Thanks so much for joining us today. I've been following you on instagram for a while now and love every project & every picture you share- first I would love to know how did you get started with Artifact Uprising?
Serendipity has been kind to us. There are three of us who started this company - and continue to run most everything happening behind the scenes. What began as an idea born from our photography careers spiraled into experiments baking photo books in our oven (yes you can bake books in your oven - though we can't say we were successful!). We spent over two years ideating and inquiring and losing faith and beginning again. All of that adds up to what you see here.
We hope our company reflects the spirit to empower the creative in everyone, a company that never forgets where it came from or where it hopes to go - a company that values beautiful design and thinks green. We invite you to join us...to hold us accountable and inspire us with your art.
Ah thats such an amazing story and I won't lie, I'm really intrigued by the book 'baking' part!! So what exactly does Artifact Uprising mean?
It's a multi-layered concept - this idea that we need to think about what we're leaving behind and the tangible stories we tell at this time when our digital platforms and cloud-based solutions expand. The name also accounts for our environmental values. We use reclaimed fallen waste-wood in several of our products with the intent to give new purpose to artifacts of our forest.
You can imagine our doubt when we landed on a 6-syllable name - worried it was too long and perhaps too strong in it's message. But it's the one to which we kept circling back. So we went for it - and it's taught us that if you believe in something, if you have something to say - go for it. The world needs it.
I love the name, its intriguing and beautiful- So tell me, in the world of social media where photos are available online in an instant for all to see, how do you encourage others to put these photos in paper format and really enjoy them more than just fingering through their phone?
A day came when we realized our documented lives were sitting on our phones and computers - with no true place to live on. And so the story goes, "inspired by the disappearing beauty of the tangible." We are a printing company - yes - but at the end of the day we are just a few people who think about that - the stories we're leaving behind.
Its all about stories- thats why I love a good coffee table book which is always a conversation starter, you seem to be providing that- but its still about preserving memories so do you have any advice on how to capture moments better?
Shoot a lot. See yourself as the artist you are. Live a life whose stories need to be told. And just continue to create.
What I love about your company is that you can create a book with any photos (camera or cellphone format) how do you actually feel about all these cellphone photographers and do you see it ever overshadowing the use of using real cameras?
We live in an incredible time for the sharing of photography as art - a great democratization essentially underway. The technology is catching up with the creativity that's always been there - always waiting to be discovered. I've always thought the camera to be a technical piece of equipment with a finite amount of operating knowledge. Beyond that, it's really about how you see the world, how you find light, how you see emotion. So this new world? It's just that - it's a world that credits the eye of the underdog just as much as the professional.
There will always be a place for the professional - for their craft, for the way they see the world and for the equipment they use. If anything, this growth in cell phone technology has just as much elevated and encouraged a renaissance in those circles. It's all fascinating for the future - and the documented landscape of what we're leaving behind.
So very true! You know another thing I noticed is how being environmentally friendly in the production of your books is essential, why was that important to you in creating this company?
Simply put, the Colorado outdoors have shaped so much of who we are and that matters. It's personal. We've long admired companies who hold tight to their values, who find a way to make those values accessible to the market, shift demand and ultimately affect change. Right now, our interior book pages are printed on 100% post-consumer waste recycled papers. It's a start. We have a lot to learn and continue striving to find more ways to use waste materials. It's not an easy or convenient task but it's the most important thing we can do.
Thanks so much for joining us!
(courtesy credit for photo 1, photo 3, photo 4, photo 5- all others via artifact uprising)
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