Two Cowboys on a Journey: Atelier Helping Artists to Tell Their Stories in Canada and The World

"Atelier"

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...a workshop or studio, especially one used by an artist or designer.

"For as little as $1/month you will get the inside track on content like this and follow the travels of the Two Cowboys & A Camera. Join here."

In conversations with Artisans, they admit that the one hurdle they all identify is the need to take their work to market. They invest emotionally in their creations. They spend every living, breathing waking moment in making and fabricating. It takes hours, days, weeks and sometimes a lifetime for an artist or craftsman to produce their best work. This happens while there is always the delicate balance between creating something remarkable or just good enough to get it out the door for the week's rent of their workshop. 

Online shopping and creator websites such as Etsy are making it easier to sell their wares. However, wouldn't it be great if creators only needed to make, while customers line up at the door?

These Artists are remarkable people. They each have a unique and often inspiring story. Their stories have the potential to exalt their creation from the mundane and routine to the exquisite and inspirational. No one will know these stories unless someone tells them. Many don't know how inspirational they are until someone discovers it.

This is where Carolyne Kauser-Abbott and Atelier Boutiques (https://atelierboutiques.com) come in. Carolyne's passion for unique, one-of-a-kind creations from outstanding artisans inspired her to create a service where she helps these makers to take their products to market and to tell their stories.

It is a marketplace with a difference.

Atelier recognizes the creative effort required by dedicated artists to learn a skill, practice a technique and experiment with materials. It creates a virtual space that opens the doors to those workshops near and far, by giving you a glimpse into the artists’ studios, a chance to read or see their stories and the ability to buy their products.

Carolyne searches for exclusive, handcrafted, high-quality, wardrobe accessories for women including jewellery, scarves, hats and sweaters. The home décor collection is carefully selected to bring artisanal showpieces and unique household gifts to market. 

She invites us to meet the creators and understand their stories of how and why they are pursuing their craft. This is where our journey meets. Two quirky Cowboys & A Camera is about telling stories of people that make things. Producers. Inspirational people and beautiful things. 

Please be introduced to Carolyne and her creators. Stay tuned as we jointly undertake a journey to showcase the many Artisans working away in their Ateliers across Canada. Who knows, you may just meet your neighbour.

Hendrik van Wyk

In My Atelier

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Unique

Simple

My Space

Focus

o-CNN: Checking In With Two Birds Furniture that Makes Pieces from Recycled Lumber in Alberta Canada

Metamorphosis

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Thanks to Wikipedia we know: "The word metamorphosis derives from Greek μεταμόρφωσις, "transformation, transforming", from μετα- (meta-), "change" and μορφή (morphe), "form".

"For as little as $1/month you will get the inside track on content like this and follow the travels of the Two Cowboys & A Camera. Join here."

What then do you call it when you transform a hundred-year-old barn and turn it into beautiful furniture and decorative finishes? In Okotoks, they call it: "Farm to Furniture, by the Two Birds".

Clint and Robyn Pigeon (two pigeons - birds - get it?) established the business in 2013 with a helping hand from within the community. Both were raised in rural Alberta where they cultivated an understanding and value for the importance of hard work. These are farm people. They can farm where most of the year there is only snow and ice.

Their appreciation for Alberta’s heritage and a passion for their own sparked an initiative. They wanted to reclaim the beauty of historic farms and ranches by creating heirlooms from the weathered barns and outbuildings. This leads them to the recycling old lumber and turning it into quality things that will last for generations.

The natural next step for these ageing and often unsafe structures is to be burned down. Clint mentioned that this is the way he gets to know about them. The owners usually apply for a fire permit with the Town. The Pigeons step in by negotiating the opportunity to dismantle and salvage the weathered lumber from the old buildings.

They then turn the lumber from the buildings into custom, authentic, one-of-a-kind furniture and decor, that they assure me is more affordable than I expect. What is for sure is that they turn it into quality pieces that will last another hundred years.

Observations

I asked Clint about the best part of his day. His reply: "When I am out in the open with the old barn, by myself in thought, admiring the history, appreciating the character and I realise that I am merely another step in the evolution of the story that came before, and the one that will be after." The next natural step is for Clint to make something beautiful for someone to use and appreciate.

Robyn mentioned that people appreciate the furniture because it comes with a story. I think people appreciate it because it is really beautiful, solid and something one's grandchildren will still be using decades from now.

If you have ever found two pure entrepreneurs, it is Clint and Robyn. The business started naturally with love for the material, the creative processes, the hard work that goes into creating a utility from passion and recycled old wood. They turned it into useful and beautiful items for their family and friends. All that remained was to keep doing it. Get better at it, and share it with more people.

For now, you need to get to know them personally for their custom pieces they make in a new workshop in Okotoks, Alberta. However, they assure me that more standard items will soon be available for order through their website: http://www.twobirdsfurniture.ca.

We are eagerly following the story of Two Birds Furniture because we share the same values and we also have a passion and love for the history of this beautiful Province of Alberta. We will definitely be bringing you more from Two Birds Furniture in future.

Hendrik van Wyk
Birdwatching Cowboy

Get rewarded for supporting our local Producers: Receive special offers and invitations from the Two Cowboys and our Producers when you subscribe to our email list.

Who we are: We are a social enterprise. We are funded through donations and sponsorship. All our earnings are applied back to covering our costs of marketing and promoting Producers and inspiring local communities. Please support us to bring you more (www.forwardthefavour.com)

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Bird in the Hand

For Life

Character

Value

New with Old

o-CNN: Catching up with Davey Hughes and Swazi in Taupo, New Zealand

Having Soul

How does it look when a brand has soul?

We recently met up with Davey Hughes and some of the Swazi Clan at the annual Sika Show in Taupo, New Zealand. We are nearing the end of our trip in New Zealand. Canada's winter is laying ahead of us. We needed to stock up on Swazi gear for the changing season.

"For as little as $1/month you will get the inside track on content like this and follow the travels of the Two Cowboys & A Camera. Join here."

Swazi is an iconic apparel producer in New Zealand (one of the few left in the country, thanks to globalization and outsourcing to lower cost producing countries). We like to check in with Davey, the founder of Swazi to see what innovations he came up with to keep us warm and dry for the outdoors. He's been working recently on a jacket that is ideal for outdoor emergency changes in weather. It is something light and "high-tech" that will keep you dry when hiking and won't add a lot of weight to your pack. We saw firsthand how light and durable it is.

Swazi clothes are made in Levin, New Zealand. It’s made by a passionate group of people who live nearby. Their names are stitched into the inside of the collar. I don't know of any other clothes manufacturer that takes this much pride in encouraging people to be proud of the things they make.

Swazi's clothes last. The testimonials on their site and the many letters at their office are proof that people love their gear. Who's gear you may ask? Once you become the owner of a Swazi garment, it becomes part of you. It is that durable. Swazi clothes have soul like the people that conceived and make it.

Swazi gear might cost a few dollars more. But in 15 year's time when your shirt is looking a bit worse for wear, it will still give you faithful service. If it needs repair then Donna, who made it in the first instance, is likely still around to do it for you. For Davey, it is much more rewarding to watch people grow than to look at a bank balance grow. He mentioned on his website: "Bank balances just get bigger. People get better."

See our profile we did on Davey and his team earlier this year, here.

Davey also had a Canadian Moose on display (see photo below). We just had to get the story and stayed for his presentation of the hunt and pictures from the trip. How do we know it is a Canadian Moose? Because it came from the Yukon - our beautiful backyard.

By bringing the Moose to New Zealand, he gave many Kiwi children and adults, probably their only chance to ever see the real size and grandeur of these beautiful animals. We take our Moose for granted in the wilderness of Canada. In New Zealand, a country without much wildlife, it is the main attraction to an event.

Observations

The Swazi business is an innovative endeavour on several fronts. Davey is the brand of the company. His hunting and conservation stories make for excellent entertainment and drive core values of care for people and the environment. The stakeholders of the enterprise is a big and committed family. People love making the garments. Customers like wearing it and the story of the company is inspirational.

Swazi inspires as a typical local producer that is doing well weathering the storm of globalisation and cheap overseas manufacturing by focussing on his niche of outdoor apparel. They create a tonne of value for a community and customers. The company is leading the market in online retailing by exclusively selling directly to customers.

Lastly, but most importantly, the Swazi products are outstanding! You can get them here: www.swazi.co.nz.

Keep an eye out and let us know when you spot us in our Swazi gear. The first person that posts a photo of us on Facebook, in our branded Swazi Jackets will get a Swazi gift from the Two Cowboys. That is a promise!

Hendrik van Wyk
Swazi Clansman and Cowboy

Get rewarded for supporting our local Producers: Receive special offers and invitations from the Two Cowboys and our Producers when you subscribe to our email list.

Who we are: We are a social enterprise. We are funded through donations and sponsorship. 
All our earnings are applied back to covering our costs of marketing and promoting Producers and inspiring local communities. Please support us to bring you more (www.forwardthefavour.com)

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Moose on the... Stand

Keeping a Promise

Sock Hunting

Serious Business

Europe?

Two Cowboys on a Journey: Milmeq, Dunedin - New Zealand

Milmeq

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When you are far, far away from everyone else in the wold, then innovation becomes a necessity. You cannot rely on other's knowledge, or what people are doing elsewhere. You have to make do with your own plans and innovations for common everyday challenges.

This is one of the reasons why there is an above average number of innovative and creative Producers in New Zealand. Even more so at the remote southern tip of the South Island, in the tiny city of Dunedin. Here we find a Producer that's been leading the world in refrigeration and protein processing innovations.

The world became smaller over the last few decades. At the same time, the New Zealand innovators and makers entered the world stage. These Producers now realize that in many cases, thanks to their isolation, they actually came up with an even better solution to a challenge, than what most of the world could muster. As Mike Lightfoot, the CEO from Milmeq puts it: "This is the Kiwi way!"


Milmeq specializes in capital plant equipment for food processing operations around the world. They provide a turn-key service, including design, manufacturing, installation and maintenance. Their areas of expertise include primary food processing, chilling and freezing and materials handling. They provide performance-enhancing solutions to clients across the meat, poultry, dairy, seafood and horticulture industries. Having already established themselves as industry leaders in their homeland, New Zealand, which is renowned for its meat and dairy exporting industry, they are now recognized globally for offering world-class technologies and support systems.

Impressions

Dunedin is a short flight south from Auckland. Dunedin airport is probably the most iconic airport in New Zealand because you are landing an aeroplane right in the middle of a cow paddock. I cannot think of many places in the world where you hear the bleating of lambs as you walk to your hire car in the airport carpark. When I land in Dunedin, I like being in New Zealand. This is the place I came to love as an immigrant from South Africa in 2001.

I must confess, our story with Milmeq goes back a little longer than the short trip we did on the 16th of February to go an interview the makers and fabricators of this great business. We've been doing video production work for them before, so we know the people, and we know the business. Their CEO, Mike makes use of every available opportunity to tell the company's great story, and to show the world what they can do. We've been lucky to be a part of that.

Milmeq makes protein processing equipment. Yes, if you eat steak, pork or chicken in Australia and New Zealand, the chances are that it was touched by Milmeq ingenuity somewhere along the line. The business is that phenomenal and that iconic within the industry. They invented plate freezing.

What stood out during the interviews was that the people of Milmeq are trades people with a dedication to their craft. Many of them have been in the business over twenty years. As one gentleman put it: "If I didn't like it, I wouldn't be here. I've been here more than twenty years, so I must like it." This statement stands out for some subtleties that speak volumes about the Kiwi culture, but also shows how Producers are substantially set apart from other people.

There is a no-nonsense, get-on-with-it attitude, amongst these people. They are modest about their achievements. They have a substantial dedication to quality and loyalty to their company and colleagues. When you build and make big things, you do it within a team. Working as a team is important. They also investing and grow young apprentices, so that they can strengthen the group. 

The people of Milmeq are producers. They are vested in their work.  They love what they do. They do it for decades because every day at work they get a chance to leave a bit of themselves behind in what they make. Every day they make it a bit better. They also grow, because every thing they touch delivers value to others, and make our world a better place. Yet, in the end, it is about the beauty of the craft. The value in knowing: "I made this." 

Producers are privileged people. 

It is an honour to have spent time with Mike Lightfoot and his team. He is an inspirational and enthusiastic leader. It was a spectacular experience to do it in Dunedin. 

We hope you like what we've produced about Milmeq.

Hendrik van Wyk

Producer.

Get rewarded for supporting our local Producers. Receive special offers and invitations from the Two Cowboys.

Who we are: We are a social enterprise. We are funded through donations and sponsorship. 
All our earnings are applied back to covering our costs of marketing and promoting Producers and inspiring local communities. Please support us to bring you more (www.forwardthefavour.com)

Photos

Strong as steel.

Turning the world of industry.

It should last for a lifetime.

Upside down, and right side up.