I felt honoured when Barkers approached me to collaborate on the exclusive release of Earl of East incense in New Zealand. Daniel from Barkers explained their intention to work with craftspeople as a way to support local creatives.

Simple task, it seemed: design and make an incense holder. I hadn’t made one before and quickly learned that every piece comes with its own quirks. Things like making sure the holes were just snug enough to hold the incense without tipping, but not so tight that the sticks wouldn’t fit at all. All of that, while also figuring out how to reproduce the large quantity they needed.

The process of working collaboratively was great, and I was grateful they had the budget to bring back Tiago to film some behind-the-scenes moments. I really enjoyed this project. Making the same object over and over can be tough, but lighting many Earl of East incense sticks along the way reminded me to slow down. Watching the smoke curl through the air became its own kind of ritual in my making.

Available now in select Barkers stores and online, in limited numbers.

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