Milli Pulls with A Starship in Every Garage
Back in May I had the pleasure of going to witness something I had never seen before. Deb Philpot, the better half of Philpot Glass, invited me to the Starship in Eugene Oregon to witness and photograph the Be Heady milli pull. It was an amazingly overwhelming experience. Up to that point I had never been in a seriously large glass studio. I mean Sweet Tooth is big, but the Starship is large on a whole different level.
The people I met that night were some of the nicest I have come across in my travels, and time living in Eugene. This was a group of individuals all working together for one main, big picture cause, while continuing their own personal journey and work at a more macro level. True artists in every sense of the word. Creating sustainable abundance through art, and doing a damn fine job at it.
I was invited back more recently in the beginning of September for a second milli pull. This one not sponsored by any particular group, but to create more art units for the economy. Something about the vibe of this place, and more importantly, the people who dwell within it, keeps drawing me back.
Perhaps it’s the smell of the studio, or the sun like fire that warms the ship, blowing forth from Draco’s metallic maw as the artists feed the hot headed beast. It’s all of the above and then some. These humans are living a lifestyle and creating a culture that has more recently taken a bit of a hold in the mainstream, at least for those in the mainstream that are familiar with bitcoin, or other forms of cryptocurrency. But it’s even more than that. These people are creating a better world for those of us lucky enough to stumble into it.
The mission statement of Project 33 and A Starship in Every Garage says it all. They say, “Project 33 offers artists, partners, and the community an opportunity to explore new ideas focused on ways to collectively create value through art. By emphasizing community value and sustainability we promote a culture of productivity to create abundance as an alternative to valuation based on profits driven by scarcity.” I mean, if you can’t get behind that, I don’t even know you anymore.
Marcel Braun of Marcel Glass is the one leading the show. I was taught that the best leaders are the ones who aren’t trying to lead. Marcel has this vibe about him. He doesn’t seem like he wants to be the leader, but he’s followed a vision that, whether anyone is conscious about it or not, has placed him in that seat. Granted, I haven’t spent a ton of time chatting with Marcel, but these are my initial feels on who the man is in the two times I’ve met him. He seems like one of those guys who’s memoirs I would love to write. So many epic stories that need to be told and recorded for history. He seems like he has a huge heart and a ton of amazing knowledge.
Obviously, a starship cannot be piloted alone. It takes a solid team to pull off what these humans are doing. If you look at their artists page, you’ll see talent is in no short supply. I’m completely grateful to have been invited to the starship, and I’m looking forward to going back.
I posted all of the pictures I took in these albums. The first starship milli pull is here, and the second one is here. Below is a few of my favorite shots from each milli pull.
