Good Art Hlywd, Part 2
Part 2 of my interview with Josh Warner, owner of Good Art Hlywd:
“What made you decide to start making jewelry?,” I ask. “I read on your bio that you were making sandwiches for $300/week. What prompted you to start Good Art Hlywd?”
Josh’s answer was simple. He walked into a piercing store called The Gauntlet and told the clerk he wanted the large earring he saw on display.
“It didn’t go so well”, said Josh.
“He told me the hole in my ear wasn’t big enough … The piece was $150, they only had one … If I wanted the pair it will take months to get in because they have to order it … and I just said, “F- it.” There’s no way an earring can be this much trouble.”
And once Josh started crafting his own jewelry it was game-over at the sandwich shop. His first piece sold for $500, and he didn’t have to go far to find demand.
“Everywhere I’d go people would say, “That’s cool – where did you get it?”
And Good Art Hlwd was born.
But out of sheer curiosity, I asked what were Josh’s goals before he happened upon jewelry?
“The goal was much more ethereal than you’d imagine. The goal was always, ‘Only do the things I like doing and try to do as little as possible of the things I don’t like doing. And try to do it in a way without f-ing my neighbor,’” he said. “I wasn’t into lying, cheating, stealing, etc. I wanted to just have fun, although I wasn’t necessarily looking for the easy route. I can’t say what I do is necessarily easy, but it isn’t necessarily hard, either. And when I started making jewelry that goal became viable.”
Josh’s inspiration came from “a general affinity for things old and durable.” Reaffirming another one of his taglines, “The devil’s in the details,” he pointed to the latch on my laptop case and told me he’s intrigued by mechanisms.
“I like the way that swivels … the way your bag goes together. I like things to work well … and not sure if it’s that I tend to find beauty in things working well … or that certain things that work well also look beautiful.”
Josh says of his clients, “I’m only dealing with people that are already happy … when they’re well. It’s not like I’m a f-ing proctologist – ‘sit in the chair and we’ll fix that.’ No, you come see me when you’re stoked about something. ‘Hey, I just got a pile of money, I want to buy a bracelet.’”
“Typically the person that loves my jewelry is the person who does well in life and excels in whatever their area is. I don’t mean they’re rich or wealthy. We all have a friend that gets along and does well at whatever they do, right? That’s the person,” Josh said. “My jewelry attracts people that think outside of the box. See, most of these people … these aren’t my clients.” Josh swiveled around to peer into the walkway of the mall. “But every once in a while I can point out a guy that could wear it … because he might have the ability to break out of the crowd.
“I mean, when was the last time you spent $500 on a keychain?
But if you do, it will be your absolute favorite. Do you know what insouciance means? It’s generally mistaken for arrogance or stubbornness, but it’s more a viewpoint of your own. I mean, $6,000 for a little skill covered in diamonds? So what? I love it, it’s cool. My clients are more interested in things other than themselves. Do you know the difference between interesting people and interested people? You know all those fuckers that are busy pulling attention in? It’s so much more fun when you’re into what’s going on around you. It’s not about the stuff…it’s about the experience, the aesthetics. You’re my typical customer.”
Josh told me a story about a client of his that paid $3,200 for a bracelet when he probably wasn’t in the income bracket that could usually afford something like that.
“Every week he brought me an envelope with money. When it was half paid off I said, here – take it home now. And he kept coming, making payments. It was his thing … it put a swagger in his step. And that’s what I want. The last thing I want is it collecting dust in some room. I want it used and scratched, and banged up. See, look at my ring. Actually, look at this bracelet … it doesn’t lay flat. It should be a little more free flowing … it needs sanding. Feel that.”
I’m one of the most anal people I know but here, with this seemingly 50-pound bracelet in my hand I have to admit, I couldn’t notice any of the things he was talking about.
“Really, the only reason I’m wearing it is because I pulled it off the floor. If you spend $120,000 on a bracelet, it shouldn’t be sharp, you know? Insouciance. It’s your word.”
I’ll look that up, I tell him.
“I’ve always felt a little bit like a pirate. I figure you’re about the same, like a girl pirate.”
”Who’s going to tell a pirate what to do?”
**
Josh Warner’s Good Art Hlywd product is available online at Barney’s New York.
http://www.barneys.com/b/browse/product.s?source=crossSells&productId=773661
http://www.GoodArtHlywd.com/