Meet the Maker with James Whipple
James Whipple, also known as Jimi, has been married to Zettie Whipple for six years and resides in Brooklyn Park, Maryland. He shares his home with a cat named Edgar. While his full-time job may be uneventful, his personal interests are quite the opposite. Jimi has a passion for crafting and do-it-yourself (DIY) projects, including sewing, painting, and recently, screen printing. He's been immersed in punk music and fashion for about 25 years and is a seasoned musician, playing bass (upright and electric) for 22 years. He also runs a small business called
Here’s Jimi talking about his art, process, and experience…
How and when did you learn of CAC's MakerSpace and Open Studio?
I knew there was an art center near me when we moved here but never really looked into anything really until this past April. Erica Lambert told me about it at one of the events she was doing around Baltimore and that she did her own screen printing there. I've been wanting to try screen printing for a while and researched a lot about it before I attended the training class for it!
How do you utilize it? What do you create?
I only use the screen printing studio space. I create screen printed t-shirts, patches, jackets, flannel shirts, button ups, pretty much anything I can for my small business!
Do you have a small business that you sell what you make, or are you a tinkerer?
I am both! Proud to say that I finally after years of talking about it I finally started my own small business. Punkrawkstuff, it is a very, very small clothing company. I also do some reselling of vintage clothing but also try to give it a twist when possible. DIY inspired and very simple designs! I try to upcycle as much as I can! I also make buttons/badges, I've made a few shirts from scratch. I also make belts, bootstraps, bracelets and also use HTV in some things. And the list goes on, most recently started making bolo ties!My wife and I have been traveling around on the weekends selling at different events most recently the world oddities expo here in Baltimore!
How has the MakerSpace/Open Studio have helped you? What do you like about it? Is the staff helpful? Do you see yourself continuing to create here?
I think the makers space is an excellent place for anyone who wants to try something and see if they like it without having to spend a lot of money on it. It's helped me by offering literally everything I need to screen print! It helped me finally start my small business. I like that it's affordable, and well stocked, the staff are super helpful and very supportive (Maks, Charlie and Benjamin)! Yes, I see myself continuing using the MakerSpace for a very long time! It's literally where I do all of my screen printing!
To learn more about Jimi and his work, check out his instagram.
