Work – Photo Archive Home

From screen to magazine

(insert celebratory clapping and grins)

Making the cover

Cincinnati Magazine just released their annual “Best of the City” issue for 2008 (on newsstands now).

In it they list 110 of their favorite things around town, from restaurants and shops to services and activities (including kilt rental and clogging lessons.) They not only gave a shout out to Wire & Twine for our shirts, but they had us print up a batch for the cover along with a tee for every winner on the list.

This is the type of thing we file under ‘awesome’ around the studio. A great reward as we approach our anniversary and look forward to 2009 and lots of new projects.

(Related link: The “Open for business” post.)

This appreciation would not be complete without tipping our collective hats to everyone who filled up a cart and checked out of our virtual store, ‘blogged about a product, emailed a friend with a link, or even sent us good vibes.

Thank you thank you thank you.

The “new” guy

(insert one o' them long-hair'd)

cuttin it up

This is Joel.

You may have noticed him modeling some of the new shirts over at the shop. Well maybe not, since I’m always cropping off everyone’s heads.

Anyway, Joel has been with us for like a year now, so he’s technically not the new guy, but he is the newest. He comes in a few days of the week and can jump into darn near any project we’ve got going. That alone makes him valuable, but the real bonus is that he’s a bright and fun guy, with a passionate (and yes, maybe quirky) taste for music; whether he’s picking out an album to play, or talking about his own creations.

The only thing we disagree on is how to say Appalachia.

All in all, we lucked out finding him.

Current music: Thao & The Get Down, Stay Down “Yes, So On And So On”

organizing

(insert smell of soy based cleaners)

screens stacked in the darkroom

Joel (the “new” guy at the studio) has been getting things in order.

We’re gearing up for the holidays.

No time to type!

Notes to the future

(insert thick sharpie)

I make the same icons over and over it seems…

As we approach our 2nd anniversary at the studio, it’s time to figure out where we’ve been and were we want to go. Part of this process is to think through our personal vision.

We started this today.

Tom was printing out fun tidbits last I saw, Wendy was plotting out things on a grid, and I grabbed a marker and some post-it notes.

So I threw out everything—personal and professional—then gave a subjective rating as to how well I’m attending to any particular topic. (I’ll admit I borrowed the latter idea from Wendy’s grid)

Tomorrow? We reconvene and look for overlap and ways to help each other.

ZOOM IN to read the notes

Current music: Deerhunter “Activation”

While the kids were sleeping

(insert ballpoint)

breaking out the index cards

Tom keeps having quality control issues with his thrice repaired and replaced laptop, so he went to the computer store and I was left to entertain myself at the quiet studio yesteday.

Crossed a few things off the to-read list while I ate lunch at sloth-like speed and then spent the afternoon carving out business plans with Wendy while her kids were sleeping.

We stared at the calendar, then came up with what is potentially a fine design idea. Now I’m fleshing out the doodle above.

Current music: The Killers “Human”

truckin

(insert work)

vectorizin

workin

stacked

(insert bins, glorious bins)

Tom sets up the shelves

Flurry of activity at the studio. That calendar is already paying off. While I was upstairs pushing pixels, Tom and Garrett were downstairs making magic happen.

Soon filling orders will be as easy as pulling out a bin and selecting the right size. (another photo from above)

Those two have also been making good with the markers for the next t-shirt—a special edition garment for our friends at WOXY. (draft)

In non-work news, I’m tempted to rent a hotel just to have a big tub and load it up with Calgon. Got home in time to maybe go out and catch a flick, but there’s not a dang thing I really want to see out in the theaters.

UPDATE: We’re going to see that Across the Universe.

Current music: Dirty On Purpose “Always Looking”

workspace

(insert lots of plywood on the walls and floor)

The studio at the farm

Folks have been intrigued by the little snippets of the studio that crop up on these pages now and then—usually there’s an expanse of plywood or shelves heavy with tools or inspiration, there are drawers, ink, and sometimes I’ll crop up.

One of my November goals is to get with the other folks and give a proper tour of the space.

Until then, this here’s the outside. And another view if’n you’re interested.

Current music: Guided By Voices “Tour Guide At The Winston Churchill Memorial”

factory

(insert, oh I don't know, can't think, gotta work)

Old factory adjacent to Target and Crossroads in Oakley, no idea what they make (or made) here

Crunch week.

Outside communication (replies, emails, phonecalls) will be on time delay.

Post text, sparse.

Current music: Band Of Horses “Is There A Ghost”

welcoming October

(insert too shallow depth of field, I need to knock that off sometimes

It’s hard not to say Boo-yeah

Lot’s of good stuff on the work front. Among them, we finally updated the Wire & Twine homepage with the Skeleton “Smart-Tee” pictured above. Tom drew up the bones and the kids around the studio won’t stop wearing them and spelling out the word printed along the hem.

If you want one and you’re in Cincinnati, stop by MiCA over in O’Bryonville (map). They’ve got most all of our shirts in stock and have a whole store full of neato stuff.

Upcoming news…

In a few weeks two important events overlap, Farm Day – a yearly shindig by my good friends that is always guaranteed fun, and Dan’s recital – a gig he’s been planning and practicing for almost non-stop.

On tap this week: I’m going to Chicago on Friday to bend elbows at the FLIST Blogger’s Artshow.
I’m a bit over-excited as a.) I’m going to meet lots of folks from online I hold dear, and b.) I’ve never had anything up on a gallery wall except for that thing in 3rd grade where I got a that red ribbon.

If you’re free on Friday night, stop on by. Runs ’til 2am at the Happy Dog Gallery (1542 N. Milwaukee, 2nd floor – map)

Current music: Stars Of The Lid “Even If You’re Never Awake”