleasants | UncommonGoods

If you have tips for making your workspace a happy place, share them in the comments!

The Uncommon Life

12 More Quotes that Keep Makers Motivated

August 14, 2015

A while back, we rounded up a series of inspirational quotes that we gathered along our adventures through artists’ studios. Those 8 Quotes that Keep Makers Motivated are enough to give most creative types a little get-up-and-go, but why stop there? We’ve since visited more studios, interviewed a ton of talented artists, and collected even more quotes that help keep our makers going strong.  Here are a few that we hope you’ll enjoy!

CassidyBrush

Considering that Cassidy Schulz Brush deals with lighting all day, it’s no surprise that she’s a fan of Edison. “There are a few quotes by Thomas Edison that I find inspirational,” she told us when we visited her Brooklyn studio. She wrote this quote out on her chalkboard wall and snapped a shot for us.

 

AnnaTalukder

We’re proud to feature a wide assortment of Ana Talukder’s Jewelry and our Jewelry Buyer, Sharon, was thrilled to have the opportunity to check out Ana’s studio in Seattle. Ana wrote out this mantra that reminds her, “You always have to be looking to be better, you always have to be working at being better, and you always have to put all your heart in it. Otherwise, what’s the point?”

BarryRosenthal

Photographer Barry Rosenthal happens to have a creative space in the Brooklyn Army Terminal, the same building that UncommonGoods calls home! Of course, we couldn’t wait to work with him to develop new products, but we also couldn’t wait to check out his studio. Barry explained that this Burroughs quote makes him think about his own creative process: “I don’t know what I will find in the field, and I may not know what I will do with what I find, but somehow fully formed themes are sparked just by the simple act of ‘seeing’ what is out there.”

DaveMarcoullier

Dave Marcoullier’s San Francisco woodworking studio is in a building that’s also home to the studios of more than 250 other creators, or “mad scientists,” as Dave likes to say. His quote from architect Daniel H. Burnham reminds him that he got where he is today by thinking big. “It’s good to get riled up and make bold plans,” he said.

JenPleasants

Jewelry Designer Jen Pleasants not only imprints “She believed she could, so she did” on some of her designs, she also truly believes in the power of those words. She even has them proudly displayed in her Portola Valley, CA studio.

JoAnnStratakos

Our Tabletop Buyer, NéQuana, traveled to rural Pennsylvania to meet JoAnn Stratakos, the maker of everyone’s favorite rainbow unicorn, Elwood. One of JoAnn’s favorite quotes, which was inspired by a quote from Richard Bach, is a reminder to keep the good things that could be in mind, instead of thinking about what might be holding you back.

LahlaSmart

We were lucky to get a look inside Lahla Smart’s London studio when our contributor, Emily, visited England. Lahla said that this Walt Disney quote reminds her of her early days of a designer. She took a leap, created her Food Guide Towel, and the rest is history.

StuartGardiner

On the same trip, Emily had a chance to check out Stuart Gardiner’s studio. Stuart shared a quote by Saul Bass, not only because Bass is one of his favorite designers, but also because: “it’s quite a broad and vague statement which is similar to the way I go about my work. I have a very organic unstructured approach to design: the opposite of methodical.”

MatthewHoffman

Matthew Hoffman’s work is full of inspiring quotes and words of wisdom, so it was hard to pick just one statement from our recent interview with the Chicago-based artist. We figured that “Anything is possible” pretty much says it all.

PhilThompson

Also based in Chicago, Phil Thompson creates art inspired by architecture. He keeps this Winston Churchill quote on the bulletin board in front of his drawing board to keep him motivated.

SarahGarcia

Design Challenge Winner Sarah Janece Garcia sent us a painting of her favorite quote from Coco Chanel when we interviewed her about her winning painting, First Light

RondaJSmith

We carry quite a few of Ronda J Smith’s photographic pillows, so we loved seeing her favorite quote printed and plush! “This quote means anything and everything you want it to mean,” she said when we visited her Brooklyn studio. “Your thoughts and mindset are more powerful than you could ever imagine.”

We love getting these looks inside our artists’ creative processes, and can’t wait to share more interviews and Studio Tours with through our Maker Stories. Share your favorite quotes in the comments below to get in on the conversation. 

The Uncommon Life

Uncommon Personalities: Meet Ed Morales

August 12, 2015

EdwinMorales

Ed Morales – UncommonGoods Operations Associate

My hometown…
Brooklyn, NY

I’m inspired by…
Anyone with a disability. They still get up to do what they have to do like going to work, driving, exercising, living life, etc.

My favorite process in the UncommonGoods warehouse is…
Learning everything I can about the warehouse operation.

When I’m not working, I’m probably…
Enjoying the day off with my family and friends.

I’m stubborn about…
Nothing.

The accomplishment I’m most proud of is…
Becoming a good father and a good man.

An uncommon fact about me…
I was shot in the leg when I was fifteen. Till this day I don’t know who did it. I have the scar to remind me of that day. P.s. I wasn’t a bad kid, if you’re wondering.