Creative Humans - Jordan Brantley

May 03, 2014 by lean timms in Creative Humans

It's funny the way that some people just happen to appear in your life and you know instantly that you were meant to meet them. That's the way I feel about Jordan. Our afternoon photo shoot (and only second time meeting) turned into an afternoon of fun - bike riding, secret garden paths, frozen yogurt and her gorgeous cottage home full of beautifully styled nooks, kick ass plants and her cat, Porter. Jordan is bright, passionate, full of talent and life. She is someone who adores connecting with new people and has committed her creative career to getting to know these people, hearing their stories and helping them become successful in pursuing their passions, through design, support and collaboration. A graphic designer and entrepreneur, Jordan owns and runs two businesses - a brand artistry business, jordanbrantley.com and her very new project, The Business Bar. I strongly advise you to check them both out. You will soon see that Jordan is exceptional at what she does and quickly come to understand why this lady is just so likable.

What projects are you currently working on?For the first time in a long time, most of my time is spent working on a big personal project instead of client work. I do have a few awesome design projects going on right now for some really amazing entrepreneurs, but the majority of my day is spent working towards the launch of The Business Bar and meeting with potential partners for that.

Where do you draw your inspiration from? My number one source of inspiration is passionate people, hands down. Getting to know the people behind the businesses that I work with and hearing why they are so passionate about what they do is the best part of my job. Their passion, the reason they get up every morning, the thing that keeps them going through the hardest days, is the best inspiration for me.

Tell us a little about your creative talents and passions. Right now, my passions are shifting from helping people pursue their passions through graphic design, to helping people be successful in all areas of business (thus, be successful at pursuing their passion) by collaborating with a group of talented people for The Business Bar.

Was there a specific moment for you where you realized that you wanted to devote your working life to these talents and passions?I was really blessed to find my passion for working with creative, passionate entrepreneurs while I was still in school (university). It was when I met up with a local photographer who needed brand identity and we ended up talking for over four hours. She is now one of my good friends and one of the first people I call with exciting business news. I worked with her during my last year of school and I couldn't wait to graduate and have more time for meeting creatives and helping them be more successful in their business by providing them with effective design.

What is a typical day like for you? Oh goodness, ask me next week and my answer will probably be completely different. Recently my days have been long and crazy. ( Okay, maybe that’s all the time. ) I recently participated in a crowd-funding festival in Jacksonville called One Spark to promote The Business Bar. A crazy amount of connections were made there, so I’ve been spending a lot of time meeting with awesome people over coffee to get to know them, hear what their passionate about and talk about different ways we could collaborate. The rest of my day - if there is any left - is spent replying to emails, working on design projects, settling in to our new home, riding my bike around my beautiful neighborhood or spending time with my husband and friends.

If you could travel to any part of the world right now, where would you go? A certain someone has made me really want to visit Australia soon… ;)

What is your favorite meal to cook at home? My go to is chicken, quinoa, and veggies topped with feta. I hope we never get sick of it!

What is the most difficult part about working in a creative industry?

I think it can be very difficult to remove emotions from a project and see it from an outside perspective. It is hard to not take it personally when your ideas and creations are not well received after you've poured your heart and soul into them. Because of that, it can be very scary to put yourself out there.

The best part? It’s funny, the most difficult things in life are usually the best and most rewarding. Because it is so scary to put your creations into the world for people to fall in love with or tear apart, it also makes the job so much more fulfilling. The riskier ideas can sometimes bring the most reward.

What do you love most about Jacksonville?

The wonderful community of people. There are so many talented people doing amazing things in this city. I’m so happy lean + meadow is sharing a few of their stories!

What are your sweetest daily moments? The sweetest moments in my day are when I get to grow a relationship. That could be hearing about my husband’s day, reading my Bible to learn more about my God, catching up with a friend or meeting someone new.

Looking back 10 years from now, what would you like to see? I hope to look back and see time being spent on things that really matter and have a lasting impact, instead of stress and worry over things that won’t matter at all in 10 years.

Creative Humans - Sarah + Meredith | Community Loaves

April 26, 2014 by lean timms in Creative Humans, Food

Once a week I get on my bike and I ride to one of the local stores that stocks Community Loaves sourdough. I go out of my way to get this bread, because it is THAT good. Last Sunday, I wound up in the back garden of the Community Loaves bakery for their pizza night. It was there that I met the bakeries owners and creators, Sarah + Meredith. These two girls have passion for bread. Not to mention that they are two of the sweetest business owners that I have ever met. They are committed to consciously sourced and sustainability-focused baking and creating sourdough bread and hearth-baked goods that are made with labor-intensive traditional techniques. It was in the back garden that I saw just how much their creative culinary talents are making beautiful waves among the local community of Jacksonville. Now that they have opened their store front bread shop, who's to tell just how big their waves are going to become. Tsunami's I think. Their store is located on 1120 Edgewood Ave S, Jacksonville, Florida. Thankfully for me, this is still just a short bike ride away.

What projects are you currently working on?

We just opened up our bread shop, so it feels like we just completed a big project. Now we are just getting to live with our creation (!) and appreciating what we have done. We do miss the power tools though.

Where do you draw your inspiration from?

Bakeries in Europe, whole grain recipe books, locally available goods, traditional ways of making grain more nutritious and digestible (thank you Nourishing Traditions).

Tell us a little about your baking style:

Rustic. The crusty, dark look we get from our hearth oven. Treats that aren't too sweet, savories that aren't too heavy. Processes that take a long time with just a few simple ingredients, rather than using quick, processed foods.

Was there a specific moment for you where you realized that you wanted to be baking and creating bread?

Meredith: It was Apprenticing in a bakery and falling in love with the rhythms of baking, while simultaneously getting excited to move back to Jax and making lists of ways to make my life here my dream life. Owning my own business and using my new skill of baking made perfect sense.

What is a typical day like for you?

Coffee and a hot kitchen. We take turns mixing and shaping the dough and baking the bread. And now with the new storefront one of us is serving customers while the other is working in the kitchen. The constants are working with dough, thinking about what we would like to make next, and a lot of cleaning dishes and scrubbing floors. Dog walks and meals are squeezed in.

If you could travel to any part of the world right now, where would you go?

Meredith : It is hot in this kitchen right now, so I am going to say on a lake in a northern climate. Or talbot island.

What is your favorite meal to cook at home?

Black eyed peas and greens and a grain from Anson Mills.

What is the most difficult part about working in the baking industry?

Meredith : The physical labor. We both whine about back aches and I'm wearing wrist braces, but at the same time I like showing off my arm muscles. Ha

The best part? People loving what we make. Being capable of running a business and creating a product that we are proud of.

What do you love most about Jacksonville?

The historic neighborhoods, the river and the ocean, being so close to family, the growing food scene and getting to be a part of it.

What are your sweetest daily moments?

When things go smoothly and according to plan. Dancing in the kitchen when we are busting ass and having a good time.

Looking back 10 years from now, what would you like to see?

We have sold the business, made millions, and bought an estate in France. OR we have found a way to continuously alter this business to fit our changing lives and this city embraces artists and small markets and old communities and starts addressing its segregation and we never have to drive through the suburbs again. But I'll probably still be scrubbing the floors.

Creative Humans - Joshua Mauser

April 19, 2014 by lean timms in Creative Humans

I first met Josh at the local coffee shop. He was making coffee and I was taking photos of him making coffee. Upon our second meeting, in that same coffee shop, we got chatting and I soon came to realise that Josh was also a photographer. He gave me the details to his blog and website and before I knew it, a quick 'browse' through his work became a long 'swoon' over his work. His ability to capture real moments, the places he has traveled specifically to photograph and the intensity and story telling that jumps out from each image - impressed me. A lot. I must admit, I was a little scared to photograph another photographer. Especially one with a photojournalism degree... But, as Josh showed me around some of his favorite places near his home, I soon realised that his presence affected me the way that looking through his work did - effortlessly, time flew by.

What projects are you currently working on? Right now I am in more of a planning stage for several projects. I will be collaborating with the great folks at Bold Bean to create several videos over the next few months. Other than that, I am always keeping my eyes open for any opportunities that may come my way. A lot of the work I am currently doing can’t be too planned and just requires me to be out and about with my camera so I can meet people and make images.

Where do you draw your inspiration from? My friends/peers. I graduated from the photojournalism program at Western Kentucky University where I was able to learn the art alongside some of the most talented up and coming photojournalists in the country. I am proud of where I come from and continue to be inspired by some of my closest friends in the business. There is a cool dynamic of competitive support where we try to push each other to make ourselves better. I also follow many major blogs and publications like the NYT Lens Blog, Time’s Lightbox, Aphotoaday.org, and as always, anything my friends are doing over at WKUPJ.com

How would you describe your photographic style? I would say that I am by no means a flashy photographer. I love to be a fly on the wall in all situations and prefer when people don’t notice I am there. There is something about capturing real moments without my presence that I thrive on. I love using natural light, composition and quiet moments to create my photographs.

What has been the most memorable photographic experience for you so far?This is a very tough question for me. First, the thing I love most about photojournalism is that I get to be everyone else’s profession at least once. I have been on police raids, a yacht race across lake Michigan, dog sledding, and into the smallest communities from my own state to the other side of the world. But, If I had to pick one experience that still stands out above the rest, it would have to be photographing a small gypsy village in Slovakia this past summer for a documentary that has yet to be released. I woke up at 5am to wander the streets before most people were awake. As I walked around people began to get their children ready for school and I focused my attention to one large family living in a two room home. The locals were skeptical of me at first but with a big smile and me holding up my camera they kindly nodded and allowed me to take pictures. After several minutes, they insisted that I come inside and have coffee with them. I never knew what they were saying but there was a kind and natural relationship built because of my profession. I will never forget their kindness and how even with so little, they offered me more than coffee.

What is a typical day like for you?Right now my life is a bit unpredictable. I am working two jobs in order to get back on my feet and survive after college. I usually spend my mornings working at Bold Bean and then my afternoons at Riverside Presbyterian Day School running after school programs. In my free time I try to play soccer, exercise, and keep myself active outside of work. Sadly, for now I mostly shoot with my iPhone for fun wherever I am. But, I am finally reaching a place where I can cut back on work and get back to my old routines in school where photography and creating was a main priority.

If you could travel to any part of the world right now, where would you go?Israel- I traveled there a few years ago and was captivated with the amount of culture in the old city in Jerusalem. I was raised Jewish and have a Sufi (a sect of Islam) mother. After getting to explore my religious roots, I would love to go back and do a story on Sufism, the mystical path so I can better understand the power of religion.

What is your favorite meal to cook at home?Enchiladas - They are a bit labor intensive so I don’t make them often. But, they are a specialty of mine and dare I say, absolutely delicious.

What is the most difficult part about working in a creative industry?Right now the market is over saturated with photographers and jobs are scarce. My ideal job of shooting for a daily newspaper is less and less of a reality as layoffs continue. It can be difficult to know what to do and is forcing me to become more of an entrepreneur, something I am not very good at.

The best part?The overwhelming variety of experiences I have had (and will continue to have). The time I have spent with quality people around the world is priceless to me.

What do you love most about Jacksonville?

Riverside- This area is so full of creative and likeminded people. I love to be able to go to work at Bold Bean and have conversations with people that are making their creative visions a reality. It is inspiring.

What are your sweetest daily moments? Mornings with my girlfriend Bailey. When we are lucky enough to have the morning off together we like to wake up late (around 8am or 9am) and make some coffee and lounge around the house. Breakfast is an important meal to us and we savor the quiet time together.

Looking back 10 years from now, what would you like to see?

I would like to see that I became better at actively searching out and achieving goals. I want to see this time as the start of a long career in visual journalism.

To view Josh's photojournalism work, check out his blog and website. For his personal day to day iphone photos, check out his instagram.

Creative Humans - Chantalle Johnson | Ether Chambles

April 12, 2014 by lean timms in Creative Humans

Chantalle, aka Ether Chambles, is a Jacksonville based singer songwriter, who effortlessly combines vocals, instrumentals and electronics to create magical, musical sounds. Chantalle is one of those very special people who instantly makes you feel comfortable and comforted. She is warm, gracious and sweet, and her music is nothing short of ethereal. This girl is a credit to the local Jacksonville creative scene and is going to make waves once her very first Ether Chambles EP is released. Stay tuned to this one...

What projects are you currently working on?

I’m writing and recording my first EP under the moniker Ether Chambles. The project is essentially my audiovisual blueprint with contributions from two insanely talented friends and fellow artists, James West <music> and Jazz Walker <film>. The tracks are constructed with mind to one motif and each composition is illustrated by a video.

Where do you draw your inspiration from?

The sublime, visuals, poetry, nature, the human condition, spirituality, science, anatomy. I write for a living so I have the chance to document interesting concepts I come across while working.

How would you describe your music style? Ethereal, extracting elements from shoegaze, classic hip-hop, dream pop, melancholy Brit rock, and ambient soundscapes. I work with gauzy textures anchored by heavy percussion throughout my work because it keeps the blood rushing and the limbs light. I hear beats as pulses for languid pieces and think something striking happen when you combine those contrasting sounds.

What has been the most standout performance for you so far?

I love strumming my electric guitar but when I started just singing on stage, that’s when I bloomed as a performer. Highlights under another moniker include my first show at Underbelly, headlining at Burro Bar, and the Space Bars music video premiere at Rain dogs.

What is a typical day like for you?

I work full-time as an SEO copywriter so most of my typical day involves creating web content for business owners. In the evening I come home and might spend time collecting images, writing lyrics, or singing. Usually I venture into the local arts scene during the weekend, whether it be connecting with friends, attending a concert, or busting moves on the dance floor.

If you could travel to any part of the world right now, where would you go?

Europe - my mum is from the UK and keeps telling me I should travel. Right now I have my sights set on Wales, Spain, Italy, and France.

What is your favorite meal to cook at home?

Toasted sourdough bread, eggs, spinach, red onion, and provolone plus a side of banana slices sprinkled with cinnamon.

What is the most difficult part about working in the music industry?

Earning credibility as a solo female performer. I welcome the challenge because I continue to stay true to my art without caving to the pressures of performing with a band or playing a traditional instrument on stage. Withstanding those expectations just makes you stronger.

The best part?

The three Cs: connection, communication, catharsis. That and I tend to slip into a trance when I sing - the only way I can describe it is that my eyes close halfway and I experience a supreme sense of bliss.

What do you love most about Jacksonville?

Our evolving local arts scene. There’s a unique opportunity here to make your mark and support other artists who are dedicated to doing the same. I also like that Jacksonville is divided into boroughs, similar to New York City, because it breeds diversity and gives you options.

What are your sweetest daily moments? I find inner peace sitting on the grass and eating lunch by the water during the workday.

Looking back 10 years from now, what would you like to see? Regarding my microcosm, I hope to have traveled, met beautiful and enlightening people, and ultimately created stunning audiovisual work that rerouted the course - that and more Tupac holograms, please.

For more of Chantalle's current and previous works:

WebsiteVideoSoundcloud