Meet Your Makers: Loyal Stricklin

WORDS  Katie Vega

I love to go antiquing.  I love antiquing because everything old I lust over is so well made.  These treasures I find (and fall in love with) were made with real-life human hands, years and years and years ago, and they remain intact, although patinaed.  Certain people are bringing the craftsmen “let’s make things that last” lifestyle back to the forefront with their magical hands.  One of those craftsmen is Michael Stricklin.

Michael Stricklin is founder of the American-made leather goods company Loyal Stricklin, and he lives and breathes the handmade lifestyle.  A Homewood, Alabama native, Michael and Loyal Stricklin now call historic Opelika their home.  In the words of Michael himself, Loyal Stricklin’s story is “one built on hard work, late nights, and too many cups of coffee”.  We talked to him to get a little insight on his talented self…

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MP: Tell us how this all got started and how it has evolved.

LS: “I started working with leather out of my bedroom in early 2012.  I had a little money in my pocket and I really wanted to make a purchase that I could value.  At the time, I was in architecture school at Auburn—a program that I loved, but even then, I wasn’t satisfied.  We would spend months designing a project only to make final drawings and models, without ever actually having the chance to build our designs.  I craved to see a design go from drawing board to real life use.  I had some experience in woodworking and welding, but I couldn’t do either of those from an apartment, so I bought some leather and got to work.  I worked slowly and only make 2 or 3 items a week, but I didn’t give up.  A year and a half later I had graduated from undergrad and had the summer off from school before going to grad school for a Master of Integrated Design and Construction, so I spent the entire summer working on leather for 8 hours a day, honing my skills, and challenging myself.  That fall I really got down to work, making as much as I could.  I spent hours drawing new wallets and bags while in class.  I was obsessed, and the aesthetic that is Loyal Stricklin was born.  I was fortunate enough to have some great press from FOLK Magazine and collaborations with 1924us and a few others that really got my name out there.  I then moved my workspace into an old southern house in Opelika, and worked out of there until I moved into the Opelika Train Depot with Cottonseed Studios. Growth has been pretty rapid, but at a level that I have been comfortable with. I couldn’t be more thankful.  I now have three part-time employees.”

MP: Why do you think buying handmade, local goods is important?  Why is it especially important in the South?

LS: “So many products are made overseas, and are made to fall apart.  I started this venture because I wanted to use items that wore in, not out.  I’d rather pay $100 for a wallet that will last me 20 years and be even more beautiful beaten up, than spend $40 on a wallet that will fall apart and go to the garbage after a year or less of use.  American made is usually a bit higher in price, but you can see the quality difference, because when a craftsman is making something, he cares about the final outcome and the quality of their item they have made themselves.  I’ve found that plenty of Americans are fine spending a bit more for higher quality items, but it feels like many of them don’t even know that American-made is an option.  “Made in China” has become the norm and our generation has become a throwaway culture. I generally think of buying local as buying American-made, whether it’s  made in Alabama or Alaska, it’s important to support other Americans’ craft.”

MP: What are some of your favorite things about Alabama, or the South in general?

LS: “I love the seasons here. We get everything.  Beautiful, glowing falls; cozy, gray winters; fresh, breezy springs; and lush, overgrown summers, and even a little bit of snow here and there.  I could do without the humidity and mosquitoes, but after a number of years, I’ve embraced the sticky, wet air!

The south has been on fire lately.  Maybe I didn’t notice it as much as when I was younger, but there is just something so special about the South.  It just radiates a culture all its own, and it should be celebrated.  I’m proud to be a Southerner and call Alabama home.  I love to travel and see how other people live, but the more I grow, the more I feel my roots taking hold here.  The South has something honest and genuine to offer the world; maybe it’s the sweet tea and porch swings, maybe it’s the kind, smiling strangers, but either way, I’m just happy to be here.”

MP: Run us through the process of making your goods.

LS: “It all starts with a drawing.  I usually come up with an idea, draw it a dozen times, and then figure out dimensions on poster board templates.  From the templates I make a few samples and then a production process is born.”

MP: What is something most people don’t know about you? 

LS: “I’m a pretty goofy guy when it comes down to it.  I have a serious look a good bit of the time, but all I really want to do is share a good laugh with a friend and play with my pup.”

To learn more about Michael and Loyal Stricklin and to see his beautiful work, visit their website at loyalstricklin.com, like them on Facebook, and follow them on Instagram (@loyalstricklin).  You won’t be able to resist getting your hands on some of his goods (the Leather Tote Bag and Ruck Sack in Russet are a couple of my favorites).

Digital Storytelling in the Video Age

Tyler Jones on the Southern Makers Documentary

Tyler Jones and his team at 1504 Pictures make documentaries, commercials, music videos, and short films. While 1504 works across diverse genres, each of their projects share a common quality: a love of storytelling. Whether the story is about a not-for-profit’s efforts in its community, a band’s search for meaning, or the importance of place, 1504 uses the narrative power of documentary to tell sophisticated stories.

Short films currently dominate the internet, and therefore, dominate media. Jones explained that film’s primacy results from its universality compared to other forms of expression. “Film is the universal language. Writing does not travel well. Film is a way to let people see and hear real people,” Jones said. Think of it this way - how often have you watched an un-subtitled video from somewhere like East Africa of Southeast Asia? Ok. How often have you read something, un-translated, from a newspaper or magazine from East Africa or Southeast Asia? Film conveys emotion, excitement, wonder. Film provides visual stimulation that anyone can understand, regardless of the language they speak.

That’s why Southern Makers partnered with Jones to create a short documentary film about the artistic process, featuring four Southern makers. Jones traveled across Alabama, spending time with Chef David Bancroft of Acre in Auburn, Andrew McCall, a basket weaver from Lowndes County, Mary Anne Pettway and Lucy Mingo, two of the Gees Bend quilters, and Artist Butch Anthony of Seale.

With Bancroft, Jones wanted to show the hunting process all artists must go through as they think about the materials that will make up their works. Since Bancroft is a chef, they went turkey hunting. McCall and Jones wandered the woods looking for wisteria for basket weaving in what Jones called the “gathering” process, a step more focused and preparatory than “hunting.” After the hunting and gathering comes creating, where the women of Gee’s Bend have been creating their own improvisational, abstract style of quilts since the 19th Century. Finally, Jones filmed Butch Anthony, artist and curator of his own Museum of Wonder, to show the installation process. The film will show makers making, from start to finish.

Jones explained that the name of his company, 1504 Pictures, was a reference to the Renaissance. 1504 was a pinnacle year for Italian Art, a time when art stopped being created for art’s sake. In 1504, art began to develop layers, a voice, commentary beyond what was depicted. Jones and his team strive to bring the spirit of 1504 to their work, skipping surface level skimming and taking deep dives into complex, layered stories. Watch a couple of their videos, and you’ll find their efforts have been successful. 

Meet Your Makers: Explore Southern Makers

WORDS Katie Vega   PHOTOS Michelle Marie Photography

Southern Makers, a celebration that was a mere dream just a couple of years ago, has now turned into a Taste of the South and Garden and Gun publicized event—held right here in Montgomery, Alabama.  The first annual Southern Makers—curated by Goodwyn, Mills and Cawood, Matter, EAT South, and Southern Accents Architectural Antiques—was assembled to bring Alabama’s top chefs, artists, designers, and craftspeople together to one central location.  And they did just that…and so much more.

The second annual Southern Makers is set for May 3, 2014, but you don’t have to wait all those months to get in on the action.  Explore Southern Makers was established to act as a pop-up for the main event—aimed at gearing people up for the main shindig, especially those people who weren’t aware that Southern Makers existed.  To learn more about it, we talked with Andrea Jean, Marketing and Communications Director at Goodwyn, Mills and Cawood and key player in establishing the celebration of Southern Makers.

Why do you think it’s so important to support and show off Alabama’s talent in an event like Southern Markers?  Primarily, Andrea thinks there is a lack of awareness around the amazing talent that lives and works in the South. You always hear about designers, architects, and artists coming out of big cities like New York and Los Angeles; but the South, not so much.  She also finds it interesting to explore why these people choose to live in the South versus the Northeast, West Coast, or overseas—places where they also could thrive. She believes that southern makers are connected to the heritage, the traditions, and the land, and these play important roles in their modern creations.  From chefs to artists, architects to designers—the South is in their souls.  Southern Makers’ curators and creators believe passionately in the potential here in Montgomery and across the Southeast.  Andrea believes this is a way to provide an experience that communicates the core of their brands.

How did the idea of a pop-up for Southern Makers come about?  Andrea, along with others involved, sees Southern Makers as a movement and touring mini-versions of the event throughout the Southeast seemed to make sense.  Their goal?  To spread the word and tap into the realms of other visionaries who may not know about Southern Makers.  

Explain the PechaKucka format and why it partners well with Explore Southern Makers.  PechaKucha is an innovative presentation style that originated in Tokyo.  This format will bring together creative minds from the art, food, and design communities across the Southeast to share their inspiration, talents, and ideas.  Each presenter has twenty slides, each up for twenty seconds, and they will talk about the images along the way.  The hope of these intimate gatherings is to prompt dialogue and conversations between makers and guests.  Explore Southern Makers, powered by PechaKucha, will tap into the creativity and design techniques used by artists that live and work across the Southeast.

Who are the featured makers at Explore Southern Makers Huntsville?  Will they make their way into the lineup at the big event?  
Edwin Marty with EAT South, Garlan Gudger with Southern Accents Architectural Antiques, Wood Studio’s Keith Cochran,  Kellie Guthrie with Re-Invention/G.E.A.R by R-I, Tasia Malakasis with Belle Chevre, Tony Reid with Goodwyn, Mills & Cawood, and Downtown Hunstville , Inc.’s CEO Chad Emerson will be featured at Explore Southern Makers Huntsville.   These presenters encompass a wide range of makers—activists, animators, arbiters, architects, artists, chefs, critics, curators, designers, dreamers, entrepreneurs, fabricators, fashionistas, historians, rabble-rousers, scientists, insiders and outsiders—each woven with the common thread of wanting to celebrating the best in creativity and design across the South.  Presenters at Explore Southern Makers have or will be a part of the movement and these gatherings are being used as extensions of the annual Southern Makers celebration.

What should people bring to these pop-up events?  Attendees just need to bring themselves, a few bucks for a drink, and most importantly—an open mind.  Andrea says they hope to prompt discussion and further the Southern Makers movement with these informal gatherings—where imaginative people simply get together and share ideas.

Give us a little teaser for the main event in May.  Think Southern Wonderland…

Explore Southern Makers hits Huntsville on November 7 from 6 pm – 9 pm at Amendment XXI.  To get updates on other pop-up events and the main shindig, visit their website (southernmakers.com), Facebook (Southern Makers), and Instagram (@southernmakers).