Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

The art of the spoon

Local twosome hope to bridge gap between art and commerce, one spoon at a time

The Standard Spoon
The Standard Spoon

Where does the line between art and industry lie?

Rachel Eva and Shawn Michael, a Hillcrest couple who together make up Work of My Hands, are in the midst of a Kickstarter campaign to fund their new project. They aim to explore the boundaries between art for art’s sake and the products of industry. The Standard Spoon concept is simple: a bar spoon with a swivelling handle for stirring cocktails. The idea isn’t unique — Eva cites decades-old expired patents for similar inventions — but the duo’s approach to craftsmanship is interesting.

Both Eva and Michael identify with the “maker” movement, a modern day arts and crafts culture that emphasizes handiwork and the importance of the creative process. Shawn Michael is a hair stylist by trade, but good at working with his hands in other respects. When he wanted a household bar, he built one. It took much planning and several days of constant work, but the finished bar looks original to the Craftsman-era house.

Sculptural lighting from the last Work of My Hands project

That’s why, when Michael endorses a prototype for the Standard Spoon, you can bet he knows how to make it himself, or at least understands the mechanics and material sciences behind the product. From a business standpoint, that keeps with the popular nugget of conventional wisdom that says, “don’t invest in something you don’t understand.”

Sponsored
Sponsored

But Michael and Eva aren’t industrialists. They aren’t restaurateurs. They’re not even bartenders.

They’re artists who racked up Kickstarter success in 2012, raising money to fund a sculptural lighting project for the Mission Federal Artwalk. That project succeeded, but it didn’t earn any money. Fine arts projects can be, at best, a break-even game. Since neither Eva nor Michael enjoys the luxury of independent wealth, the two artists want to find a way to produce something economically viable, yet also artistically satisfying.

“I need to be creative,” says Eva, prompting Shawn Michael to jump in.

“You’re either fulfilling someone else’s dreams, or you’re fulfilling your own,” he says, sure that he’s quoting someone, but not entirely sure who it is.

Shawn Michael and Rachel Eva

“We knew we had to monetize our creativity,” Eva continues. “One way to do that was to take our art and distill it down to more low-fidelity products….but at the same time there’s a little bit of selling your soul in that. The whole point of our art is to create things that are custom and one-of-a-kind. We have conversations going back five years about how we reject the “put a bird on it” mentality of just making something hip and fun so you can sell a lot of stuff.

“We’ve come up with ideas before where people say, ‘oh, we really love that. Can you make me one of those?’ But all we can say to that is, ‘Well, we’ve already made it.’

The Standard Spoon represents something that the two only have to make once, in the design and prototyping phases. After that, the manufacturing process continues, and the artists can turn their minds to other projects.

But, why bar spoons? Is there a desperate lacuna in the restaurant supply chain, such that bars are clamoring for a reliable source of spoons to swish the ice in their Manhattans? No. There isn’t, and the Standard Spoon’s creators recognize that. They realize they stand no chance of competing with a huge factory in Asia that can stamp out spoons, selling them for pennies and shipping globally.

Rachel Eva and Shawn Michael perceive a demand for artistry. The “craft cocktail” scene inspires them. They are self-described cocktail dorks, frequent guests of local bars and restaurants where old-school bartending has smashed up against the social mores of the farm-to-table foods movement. They are true believers in the art and craft of drinking, and they sense that people like themselves — professionals behind a bar and pro-level imbibers alike — will want a spoon because it is beautiful, because it will last forever, and because it represents someone’s dreams.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Dating Sites For Little People: Best Platforms & Tips

Next Article

Gilbert Castellanos, Buddha Trixie, Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe, Shane Hall, Brian Jones Rock ‘N’ Roll Revival

Grand Socials, gigs, and record releases in Del Mar, City Heights, Solana Beach, Little Italy, and Ocean Beach
The Standard Spoon
The Standard Spoon

Where does the line between art and industry lie?

Rachel Eva and Shawn Michael, a Hillcrest couple who together make up Work of My Hands, are in the midst of a Kickstarter campaign to fund their new project. They aim to explore the boundaries between art for art’s sake and the products of industry. The Standard Spoon concept is simple: a bar spoon with a swivelling handle for stirring cocktails. The idea isn’t unique — Eva cites decades-old expired patents for similar inventions — but the duo’s approach to craftsmanship is interesting.

Both Eva and Michael identify with the “maker” movement, a modern day arts and crafts culture that emphasizes handiwork and the importance of the creative process. Shawn Michael is a hair stylist by trade, but good at working with his hands in other respects. When he wanted a household bar, he built one. It took much planning and several days of constant work, but the finished bar looks original to the Craftsman-era house.

Sculptural lighting from the last Work of My Hands project

That’s why, when Michael endorses a prototype for the Standard Spoon, you can bet he knows how to make it himself, or at least understands the mechanics and material sciences behind the product. From a business standpoint, that keeps with the popular nugget of conventional wisdom that says, “don’t invest in something you don’t understand.”

Sponsored
Sponsored

But Michael and Eva aren’t industrialists. They aren’t restaurateurs. They’re not even bartenders.

They’re artists who racked up Kickstarter success in 2012, raising money to fund a sculptural lighting project for the Mission Federal Artwalk. That project succeeded, but it didn’t earn any money. Fine arts projects can be, at best, a break-even game. Since neither Eva nor Michael enjoys the luxury of independent wealth, the two artists want to find a way to produce something economically viable, yet also artistically satisfying.

“I need to be creative,” says Eva, prompting Shawn Michael to jump in.

“You’re either fulfilling someone else’s dreams, or you’re fulfilling your own,” he says, sure that he’s quoting someone, but not entirely sure who it is.

Shawn Michael and Rachel Eva

“We knew we had to monetize our creativity,” Eva continues. “One way to do that was to take our art and distill it down to more low-fidelity products….but at the same time there’s a little bit of selling your soul in that. The whole point of our art is to create things that are custom and one-of-a-kind. We have conversations going back five years about how we reject the “put a bird on it” mentality of just making something hip and fun so you can sell a lot of stuff.

“We’ve come up with ideas before where people say, ‘oh, we really love that. Can you make me one of those?’ But all we can say to that is, ‘Well, we’ve already made it.’

The Standard Spoon represents something that the two only have to make once, in the design and prototyping phases. After that, the manufacturing process continues, and the artists can turn their minds to other projects.

But, why bar spoons? Is there a desperate lacuna in the restaurant supply chain, such that bars are clamoring for a reliable source of spoons to swish the ice in their Manhattans? No. There isn’t, and the Standard Spoon’s creators recognize that. They realize they stand no chance of competing with a huge factory in Asia that can stamp out spoons, selling them for pennies and shipping globally.

Rachel Eva and Shawn Michael perceive a demand for artistry. The “craft cocktail” scene inspires them. They are self-described cocktail dorks, frequent guests of local bars and restaurants where old-school bartending has smashed up against the social mores of the farm-to-table foods movement. They are true believers in the art and craft of drinking, and they sense that people like themselves — professionals behind a bar and pro-level imbibers alike — will want a spoon because it is beautiful, because it will last forever, and because it represents someone’s dreams.

Comments
Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Not enough Readers in Mission Beach

Mayor Todd Gloria's skin color
Next Article

A poem for March by Joseph O’Brien

“March’s Lovely Asymptotes”
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.