As of February 2019, we have ceased the commercial operations of Stumptown Printers Worker Cooperative, so for the past couple months I’ve been reassessing how I spend my working hours. For the last 20 years my identity has been wrapped up in the collective operations of our business and the print trade, with all other activities playing second fiddle. While I don’t have the means to take a sabbatical from work altogether, I am able to refocus the work that I’m doing.
The majority of our printing equipment is in storage, but we set up two presses in our new garage studio and started in printing right away. Despite the fact that we’re not completely unpacked yet, it promises to be an efficient little space (180 square feet!) once we’ve organized all the tools and supplies and type and cuts and paper and dies and …. well, you get the idea. I’ve been taking on some commission printing from past customers, in addition to doing a bit of consulting and instruction with printers in their own studios.
The opportunity to increase my project management work has been very satisfying as well. Look for future entries about the specific projects as they move ahead! With this shift I am also continuing to build my skills as a consulting archivist through courses and volunteer time (at the C.C. Stern Type Foundry and in the Special Collections at the Multnomah County Library). So I have faith that I will gradually piece together a new routine to build upon my skills and also move towards new ones.
Garage shop shaping up …