Lost Artisans: A Story in the Making

Since Lost Artisans is about sharing stories, I think it’s important to share ours.

Conceptually, Lost Artisans is several generations in the making. Our founders have close ties to a traditional silversmith who breathes life into all that he creates and restores. Given that this soul is rather reserved he will remain nameless.

As societal and economical shifts of the 20th century whipped around him, our silversmith took no interest in encouraging mindless consumerism, cheeky sales tactics, nor stooping standards to align with cookie-cutter marketing.

Instead, he remained high above Glasgow city centre caretaking the workshop he inherited by his ‘smithing forefathers: fiddling, forming, chasing and casting, imparting years of knowledge to auld friends and newfound artists alike.

He continues to foster a warm space for apprentice craftspeople to thrive. Encouraging a traditional apprentice/master dynamic, he urges his flow of apprentices to learn through doing – repetitively. Banter is never amiss either, encouraging folk to remain grounded and humbled by their spectacular creations. This is a dying dynamic in many facets of the West, making his space all the more sacred.

Oh, the stories he tells of lost souls who wander his workshop – maybe one day we’ll convince him for an interview, to take a seat and blether. Or maybe not – truth be told, he can be a shy soul with selective hearing.

Now, back to us. As a trio from distinct backgrounds we bring a diverse set of skill to our workbench: a powerful thinker with a refined eye for excellence, a kind hearted master marketer with over 15 years’ experience, and a proudly working class logomaniac starting to find her way in this heckin’ weird world. Together, we share a passion for unique, timeless design and supporting the skilled individuals making their way in their world. 

We encourage mindful purchasing, where folk curate a home with objects of meditation and conversation. We encourage our Artisans to utilise recyclable and responsibly sourced materials wherever possible. In addition, we love to see our Artisans explore alternative avenues and styles of their craft, further expressing themselves as individuals, juxtaposing the sentiments of disposable society. Often it is necessary for artists to reduce the value of their labour to meet the demands of the market, so trust that our Artisans are paid at a fair rate which reflects their skill and time creating. Combined, we believe that these facets will bolster a future for ourselves and the Artisans who form our identity. 

Our silversmith has laid solid foundations for what we want Lost Artisans to be: a space for master craftspeople and artists (traditional and neo-traditional alike) to thrive. Key to this – we believe - is sharing the stories which have shaped them and their creations. Instilled in each piece of art is an abundance of sentiments and stories, ready to accumulate when they find their forever home.

Like our Artisans, we too are a story in the making. You can help us by commenting your thoughts below or sharing our stories to help us grow.