For the MAEKAN and DSPTCH family, we’ve watched each other grow with great interest. Both of us share a similar perspective on creating and putting things out into the world. So when we first decided to explore creating product, DSPTCH was a natural first partner. Their flexible in-house manufacturing meant lower minimums and utilitarian design philosophy vibed with our perspective on what we wished to put out into an already crowded world.

The timeline for putting this tote out into the world took longer than anticipated, yet the conversation that supported this project and the underlying premise behind how we collectively run our companies remains unchanged.

We’re excited to both share this thoughtful conversation and the release of our MAEKAN x DSPTCH “Done Slow, Done Right” Tote Bag.

See the images, read the transcript, and shop the bag at MAEKAN.com

After a long hiatus, we’re back with another episode of Building The Brand. Most crucially, this episode is hosted by MAEKAN founders Eugene Kan and Alex Maeland, who talk about the inception of Adam Studios, the creative agency they founded that ties into and supports MAEKAN as a company and independent publication.

See the whole episode and transcript over at MAEKAN.com.

The growth of social media gives off the perception that the world’s smaller and more connected, but conversely, this doesn’t necessarily make the world easier to understand. In our MAEKAN Session titled The Need for Criticism, we focused on the concept of critique in a social-media dominated creative landscape.

This session was our most globally expansive to date, with a panel dialing in from Australia, Asia, and America. The panel members originally met through a WhatsApp group centered around film photography. Through this connection, the speakers often spoke about critique and how that has changed in relation to a social media-driven environment. How does critique affect the creative landscape of 2018, and how can we grow more accustomed to the ways in which we receive critique?

Text by Alek Rose

Moderated by Eugene Kan

Panelists featuring Sean Marc Lee, Young Kim, Jovell Rennie, James Bailey, and Donnel Barroso

See the full story here: https://www.maekan.com/article/maekan-session-the-need-for-criticism

What is MAEKAN?
MAEKAN is a membership-based publication and community focused on the sights and sounds of creative culture. We're about learning, participating, and connecting with a global community on a deeper level that social media just doesn't provide. We’re defining the future of creative culture.
We don't have all the answers, but our curiosity ensures we never stop looking.

Sign-Up Today
If you've enjoyed this story from the archives and want to see what else MAEKAN has to offer, sign-up for your membership at MAEKAN.com. You'll unlock all of our stories, be given exclusive member-only-access to our Slack community, and have the opportunity to participate in our monthly digital panel discussions.

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Listen to the story here and see the accompanying photos at MAEKAN.com for the best experience.

LOT2046 is a subscription-based service which distributes a basic set of clothing, footwear, essential self-care products, accessories, and media content. The clothes are dispensable: as they wear out, they can be bundled and returned, eliminating clutter. The set of items seen s from "lot #002."

Narration by Eugene Kan & Nathan Kan
Audio by Elphick Wo
Photos by Alex Maeland

What is MAEKAN?

MAEKAN is

Listen to the story here and see the accompanying photos at MAEKAN.com for the best experience.

Often before a MAEKAN story becomes the sounds you hear and the pictures you see, it starts out as a script—and that means a lot of words. While writing or typing every day is a great habit to develop creativity, it’s also a good way to get achy fingers and eyes too if you’re not careful. In this latest MAEKAN Tools, Nate shares three uncommon tools that help make his day-to-day writing work smoother and more manageable.

Narration by Nate Kan
Audio by Elphick Wo
Photos by Chris Lim

What is MAEKAN?

Listen to the story here and see the accompanying photos at MAEKAN.com for the best experience.

During our trip to Tokyo in February, the team visited Jazzy Sport, a prominent Japanese record store in Meguro. After striking a conversation with the storeowner, MAEKAN was invited to an exclusive music event hosted together with Blue Note, featuring José James, a jazz and hip-hop inspired vocalist.

Listen in on our recount of digging through vinyl at Jazzy Sport and the night of soulful funky beats that followed.

Narration by Cody Horne, Chris Lim & Elphick Wo
Audio by Elphick Wo
Photos by

On MAEKAN It Up #020 (we made it to episode 20 somehow), Eugene and Charis discuss the case for adding sneaker culture to the school curriculum based on its importance within youth and popular culture. Eugene manages to show how out of the loop he is when it comes to memes. Also, we explore how media companies currently strategize their push notifications and what are things we should be aware of.

• Why Sneaker Culture Should Be Taught in Schools
• Bella Hadid Goes Sneaker Shopping With Complex
• Hey, quick question: Why are models so bad at planking?

Listen to the story here and see the accompanying photos at MAEKAN.com for the best experience.

As the essential component to producing our stories, the process of recording has come a long way since we first started working on audio stories. Bringing scripts to life using only our voices has been both a challenging and rewarding experience for the entire editorial team. In this edition of Building The Brand, Cody, Elphick and Nate talk about how they went from not having any experience with podcast recording to where they are today.

Audio by Elphick Wo
Photos by Eugene Kan & Chris Lim

Wh

Listen to the story here and see the accompanying photos at MAEKAN.com for the best experience.

Sarah Kim is a woman of many talents. By day she works at an ad agency in New York. By night and the weekend, she’s a publisher with By Way Of Brooklyn. Not content with her outlets, she sought out another medium, art curation. Together with her partners Arielle and Lynsday, the trio represents Feminine Product. The show celebrating women was a physical manifestation of many talks and discussions culminating in what is feminity and what was Feminine Product’s approach to it.

Over the course of an afternoon spent before the show had opened, we engaged openly and without judgment over some of th

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When the information age nostalgically looked back toward traditional craftsmanship for inspiration, we ended up with hand-stitched leather cases for our tablets and artisan wooden styluses to go with it. But for something we use literally every day, why haven’t we been handcrafting sneakers? This is just what bespoke luxury sneaker label No.One does, a dozen and a half pairs at a time. Good things take time, and founder Mark Gainor doesn’t seem to mind.

Script and Narration by Nate Kan
Audio by Elphick Wo
Photos by Eugene

On MAEKAN It Up #019, Eugene and Charis discuss the future of "corporate" geo-tagging based on a recent project between Snapchat, and Jeff Koons' balloon dog sculpture. It incorporates insights from Sebastian Errazuriz, a Chilean artist and a designer based in New York City who's been outspoken on the role of brands in our digital public spaces. We also discuss the big picture behind Dropbox's colorful rebranding and the suggestion that Dropbox is losing its focus on product.

• Jeff Koons’ augmented reality Snapchat artwork gets ‘vandalized’
• Watch: Sebastian Errazuriz on corporate geo-tagging

Listen to the story here and see the accompanying photos at MAEKAN.com for the best experience.

At MAEKAN, we're always open to different mediums if they help enhance a story, and while we do shoot a lot in digital, we've definitely all got a special place in our hearts for film. The texture and colors produced by film have been instrumental in capturing both the rich emotions of our stories and the candid memories on our trips. In this MAEKAN Tools, Chris Lim shares the two analog film cameras he shoots with to produce images for many of our stories: his compact and discreet Yashica T4 and his medium format Pentax 645.

What is MAEKAN?

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A lot of people like trying new things, especially if it involves something delicious. But how much of the experience is coming from your five senses and how much is created or even distorted by your own mind? In this edition of Hands, MAEKAN’s editor, Nate, recalls the team’s visit to Michelin one-star Sushi Shin in Minato, Tokyo. There, everyone didn’t just end up with stomachs full of great food, but heads full of great insights too.

What is MAEKAN?

MAEKAN is a membership-based publication and community f

Studies suggest that mental illness just may be the new normal—with an overwhelming amount of the population suffering from depression, anxiety, or a deep rooted sadness at one point or another in their lives. While some may attempt to ignore symptoms, it’s important we don’t isolate ourselves and these feelings, but rather, remove the stigma attached to mental health by speaking openly. Mike Shinoda wants to promote this narrative, and ensure that we are checking in with ourselves, and others. Interview, Narration, and Text by Samantha Goretski Audio by Elphick Wo Photos by Christina Choi See the full story here: https://www.maekan.com/article/to-be-a-member-of-a-club-you-never-wanted-to-join-conversing-with-mike-shinoda What is MAEKAN? MAEKAN is a membership-based publication and community focused on the sights and sounds of creative culture. We're about learning, participating, and connecting with a global community on a deeper level that social media just doesn't provide. We’re defining the future of creative culture. We don't have all the answers, but our curiosity ensures we never stop looking. Sign-Up Today If you've enjoyed this story from the archives and want to see what else MAEKAN has to offer, sign-up for your membership at MAEKAN.com. You'll unlock all of our stories, be given exclusive member-only-access to our Slack community, and have the opportunity to participate in our monthly digital panel discussions. MAEKAN.com Follow Us instagram.com/maekan facebook.com/storiesforthecurious twitter.com/maekan stories@maekan.com

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The sounds get progressively clearer. Wheels rattling along smooth granite are met with the intermittent screech of trucks grinding against a ledge. You can hear it getting louder and louder, but there's still nothing to connect the sound and the source.

What is MAEKAN?

MAEKAN is a membership-based publication and community focused on the sights and sounds of creative culture. We're about learning, participating, and connecting with a global community on a deeper level that social media just d

On MAEKAN It Up #018, Eugene and Charis discuss an Apple Music interview that featured Jimmy Iovine, Zane Lowe, and Larry Jackson. Some interesting insights led them to dig deeper into how the future of streaming music will play out and Apple's positioning. Furthermore, we highlight a really great project that featured Daily Paper, a streetwear brand out of Amsterdam, and PUMA. The project focused on the creation of a football pitch in Ghana at an all-girls school as part of the 20th anniversary of sponsorship between PUMA and various African nations. 

• Apple Music's Long Game: Why Jimmy Iovine Thinks They're 'Not Even Close' to Success With Streaming

Listen to the story here and see the accompanying photos at MAEKAN.com for the best experience.

MAEKAN’s approach to documenting stories has been highly methodical, structured and organized. We achieved great editorial results over the past few months by sticking with this formula. However, as our body of work continues to grow, the importance of making judgment calls and quick adjustments becomes all the more important. That's not to say having a gameplan doesn't work. It's about being able to identify opportunities that unfold and having enough flexibility to react in order to maintain the authenticity of a story.

What is MAEKAN?

Listen to the story here and see the accompanying photos at MAEKAN.com for the best experience.

The American cannabis industry is poised to reach over $20 billion USD by 2021. But with each industry comes its own sectors, whether it be finance, marketing, infrastructure and equipment. How far along is each of these parts of the puzzle? How do you market a product that's not illegal per se, but also not recreationally legal (yet)? We spent a day alongside Sherbinskis, a California-based flower company as they planned a low-key marketing affair with rapper Young Dolph.

What is MAEKAN?

MAEKAN

Listen to the story here and see the accompanying photos at MAEKAN.com for the best experience.

With the legalization of recreational cannabis becoming more and more of a reality in California, the ensuing Green Rush promises a new economy and a new chance to profit. The opportunity extends to Native American reservations, whose distinct legal status means expediency for entrepreneurial tribes that want to grow cannabis for profit. But from sowing to selling, things are more complicated than they seem. Over a dinner in Vegas, Hopland Pomo Indian Tribal Chairman Joe San Diego and Will Htun of renowned cannabis grower Sherbinski share their story of the potential and t

 

On MAEKAN It Up #017, Eugene and Charis discuss the what it means for Coca-Cola to sponsor a video game character and how social media and technology has changed and normalized food reviews.

• Coca-Cola nets its first ever virtual athlete in Fifa 18’s rising star Alex Hunter
• What Coca-Cola's sponsorship of Fifa 18 virtual footballer Alex Hunter means for the future of influen

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In the competitive world of fine dining, commissioning the creation of custom objects for food presentation has become practically de rigueur. We talk to two of the industry’s most sought-after serviceware designers — Jono Pandolfi and Martin Kastner — and discover that the careers, work, and creative processes built around their art can be as complex and varied as the food that is served on it.

What is MAEKAN?

MAEKAN is a membership-based publication and community focused on the sights and sounds of cr

Listen to the story here and see the accompanying photos at MAEKAN.com for the best experience.

At the end of our visit to Tokyo-based floral art collective AMKK, head botanist Makoto Azuma graciously created three pieces exclusively for MAEKAN. Incorporating MAEKAN's signature blue and "unexpected connections" as his theme, Makoto created a piece titled "Damned Ikebana," a unique take on the traditional Japanese flower arrangement art.

What is MAEKAN?

MAEKAN is a membership-based publication and community focused on the sights and sounds of creative culture. We're about learning, p

Listen to the story here and see the accompanying photos at MAEKAN.com for the best experience.

While LEGO has been a creative building block—pun very much intended —in every childhood, there are plenty of "kids at heart" who just can't let go of them, even after their imaginations have grown beyond what's featured on the colorful box. In this MAEKAN BEAT, we look at how one Hong Kong-based store and studio makes custom LEGO pieces that are definitely not for ages 4-7!

What is MAEKAN?

MAEKAN is a membership-based publication and community focused on the sights and sounds of creative culture. We're about l

 

On MAEKAN It Up #016, Eugene and Charis discuss the efforts by The Undefeated's photo editor Brent Lewis on improving diversity amongst photographers and the return of a familiar classic with Polaroid Originals. 

• Diversity in Photojournalism: ‘Talk Is Cheap’ (4:37)
• Chicago Sun-Times fires photographers, gives reporters iPhone camera training

In this Building the Brand, Eugene sits down with Scott to talk about the role of community governance in a brand strategy. It's never been easier to start and build a brand today, but a side effect of this is building loyalty has become that much harder. Instead of freely providing what the brand has to offer up front—or even simply dictating it to your audience—how about building a community that has some say in how things are run? Hosted by Eugene Kan & Scott Mascek Text & Transcript by Nate Kan Audio by Elphick Wo See the full story here: https://www.maekan.com/article/building-the-brand-community-governance What is MAEKAN? MAEKAN is a membership-based publication and community focused on the sights and sounds of creative culture. We're about learning, participating, and connecting with a global community on a deeper level that social media just doesn't provide. We’re defining the future of creative culture. We don't have all the answers, but our curiosity ensures we never stop looking. Sign-Up Today If you've enjoyed this story from the archives and want to see what else MAEKAN has to offer, sign-up for your membership at MAEKAN.com. You'll unlock all of our stories, be given exclusive member-only-access to our Slack community, and have the opportunity to participate in our monthly digital panel discussions. MAEKAN.com Follow Us instagram.com/maekan facebook.com/storiesforthecurious twitter.com/maekan stories@maekan.com

Listen to the story here and see the accompanying photos at MAEKAN.com for the best experience.

You might be curious about why you’re listening to this story as opposed to just reading it off your screen.

In the early stages of MAEKAN, a lot of consideration went into building the experience. We thought about simply sticking with text and photos and maybe experimenting with video, but in the end, we found our reasons for why audio was the best approach.

The current way in which we live our lives is constantly changing. It’s never quite stagnant, with continual movement and direction, and more importantly, it’s dictated by outside forces we currently can’t control. The advancements in storytelling are evolving at a rapid pace, and media ty

On MAEKAN It Up #015, Eugene and Charis examine the cultural currency of objects, starting with a New Yorker magazine tote bag, and how Detroit's hiring of a Chief Storyteller makes us wonder about the idea of who can tell what stories amongst different demographics.

• How a free canvas tote became a bigger status symbol than a $10,000 Hermès bag (5:45)
• A Birkin Might Be a Better Investment Than the Stock Market (6:00)

 

Listen to the story here and see the accompanying photos at MAEKAN.com for the best experience.

The beauty of photography lies in the ability to capture a singular moment in time. Some events occur at an everyday pace, which makes their documentation, all the more simple. But in Bo Bridges’ world of action photography, there were no “re-dos.” To be present meant to be at the top of your game and prepared for both expected and unexpected outcomes. Unlike team sports with a general semblance of what’s possible, action sports lends itself to spontaneity and surprise. Athletes don’t accommodate your photographic needs, but rather you’re expected to rise to their occasion.

For Bo, his days began in the world of film

On MAEKAN It Up #014, Eugene and Charis debut a new "collaborative" drawing and start the podcast off with some good news. Then they delve into what it means to decentralize social media with blockchain and cryptocurrencies. They cap things off by discussing the idea of "hard work" and what is the line drawn with working too hard. 

• Decentralized social media is peer-to-peering into the future (5:45)
• steemit
• What is Blockchain and why are we exploring it at This Place?

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Makoto Azuma and Shunsuke Shiinoki might've given up on dreams of becoming rock musicians, but they didn't hang up their guitars. The pair, renowned for their vivid yet stark take on floral art, make up the bedrock of creative studio AMKK, but are more than just business partners.

Over the course of two days, the MAEKAN team followed the two high school friends as they practiced with their yet-to-be-named grunge rock band and went about their work day, creating original floral works and sharing more about their creative philosophy. We came away with both a deeper understanding of how AMKK works, and a drastically altered perspective of flowe

Illustration by Charis Poon

On MAEKAN It Up #013, Eugene and Charis discuss the bold move by Black Girls Code to say no to a $125K USD donation from Uber, and how creatives should look at their relationship with money thanks to a 2Bobs podcast (shout out to Myke for putting us onto it). 

• Eugene talks about the anxiety doing MAEKAN It Up (1:51)
• Black Girls Code says it turned down $125,000 from Uber (3:43)
• Black Girls Code
• Reflecting On One Very, Very Strange Year At Uber by Susan J. Fowler (4:45)
• Would you take money from somebo

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Why are sports media outlets obsessed with statistics and numbers? How hard is it to tell a good sports-related story? What value does print offer to today's publishers?

We brought FRANCHISE and Mundial together to tackle these sorts of questions head on in a 90-minute roundtable conversation. These respected print titles shed light on pertinent topics such as social media's influence on sports journalism, how commer

Illustration by Charis Poon

On MAEKAN It Up #012, Eugene and Charis discuss the idea of creativity as we age and why a child-like approach to problem solving embraces psychedelic drugs and what does it mean for a PR agency like Derris to simultaneously invest and provide services for? 

• Typhoon Hato talk in Hong Kong(1:00)
• Changes in cognitive flexibility and hypothesis search across human life history from childhood to adolescence to adulthood (2:45)
• What Happens to Creativity as we Age? (3:00)
• Exploitation vs. Exploration thinking (4:53)

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Kits change, managers change, players are sold, shadowy billionaire owners come in, stadiums close, communities are destroyed… Shops that have relied on fan footfall close overnight as football (soccer) clubs vacate spots they've occupied for over a century. But this is the sport we chose, the sport we love. And a calf tattoo of a Chelsea bulldog in a Lampard shirt? Well, that lasts forever.

What is MAEKAN?

MAEKAN is a membership-based publication and community fo

On MAEKAN It Up #011, Eugene and Charis look into the different sides of streetwear released by churches, and what does it mean when a tech-based mindset that focuses on innovation over regulation enters food with the Impossible Burger?

• Recap of Alex and Eugene's presentations at the Taku & Dropbox 823 event in Tokyo (0:45)
• The results of the speed listening experiment (2:07)
• Slowing down audio during emotional moments (3:33)
• This American Life Episode (clip heard)
• When's the best time to speed listen? (4:40)
• Is church merch the next big thing in streetwear? (7:07)

Joan Wong worked at Penguin Random House in New York for the past five years as a book cover designer. Her more well-known work includes the paperback covers of the Crazy Rich Asians series by Kevin Kwan, Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang, and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s We Should All Be Feminists. She could easily have stayed at her job indefinitely and followed a fairly predictable path of success as a designer. However, in evaluating her next steps, this plan sounded a little too safe. She decided to leave her full time job in order to embark on a year long trip around the world that began in October 2017. This second conversation between myself, Charis, and Joan took place near the end of her trip, but looks back at the second third of her journey. Hosted & Narration by Charis Poon Audio by Elphick Wo Illustration by Joan Wong See the full story here: https://www.maekan.com/article/observations-abroad-with-joan-wong-part-ii What is MAEKAN? MAEKAN is a membership-based publication and community focused on the sights and sounds of creative culture. We're about learning, participating, and connecting with a global community on a deeper level that social media just doesn't provide. We’re defining the future of creative culture. We don't have all the answers, but our curiosity ensures we never stop looking. Sign-Up Today If you've enjoyed this story from the archives and want to see what else MAEKAN has to offer, sign-up for your membership at MAEKAN.com. You'll unlock all of our stories, be given exclusive member-only-access to our Slack community, and have the opportunity to participate in our monthly digital panel discussions. MAEKAN.com Follow Us instagram.com/maekan facebook.com/storiesforthecurious twitter.com/maekan stories@maekan.com

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With MAEKAN’s ongoing effort to bring a sense of tangibility to the digital experience, the team commissioned the talents of the multi-talented Jordan Sowers to create an original brand pattern referred to as the “fabric.” But of course, it’s never just plugging in a set of requirements and ideas and then receiving the finished product. With every artist we work with, we always jump at the opportunity to connect with like-minded people who can define MAEKAN in unexpected ways.

See the full story here. (Members Only)

What is MAEKAN?

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As an audio-focused publication, MAEKAN wouldn’t be what it is without an amazing sound engineer, and like any professional photographer or videographer in the field, ours relies on quality equipment suited for the job. But like gear for taking pictures or video, there is no one best option. Depending on the style or needs of the artist, it could take a handful—or packful—of equipment pieces to capture the visual world around us in each way, but try taking all of that out into the streets with you.

In this latest edition of TOOLS, we look at MAEKAN resident audio maestro Elphick Wo’s powerful, but compact and discreet rig that he takes with him t

Listen to the story here and see the accompanying photos at MAEKAN.com for the best experience.

In a generation where people leave their hometowns in search of culturally or creatively greener pastures and the allure of the exotic elsewhere, Virgilio Martinez represents a very notable exception. With a skateboarding career cut short by injury, the now restauranteur from Lima, Peru went on a long and contemplative journey across the world to learn, cook and discover.

Along the way, he not only found a veritable library of new ingredients and dishes, but also had an epiphany that would take him home a changed man, and a changed chef.

What is MAEKAN?

I have a trick for when I meet new people in order to get more quickly into a substantiative conversation. I resist, for the entire meeting if possible, asking the person that I’ve just met what they do for a living. I’m not always able to swerve clear of what’s considered small talk—I still tend to talk about the weather more than is advisable—but I try to be honest and ask open questions that leave room for the conversation to develop in many possible ways. The artist David Choe, in his 45-minute session on stage at the Unexpected Connections conference, said that he would begin by telling the 450 people in the audience the thing he least wanted to share. Think what our interactions with each other would look like if we adopted that practice in our daily lives. That’s what happened, in a scaled-back way, throughout the day in Long Beach during the conference hosted by Imprint and ourselves in early November. People in attendance were open with each other immediately, in the kind of way that typically takes being on a third date or having had a second pint. Conversations started where you’d typically get to 30 minutes in rather than at square one. Long Beach wound up being important as a location, more so than just being the neighborhood Imprint and InterTrend are located in (InterTrend and Imprint Venture Lab are both managed by Julia Huang, the mastermind behind the conference) though it was important to us that we show support for local culture. What wound up making Long Beach appropriate was its removal from downtown LA—the people present really thought about being there and made a commitment to stay at the conference for an extended period of time. Rather than people floating in for the specific talk they were interested in and then coasting out again, there was a dedicated group of people prepared for deep engagement. People would recognize each other and conversations that were started in the morning continued on to the afternoon and then flowed into drinks at the Long Beach Museum of Art. Speakers being present for more than just their appointed slot of time also demonstrated commitment to availability and the sharing of knowledge. Text by Charis Poon Photos by Christina Choi See the full recap here: https://www.maekan.com/article/celebrating-and-evaluating-a-recap-of-unexpected-connections What is MAEKAN? MAEKAN is a membership-based publication and community focused on the sights and sounds of creative culture. We're about learning, participating, and connecting with a global community on a deeper level that social media just doesn't provide. We’re defining the future of creative culture. We don't have all the answers, but our curiosity ensures we never stop looking. Sign-Up Today If you've enjoyed this story from the archives and want to see what else MAEKAN has to offer, sign-up for your membership at MAEKAN.com. You'll unlock all of our stories, be given exclusive member-only-access to our Slack community, and have the opportunity to participate in our monthly digital panel discussions. MAEKAN.com Follow Us instagram.com/maekan facebook.com/storiesforthecurious twitter.com/maekan stories@maekan.com

An eternal summer on a coast of smooth white sand represented in ceramics. Liam Kaczmar set out to make what he couldn’t find elsewhere when he dreamed up Summerland. His one-man operation in San Francisco has allowed him to escape the dissatisfaction he found in: having to put in 70-hour weeks for bosses, having to settle for poorly designed bongs, having to put his design and art direction skills to work making other brands look better. Summerland as Liam envisions it brings access to imagining something better for those firmly engrained in stoner culture and those who are intrigued by the idea for the first time when they come across one of his bongs on the shelf of a clothing boutique. Hosted by Alex Maeland Text, Narration & Transcript by Alek Rose Audio by Elphick Wo Photos by Carmen Chan See the full story here: https://www.maekan.com/article/good-earth-for-good-herb-summerland-and-the-perfect-ceramic-bong What is MAEKAN? MAEKAN is a membership-based publication and community focused on the sights and sounds of creative culture. We're about learning, participating, and connecting with a global community on a deeper level that social media just doesn't provide. We’re defining the future of creative culture. We don't have all the answers, but our curiosity ensures we never stop looking. Sign-Up Today If you've enjoyed this story from the archives and want to see what else MAEKAN has to offer, sign-up for your membership at MAEKAN.com. You'll unlock all of our stories, be given exclusive member-only-access to our Slack community, and have the opportunity to participate in our monthly digital panel discussions. MAEKAN.com Follow Us instagram.com/maekan facebook.com/storiesforthecurious twitter.com/maekan stories@maekan.com

Guillaume Ferrand is an illustrator who approaches his work with careful research, deliberate intentions, and a willingness to experiment. He draws inspiration from literature, old movies, classical paintings, architecture, fashion collections, tiles—anything and everything he comes across can feed into his creative output. Besides being an illustrator who is able to draw on many resources, Guillaume uses his artistic series as ways to think about who he is and question his own behavior and prejudices. Illustrations by Guillaume Ferrand Audio by Elphick Wo Follow this podcast with the visuals for the full story here: https://www.maekan.com/article/from-the-portfolio-of-guillaume-ferrand What is MAEKAN? MAEKAN is a membership-based publication and community focused on the sights and sounds of creative culture. We're about learning, participating, and connecting with a global community on a deeper level that social media just doesn't provide. We’re defining the future of creative culture. We don't have all the answers, but our curiosity ensures we never stop looking. Sign-Up Today If you've enjoyed this story from the archives and want to see what else MAEKAN has to offer, sign-up for your membership at MAEKAN.com. You'll unlock all of our stories, be given exclusive member-only-access to our Slack community, and have the opportunity to participate in our monthly digital panel discussions. MAEKAN.com Follow Us instagram.com/maekan facebook.com/storiesforthecurious twitter.com/maekan stories@maekan.com

Recently, MAEKAN teamed with Hong Kong’s most renowned publication SCMP to produce a story on Tan Dun, a master composer and living Chinese national treasure. Most familiar to international audiences for his work scoring Ang Lee’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, he amassed a great body of work that combines Western and traditional Chinese theatrical conventions before finding more mainstream success with film scores and composing for China’s milestone events such as the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Script, Narration & Text by Nate Kan Audio by Elphick Wo Photos by Christopher Lim See the full story here: https://www.maekan.com/article/tan-dun-master-composer-and-force-of-culture What is MAEKAN? MAEKAN is a membership-based publication and community focused on the sights and sounds of creative culture. We're about learning, participating, and connecting with a global community on a deeper level that social media just doesn't provide. We’re defining the future of creative culture. We don't have all the answers, but our curiosity ensures we never stop looking. Sign-Up Today If you've enjoyed this story from the archives and want to see what else MAEKAN has to offer, sign-up for your membership at MAEKAN.com. You'll unlock all of our stories, be given exclusive member-only-access to our Slack community, and have the opportunity to participate in our monthly digital panel discussions. MAEKAN.com Follow Us instagram.com/maekan facebook.com/storiesforthecurious twitter.com/maekan stories@maekan.com

As the distilled spirit of choice in South Korea, soju has quickly gained popularity alongside the country’s cultural exports. No stranger to the different spirits of the world, especially those in Asia, Yardbird beverage director, and Sake Samurai Elliot Faber knows a thing or two about soju and its Japanese cousin, shochu. We sat down with him in Seoul to hear the differences and similarities between the two spirits in terms of their production, consumption, and culture. Interview by Tara Babbins Narration by Nate Kan Photos by Jason Schlabach & Jung Jaiuk See the full story here: https://www.maekan.com/article/shochu-soju-yardbirds-elliot-faber-breaks-down-the-worlds-favorite-rice-wines What is MAEKAN? MAEKAN is a membership-based publication and community focused on the sights and sounds of creative culture. We're about learning, participating, and connecting with a global community on a deeper level that social media just doesn't provide. We’re defining the future of creative culture. We don't have all the answers, but our curiosity ensures we never stop looking. Sign-Up Today If you've enjoyed this story from the archives and want to see what else MAEKAN has to offer, sign-up for your membership at MAEKAN.com. You'll unlock all of our stories, be given exclusive member-only-access to our Slack community, and have the opportunity to participate in our monthly digital panel discussions. MAEKAN.com Follow Us instagram.com/maekan facebook.com/storiesforthecurious twitter.com/maekan stories@maekan.com

Julie Zerbo began The Fashion Law while she was still in law school, using it as a way to ground the theory that she was learning in something concrete. Julie’s website originates around the explosion in popularity of fashion blogging. Those who were not formally part of the industry could attempt to carve their own path inwards. Many of these platforms faded into obscurity just as quickly as they began. But the refreshing candor of The Fashion Law, alongside an intense level of rigor for the craft, gained her a significant following who want to see beneath the surface. The Fashion Law reader isn’t satisfied with what meets the eye. Script & Narration by Alek Rose Interview by Eugene Kan Audio by Elphick Wo Photos by Heather Sten See the full story here: https://www.maekan.com/article/authenticity-and-transparency-in-fashion-the-fashion-law-with-julie-zerbo What is MAEKAN? MAEKAN is a membership-based publication and community focused on the sights and sounds of creative culture. We're about learning, participating, and connecting with a global community on a deeper level that social media just doesn't provide. We’re defining the future of creative culture. We don't have all the answers, but our curiosity ensures we never stop looking. Sign-Up Today If you've enjoyed this story from the archives and want to see what else MAEKAN has to offer, sign-up for your membership at MAEKAN.com. You'll unlock all of our stories, be given exclusive member-only-access to our Slack community, and have the opportunity to participate in our monthly digital panel discussions. MAEKAN.com Follow Us instagram.com/maekan facebook.com/storiesforthecurious twitter.com/maekan stories@maekan.com

Namu Farm is a quaint two-acre property located an hour and a half outside of San Francisco. In a time when the topic of food and industry generally focuses on scale and size, a visit to the farm is a timely reminder of where our food comes from. The whole operation is overseen by Kristyn Leach, an unexpected representation of the modern-day farmer who aims not only to produce honest, ethical food, but also empowers communities through narratives of food and experience. As a Korean-American adoptee, some of the crops that grace the rows of the farm were not part of her upbringing, but their existence has allowed her to gain a very unique insight into a heritage that was never second nature.

Namu Farm exists as a partnership between both Kristyn and Namu Gaji, a brother-run restaurant group that also includes the more casual dining establishment known as Namu Stonepot. The two have been staunch supporters of revisiting what farming means today and willingly absorbing all the challenges that have come along the way.

A few hours spent shadowing Kristyn with the bright sun beating down overhead yielded some fascinating insights into the complexities of not only how our food makes its way to the table, but also how food and ethnic culture have some positive externalities that help bring light to the stories of the otherwise voiceless.

See the images over at MAEKAN.com.

Rarely do creatives start their careers with a particular defined path. It requires a few bumps and bruises, and wrong turns to find the right path. Decatur Dan, otherwise known as Daniel Hall, has come up through the ranks in a way that’s almost a requisite for success… your own way. His initial start creating content began as the streetwear boutique in Atlanta known as Standard. Regular meetings with Atlanta’s vibrant hip-hop scene allowed a new chapter to emerge as a music video director for the likes of 2Chains, Future, and more. Script & Narration by Eugene Kan Transcript by Alek Rose Audio by Elphick Wo Video by Daniel Hall Photos by Alex Maeland See the full story here: https://www.maekan.com/article/there-is-no-handbook-chapter-by-chapter-with-director-decatur-dan What is MAEKAN? MAEKAN is a membership-based publication and community focused on the sights and sounds of creative culture. We're about learning, participating, and connecting with a global community on a deeper level that social media just doesn't provide. We’re defining the future of creative culture. We don't have all the answers, but our curiosity ensures we never stop looking. Sign-Up Today If you've enjoyed this story from the archives and want to see what else MAEKAN has to offer, sign-up for your membership at MAEKAN.com. You'll unlock all of our stories, be given exclusive member-only-access to our Slack community, and have the opportunity to participate in our monthly digital panel discussions. MAEKAN.com Follow Us instagram.com/maekan facebook.com/storiesforthecurious twitter.com/maekan stories@maekan.com

Researcher and photographer Behzod Sirjani has dedicated his career towards the understanding of culture. It has come through the lens of both social media, at Facebook and more recently with remote and digital work at Slack. The interactions we’ve engaged in online have changed significantly from our face-to-face communications of the past, and as such, we now see our peers much differently. Our access to their interests, their views, and how they interact is on full display. These cultural nuances, through Sirjani’s role as Senior Researcher at Slack, present themselves as key determinants of how digital work culture moves forward. The inclusion of photography has also given him an added tool to force him to observe and be present as things play out around him. Interview by Eugene Kan Transcript & Text by Alek Rose Audio by Elphick Wo Photos by Behzod Sirjani See the full story here: https://www.maekan.com/article/product-research-through-culture-behzod-sirjani-and-how-slack-humanizes-work What is MAEKAN? MAEKAN is a membership-based publication and community focused on the sights and sounds of creative culture. We're about learning, participating, and connecting with a global community on a deeper level that social media just doesn't provide. We’re defining the future of creative culture. We don't have all the answers, but our curiosity ensures we never stop looking. Sign-Up Today If you've enjoyed this story from the archives and want to see what else MAEKAN has to offer, sign-up for your membership at MAEKAN.com. You'll unlock all of our stories, be given exclusive member-only-access to our Slack community, and have the opportunity to participate in our monthly digital panel discussions. MAEKAN.com Follow Us instagram.com/maekan facebook.com/storiesforthecurious twitter.com/maekan stories@maekan.com

Hey, everyone. My name is Umar Issa. I’m from Los Angeles, California and recently I took a trip to Egypt for a few weeks. Egypt is a place I’ve wanted to visit for so long. It’s known in Arabic as Umm al-Dunya which means “mother of the world”. And I thought it would be an amazing opportunity to spend some time this summer exploring the land of our ancestors. Narrated and text by Umar Issa Audio by Elphick Wo Photos by Umar Issa See the full story here: https://www.maekan.com/article/maekan-travel-diary-conversing-through-football-in-egypt What is MAEKAN? MAEKAN is a membership-based publication and community focused on the sights and sounds of creative culture. We're about learning, participating, and connecting with a global community on a deeper level that social media just doesn't provide. We’re defining the future of creative culture. We don't have all the answers, but our curiosity ensures we never stop looking. Sign-Up Today If you've enjoyed this story from the archives and want to see what else MAEKAN has to offer, sign-up for your membership at MAEKAN.com. You'll unlock all of our stories, be given exclusive member-only-access to our Slack community, and have the opportunity to participate in our monthly digital panel discussions. MAEKAN.com Follow Us instagram.com/maekan facebook.com/storiesforthecurious twitter.com/maekan stories@maekan.com

Avery Trufelman is a producer at 99% Invisible, an extremely popular podcast created by Roman Mars. She crafts stories about things overlooked and believes anything can be a good story when told correctly. “If you go far enough away and zoom out and look at larger pictures everything is fascinating; if you zoom in and in and in closer and closer and deep into histories and linguistics of anything everything is fascinating. Like everything has a context, everything has a person behind it, everything has some sort of conflict.” Listen to Avery and Charis untangle what it means to be a podcaster/producer and delve deep into the possibilities of storytelling. Hosted, narrated, and text by Charis Poon Audio by Elphick Wo Photos by Stanley Cheng See the whole story: https://www.maekan.com/article/anything-can-be-fascinating-avery-trufelman-of-99-invisible-on-telling-stories-well What is MAEKAN? MAEKAN is a membership-based publication and community focused on the sights and sounds of creative culture. We're about learning, participating, and connecting with a global community on a deeper level that social media just doesn't provide. We’re defining the future of creative culture. We don't have all the answers, but our curiosity ensures we never stop looking. Sign-Up Today If you've enjoyed this story from the archives and want to see what else MAEKAN has to offer, sign-up for your membership at MAEKAN.com. You'll unlock all of our stories, be given exclusive member-only-access to our Slack community, and have the opportunity to participate in our monthly digital panel discussions. MAEKAN.com Follow Us instagram.com/maekan facebook.com/storiesforthecurious twitter.com/maekan stories@maekan.com