As far back as I can remember the creative process has always been an incredibly fascinating thing for me. I love hearing the story behind how a certain song was written, or learning that a painter used a fork to develop a unique paint texture. I feel we are so often pre-occupied with the finished product itself that we end up ignoring (or at least vastly underrating) the steps and processes that went into its actual creation. It is this idea that moved me to start a personal project I've decided to call Create. I am currently planning to work with local glassblowers, painters, sculptors, designers and even less traditional artists like carpenters, stone masons, boat builders and teachers. All of which are aiming to achieve a finished product of some sort by way of a creative path. It is in the unseen, quiet moments of the artistic process that I hope to find art itself.

So I decided to start the project off with a trip to the CF Martin Guitar Factory in Nazareth Pennsylvania. It is a slight embarrassment that I have been playing guitar for some 15 years and have never made the two hour trip up to what is probably one of the most historically famous guitar companies in the world. So my good friend Vince and I made the drive up to Nazareth and spent a few hours touring the factory. In a world where technology has infiltrated almost every aspect of our lives I think it is amazing that a company the size of Martin continues to do a large portion of their work by hand. There are some automated machine processes...but much more is done the old fashioned way. Documenting the skill and precision required in crafting one of my favorite instruments seemed like a good way to kill a couple birds with one stone...and thus...I give you the first post of the Create Project; CF Martin Guitar Factory.

Technical details for the photo nerds: Mamiya 6 ~ Kodak Tri-x and Ilford Delta 3200. Processed and scanned by the FindLab.