Today we’d like to introduce you to Kristin Nason.
Kristin, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I wish that I could tell the story of how Island Farm Press started without beginning on a sad note, but I think it’s worth sharing because I know it connects to something many people have experienced. A few years back, my family lost several loved ones over a short period and their deaths led me to really take an overhead look at where I was, and where I wanted to go. I began stepping back from a stressful job that required extensive international travel, and started plans for what Island Farm Press is today — a space for creative production, collaboration, and learning.
I’ve been involved in the arts for most of my life – I have a BFA from UMass Amherst and an MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago – but I think I always felt apprehensive about making it a full time job. I guess grief became a great motivator… It led me to take a chance on this crazy creative venture.
We get a lot of questions about our name – we do have a garden, but it’s hardly a farm! Island Farm was the name of my grandparents’ home on the south shore of Massachusetts. It was a magical place for our family, and I hope to bring that spirit of craft and care into everything we do at the studio.
Has it been a smooth road?
Haha! You know that highway sign you see sometimes when they’re doing construction: “Expect Delays”? That says it all. Building out the studio took nearly a year because I was doing all the work myself with occasional help from my husband on evenings and weekends. Well, actually, you could probably also count YouTube and Craigslist as my full-time coworkers!
Since I was working on a budget, almost everything in the studio was found for free or purchased second hand. I had lots of funny adventures picking up unwieldy things like flat files and sewing machines. Along the way I met so many kind people who went above-and-beyond to help solve problems with my weird projects at places like Grainger and La Mesa Sew and Vac (thanks for the help with the vacuum table!) among many others.
I think the most challenging project I took on was building a 4×5 foot UV exposure unit from scratch. When you’re exposing screens for printing, you need one of these to transfer the image onto the screen. I wanted the capacity to burn really large screens for yardage printing on textiles, but it costs a small fortune to buy a unit that big. So I built/unbuilt/built/unbuilt this thing three times before I could get it to work. The first time I flipped the switch, I stood with my back to it, clutching a fire extinguisher, eyes closed, and then… nothing. But it works now! And I feel like a proud mama every time I use it.
Tell us more about the business.
Island Farm Press is a lot of things in one. This season we launched our line of printed textiles and table linens and plan to expand into accessories and fine art prints in the coming year. Our designs are inspired by antiquities, oddities and the natural world. Most start as hand cut silhouettes that are then translated into repeat patterns. Starting with the physical process of drawing and cutting is much more satisfying for me than designing entirely on the computer. I love those little imperfections that come from handwork… too many vectors and pixels can really get me down!
In addition to creating things in our studio, we also offer We-Come-To-You custom mobile printing workshops where we set up a small Pop-Up Printshop at events to allow guests to create their own prints. It’s a fun way to add an interactive element to a party or a business function. We create custom designs for each event or we can use a company logo, etc. Showing people how screen printing works is my favorite thing – it’s such a versatile medium and relatively easy to learn. People can use it in so many different ways!
Last but not least, this past summer, we also launched our artist residency program, The Aviary. So far, most of our residents have not had experience with screen printing, so it’s been so fun helping them to translate their ideas into print. We’re working on expanding this program, as well as developing the educational arm of the studio. So… we’ve got a lot going on!
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
Like with many industries, consolidation and overseas manufacturing are changing things a lot. Our customers tend to be people who prioritize supporting small businesses and understand that things that are made carefully with high quality materials will cost more than what you’ll find in a big box store. If you want something unique and handmade with a story behind it, that’s what we do.
We are so excited to be part of the movement of small businesses and makers that’s been gaining momentum for awhile now. Selling work at markets this past year, I’ve been moved by how many amazing people are taking a chance on re-imagining the ways we make and consume things. Between the artisans who make big sacrifices to stay true to their visions and the customers who come out to support them, I feel energized that together we can alter the path of this crazy disposable consumer train we’ve found ourselves on. I’m really looking forward to seeing where 2020 takes us, and resolving to make this a decade of ‘fewer, nicer things’.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.islandfarmpress.com
- Email: islandfarmpress@gmail.com
- Instagram: @islandfarmpress
Suggest a story: SDVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
