New Year New Studio

Around February last year I approached Mark Kemp of FortyTwo Studio about the availability of one of the spaces in their new office - the old Church Centre at 35 Mid Stocket Road. Intention was to migrate the whole Doric HQ there.

“Hey Mark, would you consider us as a tenant in your building?”

“Aye, lets talk”

And that’s how it started.

I’d been in the building a fare few times before. We did some photoshoots there when Mark acquired the building just as COVID hit. And whilst I absolutely love the building and all its brutalist features, I hadn’t considered the idea of a “studio” in a while. But in November 22 I posted a pic of a screen print studio (pic below) and how i’d love to have something like that, maybe combined with a shop one day. And whilst the Studio at 35 isn’t a shop, it’s a firm base for us to grow, collaborate and generally develop as a business. And it isn’t in the flat at the top of a ladder in a windowless loft (jokes, I love you loft!).

And so on the 13th December I got handed the keys to our new kingdom!

If you’ve seen our loft you might think how on earth I managed to fill the space. Well I spent from February to Dec sketching - with pencils and in my mind - about where things would go and what it would be like. My original sketch is down below too and isn’t far off!

And so during Christmas and New Year I gathered together my one drill (try pre drilling, counter sinking and screwing with one drill dozens of times!), my two hand saws, scrap wood, new wood and a bucket of enthusiasm and got to it. We build 5 tables for packing orders, curing ink, sorting ink, general messing about and storage. We inherited FortyTwos old table and used that for our screen print press’s. Our old desk came down from the loft and is now a desk again - this is where the print press was before! Countless trips back and forth, a few trips to B&Q (I grew accustomed to the burger van cheeseburgers) and by first week of Jan I was pretty much good to go!

We are of course still settling in and have plenty to do - plants, more shelving, deck wracks, sort out storage, recycling bin - the list is endless. And so this weekend we’ll get printing.

I can’t emphasise enough how different it is already, never mind the printing aspect.! My plan is to simply do what I did before but improve on the process, make good use of the space to print more in each run when needed. I’d also hope to open the doors to visitors at some point - we’ll work out what that looks like later in the year!

Maybe one day i’ll manage to print for other folks too. I have to be realistic and know that whilst working FT and doing Doric I can’t really commit to too much other stuff at the moment!

Thanks to everyone who’s supported us over the last 7 years. I don’t rush anything in life and this is no different! But this is like Stage 2 for Doric. Lets see what its got in store!

Why We Hope You Support Us - Part 5

Part 5 of our look at why we hope you support us.

Celebration.!

Our intention from day 1 was to celebrate as many aspects of Aberdeen that we could whilst also encouraging people to get on a skateboard.

And we’re still going.

From the people:

Annie Lennox, Michael Sheard.

The Places:

Northfield Tower, Co Op building.

The culture:

Scotland the What?

The food and drink:

Bon Accord, butteries.

And so much more.

It’s easy to bash yer city and it’s easy to be cynical about stuff. Everyone does it because nowhere is perfect. But there’s plenty to celebrate in our city. And plenty to be excited about riding a skateboard too!

It’s quite an amazing thing. A kids toy reclaimed and almost repurposed to become something th can be uniquely different to each others person who uses it whilst interacting with the environment around us. What will historians make of it in 1000 years time and will it still be a thing?!

Who knows. But for now we’re still excited to share our designs inspired by Aberdeen and the humble skateboard.

Why We Hope You Support Us - Part 4

Part 4 of 7 of our series on why we hope you support us.

Opportunities.

With Doric I’ve been afforded opportunities that I never thought I would. It’s been humbling, exciting and a little scary.

I’m not the person to put my hand up and “do stuff” - shyness has definitely held me back! But I’ve been lucky with Doric. And so one of our intentions early on was to ensure we work with people to spotlight them and hopefully give them opportunities similar to those I have had.

We’ve worked with easily 30+ local designs and artists. From illustrators to film makers we’re keen to engage with people who engage with us or approach those we like and see if they want to work with us!

It’s quid pro quo - we also get something out of it. And for the vast vast majority it’s been a total pleasure to work with people. And some have become firm friends and long time collaborators.

And so a big thanks to everyone who’ve given me opportunities and made it easier for me. And to those who’ve worked with me on things - I hope it’s been fun and worthwhile!

Why We Hope You Support Us - Part 3

Part 3 of our wee series on why we hope you support us.

Gatekeeping.

A word I didn’t know - unless you were literally talking about standing beside a gate and making sure people didn’t get through. Didn’t know the metaphorical version.

And it was something I didn’t expect when I started Doric Skateboards. There are some gatekeepers in this city (and beyond nae doubt!) and you’ll find them in all cultures. Defending “their” place in the world but in reality it’s just insecurity. I get it. We all have a bit of that.

But I’ve set out to share all aspects of what we do, how we do it and why we do it.

I want to share so other people can set off and do something they want. I’m not difficult to get a hold of and I’m confident I’ve answered 99% of all questions asked! I’m a very curious person so when someone else displays the same I’m keen to make sure I answer what they want to know.

I draw the line at some things - some folk are a little too direct wanting to know cost price of thing etc. I’d also encourage folk to try to solve problems themselves before asking for the answer. You won’t learn as much. But I’ve been at those dead ends before too so I understand!

The quote in the pic might seem rather twee but I like it. It’s from Austrian poet Rainer Maria Rilke of yer curious.

Tomorrow in this series Part 4 of 7 we’re talking Opportunities.

#aberdeencity #organicclothing #tshirts #clothingbrand #aberdeenshire #organiccotton #design #organiccottonclothing #skatelife #skatewear #aberdeen #bonaccord #organic #Doric #scotland #skateboardingisfun #skateboard #scotlandskateboarding #skatefashion #nostalgia #tshirt

Why We Hope You Support Us - Part 1

The other month on Social Media we wanted to highlight some of the reasons you might want to shop with us.

Some of you will hopefully know these already but I wanted to go a bit deeper.

Starting with a Blog Post about Post. : )

We include postage cost in all our stuff - it keeps things simple for us and I hope for you too.

We also value the fact that you have spent money with us. And so I try to get your order out very quickly, sometimes the same day.

We aren’t waiting for more orders or only posting once or twice a week. It’s not hard and it’s kinda the whole point!

So that’s part 1 of this series of why we think you should shop with us. It’s not a very exciting one but it’s key.

And while I’m here. This parcel box on Carden Place is a god send. If you are the absolute tube who consistently jams it up with your over sized boxes then I really hope ye catch yer jacket pocket on a door handle soon.

Part 2 of 7 tomorrow - Giving Back.

Rough Times Ahead?

I don’t think it’s just me that feels like the world is in constant turmoil. Brexit, Trump, COVID, Cost of Living Crisis, NHS underfunded - it’s an endless depressing list of things that have chipped away at our lives. Perhaps ignorance really is bliss. At least it was before 24hr TV and Social Media to keep you up to date with the daily dose of misery. Hourly dose. Minute by minute sometimes.

And so we find ourselves on the precipice of another recession.

I’ve always said that what I do with Doric Skateboards doesn’t really matter. Seems daft to say that because obviously it doesn’t matter. I’m also always keen to say I do take the business very seriously but I don’t take myself very seriously. Even in good times what we do isn’t important. I know this but that doesn’t mean I don’t take it seriously.

Even taking into account my communist tendencies I realise that in life we want and need variety. We also need things to look forward to, the occasional treat - I know I do. Records are my vice - if I can get a record every month or so I am very happy and lucky (90’s era hip hip and grunge if anyone is interested!).

If I was to take a step back and put a sensible head on I would sell off everything in stock at a healthy discount and sell all my screen printing equipment and walk away with a couple of quid in my pocket. Maybe go on holiday or most likely keep it aside as this recession takes bite. But what else would I do with my time? My energy? My thoughts? Not too sure.

So it won’t really matter what external forces there are in the world, our country or our city - i’m going to always be going with Doric. We’ll keep our pricing as is and for as long as that works - I think the balance is right. £25 for a posted tee is comparable with other brands, £15 for a kids tee posted is a great deal.

We’ve got about 6 designs locked and loaded for clothing and plans to commit more time and effort to screen printing our own decks in small batches rather than the digitally printed stuff like Cull the Gulls, Jaws etc. Too much of a financial commitment at the moment and just not as satisfying to do - despite my love for those designs! : ) So we’ve got plenty to come this year and beyond and I hope they bring some happiness to folk.

Later this month we are going to do a wee fundraiser for Mental Health Aberdeen. We’ll have 3 or 4 decks up as prizes - a rare Stallan, a rare John Walters and the Test Print Hello Radical with an additional wee illustration on it by the artist themselves. More on this later but it would grand to raise a few quid for an essential service up here. And as this recession hits and the cost of living crisis bites our Mental Health services will be stretched thin - lets hope we can help with that.

Thanks for reading and for supporting. Take care. Gary.

Pantones a Cake Right?

Pantones a cake right? This could be as much to do with art/design or running a business or skateboarding.

Our old man was a Painter and Decorator. He was meticulous with it. All about the preparation. Anyone can clart paint on a wall - its the boring stuff like sanding, filling and taping up that separates the pro from the amateur. And of course the time it takes.

When I used to visit folk (nae so keen on that now) and they proudly proclaim they did all the painting themselves to save money and because "painting is easy"in my mind I’m looking around and sometimes thinking “yup, looks like it - love that you painted your light switches and sockets too".

I never mean it in a shitty way - I naturally found myself being defensive about something that my dad worked hard at. And now I suspect the shoe is on the other foot...

I never went to art school. Don't know my Impressionists from my Surrealists or anything else really.

And so I suppose when I bang on and on about screen printing and "designing" then people are entitled to perhaps question the validity of my opinion and work. The provenance.

“Never been to art school Gary?”

"Nope"

“Yeah, - looks/sounds like it pal.”

And who could blame them?

Until recently I thought the Pantone colour chart was a way of grading that awful Italian cake that folk pretend to like…

Side note: the closure of John Lewis in Aberdeen was sad but the upside will be less of us have to throw that Italian cake stuff in the bin every year or pretend to enjoy it.

Anyway. What I'm getting at imposter syndrome. That is:

"Internal experience of believing that you are not as competent as others perceive you to be"

Although to be honest maybe I'm over egging how competent I think other people think I am! Or I'm overthinking everything. But I'm not sure I trust anyone that doesn't have some imposter syndrome. A little bit of doubt is good for you.

But it’s all about making an effort in my opinion.

Whether your painting yer cornices or screen printing a design onto a skateboard - we're only here for a very short time so do what you think makes you happy. Don't wait for permission and don't look for approval. Forget the rules. My preferred method is screen printing - I see people approach it in very different ways to me but get great results. So who am I to question that.

As I say - doubt is good. We live in a world where too many people seem to be suffering the Dunning-Kruger effect - fyi - no, that's not the actress from Inglorious Basterds or a ref to any 80's horror movie.....

We're really only here for a very short time so why waste it worrying about the rules?

#imposter #impostersyndrome #art #design #skateboards #clothing #aberdeen #dunningkruger

What's Happening?

It’s April already and we wanted to share a little blog post on what’s happening at Doric Skateboards right now and what we’ve got planned for the future.

At the time of writing this (Saturday 16th April) I’m not long home from Peacocks Studio here in Aberdeen preparing screens for printing a couple of new designs on their way this year.

We’ll be screen printing skateboards and clothing for a collaboration with local creative @helloradical - really excited about this one. Peep their style in the image below. Its going to be a belter.! Before this one arrives we’ll hopefully have another one ready to go - a cracker from a local guy we’ve worked with before based on the Robert the Bruce statue. : )

End of this month is War of the Thistles at Transition and the Loading Bay. Always happy to sponsor events like this - the first one we sponsored was literally the day or two after we launched 5 years ago. I’ll be there hopefully with a couple of the Doric team to have a watch. Say hello if ye see me!

You can find us in person at Curated Aberdeen every month here in Abedeens’s Bon Accord Centre. The event itself is on every week but I’m only there once a month. Find the details here. Really big thanks to folk who come along and see me there. Its incredibly gratifying that folk come along knowing I’m going to be there. Makes it all very worthwhile. I’m booked there until August but will no doubt be there beyond then plus we’ll be doing some other pop ups else where too. Keep yer ears and eyes open for more on that later.

Until then we’ll be busy working on these new designs and sharing some of the process along the way!

Cheers

Gary