A Unique Camp Experience

Let me get to the point with this post, my Camp experience was life-changing. Business growth, spiritual growth, fun. Can’t say enough good about it!

So, I was asked to do a stencil workshop and discuss my brand at the Unique Camp, a project created by Unique LA founder Sonja Rasula. Camp is basically a 4-day getaway in this case to Big Bear Mountain, 2 hours outside of LA. The conference helps entrepreneurs focus on their business goals with classes and workshops ranging from how to raise venture capital to well, how to stencil! Yes, the balance of business, art, physical challenges, dancing, and drinks at night all worked well together!

Sonja’s welcome chat included a reading from Disney CEO Michael Eisner’s book CAMP and sort of set the tone for the entire experience. I took the reading to mean ‘Yea. you will be slightly uncomfortable and challenged and out of your element here but this is where growth occurs and some great bonding as well.’  It, for me, was rather spiritual to grow myself as well as my business. As a rather quiet gent, I set my intention to come out of my shell, listen to people and have fun – I think I met all 110 people! Oh, and BTW, we were UNPLUGGED. ESSENTIAL!

AS for the stencil workshop, I chose a place under 5 large pines. We had a variety of supplies and I showed how to stencil paper, t-shirts, bags, and more. One lucky winner received a bunch of Plaid supplies, she was the star student for stenciling her Everlane bag with my arrow stencil. Amazing job.  I spoke about starting Stencil1 from a dream to a full-time business while we got creative. So many people were there to start their own business, I hope I inspired their ideas.  I too was inspired by many of the workshops including Sonja’s which was about getting press and Whitney Chamberlain who owns a few businesses including Smile Booth and how his biz goals basically came out of his own needs in life.  I also kept observing the fine details that the Camp crew put into their branding, from table cloths to archery targets. Branding details matter.

I have a bunch of photos from the time away, I hope you enjoy them. Camp also put these up here. I can’t recommend enough to go to CAMP!

Stencil1 book launch at Converse Rubber Tracks

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Here’s a recap video of the Stencil1 book launch and DIY event at Converse Rubber Tracks Studio in Brooklyn.

Big thanks to Converse, Cool Hunting, Bushmills Whiskey, Polar Seltzer, Art Alternatives, Pebeo Paints, Sharpie, DIY Bangles, Clear Snap, Plaid, and Chocolate Bar NYC for your generous support. Enjoy the video!

+ music by Video Helper, edit by minimal dose

CHA 2013 with Plaid

I was asked by Plaid Enterprises to lead some stencil demos and make-and-takes at the Winter 2013 CHA in California and I of course said YES! It is so great to get away from my daily design tasks and be creative with people.  The Plaid booth was decked out with so many fun examples of what you can make with their products, everything from ModPodged frames to glitter covered bowling trophies, super fun stuff. Well, my project was stenciling mason jars with Folk Art enamel paint and these awesome sticky stencils. The creative folks at Plaid painted an area of the jar with chalkboard paint for labeling the jar contents, people ate that up. The stencils we used are sort of like ColorForms material, remember those? Well, they are rubbery and wrap around surfaces easily and remain sticky after you wash them!  I got to chat with people as they stenciled words or other iconic images onto the jars, it was gratifying to say the least.

My booth mates and new BFF’s were Jade Harrington of JaderBomb, Rachel Faucet of HandMade Charlotte, and the ever popular Cathie and Steve of Creative Juice. Handmade Charlotte is a must see line of stencils with a sweet retro, indie feel the them, I especially love the campfire theme! Beckie Farrant, blogger and sweetheart also lead some crafts in the booth.  And Cathie and Steve are the mad minds behind this new development for Mod Podge, Mod Podge Meltables. Fun silicon mold designs that you fill with this melted formula using a hot glue gun and the Mod Podge Meltables sticks(no it’s not glue and i’s not Mod Podge). So no more resin mixing mess! Dries in minutes and can be painted – ENDLESS USES! Blogger and smartie Heather Man of Dollar Store Crafts posted this great video of C&S doing a demo here. Notice below my pic with Glossy, the Mod Podge mascot, she’s pretty sassy.

Oh and I got to meet the Graphics Fairy, Karen Watson, bestower of free graphics, a humble and sweet doll of a gal. And ran into my fav craft gals Vickie Howell and Kathy Cano Murillo, both always fun and spreading the creative energy.  Also got paid a visit by Miss Erica Domesek of PS-I Made This who ps… has a new book coming out soon!

The best of all is we all had great food and drinks and drinks and drinks each night and I can gleefully say I got to know this group pretty well. FAMILY was a word that kept coming up. I was grateful to be a part of the Plaid weave and you may be hearing more about my adoption into this family, stay tuned!

Then I headed off in a rental car to Los Feliz to unwind, see some cool street art, eat tacos, then head back to Brooklyn.  A great West Coast visit! Well, In the mean time, enjoy my pics below!

Stencil1 Book Launch & DIY Event at Converse Rubber Tracks

Let me start by saying this was by far the best Stencil1 event ever!  Let me tell you why. First, the space. Converse generously offered me their community-based recording studios, RUBBER TRACKS to hold my event. This former warehouse was beyond fitting with it’s street art murals, cool lounge areas, and a stage normally for bands, in this case for the craft area. This was the first art party held in the space, normally it’s music events!

You know what else makes a cool event, a cool media sponsor. COOL HUNTING. There’s history to tell. CH was the first to write up my little old company Stencil1 in 2004! This lead to the NY Times calling, and so on. Very grateful to the crew at Cool Hunting for sponsoring and introducing me to BUSHMILLS. Yes, the drinks were provided by Bushmills Irish Whiskey.  I can’t count how many people were thrilled to be able to make something while having a delicious drink made from their whiskey with Polar Seltzer mixers(vanilla pear was my choice of the night!).Oh and what’s a party without music. Great music that is. The Broken Arms Crew hooked it up!

Ah yes, the creative part…With generous donations from Pebeo Fabric paint, Stained by Sharpie fabric markers, DIY Bangles, Art Alternatives wood panels, canvas sticky patches and stencil brushes, ColorBox by ClearSnap ink pads, and more brushes and supplies from Plaid, we all had so many choices! we made several stations – you could stencil a Converse white t-shirt, a wooden bangle bracelet, a wooden circular ornament, wooden panels, canvas patches, and give a try at stenciling Converse hightops.

My staff not only assisted in the crafts, they hooked up the chalkboard at the space with our social media contests. We asked all who attended to use hashtag Stencil1Style on images they took in the space. The lucky winner would receive a milkcrate of creative supplies!

Everyone posed in front of a canvas backdrop I painted with two 6 foot pigeons on it. Many more event photos on our facebook page.  They all left with whatever they made plus a hand spray-painted gift bag filled with samples from the sponsors as well as a Stencil1 journal.   For all those that were a part of the making of this event, I am extremely grateful for your help and for those of you who attended I hope you had as much fun as me! Be on the lookout for more customizing events, we have plans for many in 2013!

Be sure to subscribe to my mailing list, follow me on twitter, facebook, etc.

And check out the new book Stencil Style 101 so you too can customize your life!

BOOK LAUNCH EVENT

join Ed Roth for the launch of his new book Stencil Style 101!

WHERE:  Powerhouse Bookstore in DUMBO, Brooklyn  37 Main Street

When:  Monday October 22nd  7-9pm

A purchase of the book will include a free canvas tote bag to stencil, or you can bring your own things to stencil like a cotton t-shirt. Markers and canvas patches will also be provided. Alcohol and craft parties? Sure, why not. RSVP to rsvp@powerhousearena.com.

Brooklyn Book Festival!

Red carpet? Ed and Tim find the step-and-repeat at the BBF.

Wow, so not only was it the most prettiest of fall days yesterday, we cannot believe how much the Brooklyn Book Festival has grown in the last few years. Seriously, what a mob scene, but we’re glad that in the age of television/movie/video game/internets dominance, the book is still chuggin’.

Stencil1 was in attendance to support our favorites in indie publishing.  We stopped by the n+1 table to buy a subscription and applaud them for recognizing the talent of our good friend Hilary Leichter. Read her piece, “Temporary,” here! We cruised the Melville House corner for David Rees’ artisanal pencil sharpening ode, How to Sharpen Pencils. And lastly, we picked up some beautifully printed Russian words of wisdom from Ugly Duckling Presse. Sadly, we missed the Rookie mag Yearbook One signing at the Drawn and Quarterly booth, though Adrian Tomine was there signing his newest, New York Drawings, and receiving a lot of love.

The publication of Stencil Style 101 is just around the corner. We’ve got events cookin’ to celebrate, so stay tuned!