MEET THE MAKERS Woodworking meets graphic design with East Coast twist

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Woodworking meets graphic design with an East Coast twist at Jampy through the creative mind of Chris Smith.
Smith, who lives in Pictou, NS, began his business Jampy 11 years ago. It was natural for him to go into the makery line of work, as he is also an award-winning graphic designer and photographer.
“My brain simply leans in a creative direction, so I just end up building businesses around my nature. I’d be an awful accountant,” he says.
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Jampy started when Smith made three pieces of furniture. From there, he found himself starting a woodworking company. And it just took off.
“It was like walking a Great Dane who just saw a squirrel,” he describes.

The business name, he says, came from the fact that his cousins couldn’t pronounce ‘grampy’ and called their great-grandfather ‘Jampy.’ It stuck, and Smith named his company after him.
The stories about his great-grandfather are legendary, notes Smith. He once killed a moose with an axe when it attacked his horse.
“He was a good guy to have on your side,” he adds.
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Creative pieces unique to place
Through Jampy, Smith makes a wide variety of woodwork items, ranging from coasters to signs and Christmas ornaments, and all of his items have an East Coast twist.
They may include images of whales, lobsters, anchors and even the much-loved storm chips.
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Out of everything he makes, Smith says his SeaFlakes are his most popular item. These are sea-themed snowflakes that feature images of lobsters, anchors, lighthouses and more that are hiding away in the designs.

Driven by creativity and curiosity
To learn his trade, Smith says he taught himself through a combination of creativity and curiosity. He’s pretty good at figuring out things on the fly, he explains.
“I’m a big fan of the saying ‘jump off the cliff and build your wings on the way down’,” says Smith.
When figuring out what to make next, Smith says as a creative person, it’s often hard to really say where the ideas come from. His own brain constantly surprises him.
“That’s part of the fun,” he adds.

Around the world
One of the exciting parts of the business is seeing how far his items travel. Because they’re easy to mail, his Christmas ornaments are now found all over the planet. Every craft show he attends, Smith says, he has someone tell him they mailed the ornaments to far-off locations like Japan, Norway, Zimbabwe, and beyond.
“I’m quite jealous, I don’t get to travel nearly as much as my ornaments,” says Smith.
When not creating full-time, Smith is actively involved in renovating his own house, which he says is still in the electrical, plumbing and drywall stages. And once it is time for the finishing touches, he plans on applying his skills to a much larger canvas – his own home.
Otherwise, Smith says, he can be found hanging out with his best friend, who happens to be his dog.
Go online: Learn more at jampystore.myshopify.com. He can also be found on Facebook and Instagram under JampyFurniture.
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