About Ethan
Meet MAKR, a design studio and product manufacturer founded by Jason Gregory. From hand-sewn leather wallets to minimalist furniture, every piece is crafted with an industrial approach to craftsmanship and timeless details. MAKR’s designs are the result of careful, meditative processes that focus on quality, simplicity, and durability. Made in the USA with a commitment to socially responsible labor practices, each item fosters a deep connection between designer, maker, and user.
Name and what you do?
Jason Gregory - I design and make things, usually under the “Brand” MAKR.
Biggest artistic influences?
The search for a personal ideal of order, proportion and craftsmanship.
Where you find inspiration?
In the way people live and build a world for themselves. Authenticity as a word has been ruined, but something close to that.
What is your creative process like?
In design specifically, I usually identify an object type that I'd like to add to MAKR's Collection and then see how my style can be applied to it.
I start by removing the things I don't want, isolating essential elements, and then pushing those elements to be what I deem more innovative or beautiful. I try to achieve multiple things with one gesture: link parts or assemblies in an interesting way or leverage processes and machines to create something new.
I then design the new object in a 3D modeling program and begin the process of prototyping. Once it's in a good place to share with production facilities, I start that conversation. It's quite a long process and typically spawns other ideas for objects or processes during that development.
What is your first exposure to ceramics/hand-building that impacted you?
I’ve made “stuff” my entire life, so I imagine it started with my parents. My mother was an art teacher and my father a contractor/builder. Seeing them make things created a core sense that you can make anything. Making things didn’t seem far away or too precious, so I just experimented with what interested me.
As a child, my mother put me in every possible art class. I went to a VPA Magnet High School and then art college. It’s just in me—I have a double negative term I call “Can’t not.” I literally “can’t not” make things or think in the way that I do. It’s fully integrated into my life, and I feel very lucky for that to be the case.
How do you overcome creative blocks?
There are so many things to do in my brand / project / company / whatever that I just move to another task. I force myself to do the work and creativity always finds a way to come back, especially when that creativity can be applied to so many different aspects - design, pattern-making, prototyping, production, photography, website, collaborations and so on.
I don’t really have any time for creative blocks so I don’t view them as such and allow whatever is supposed to be done for that day to come out.
What are you currently experimenting with in your art?
I’m working hard on refining my products and utilizing the factories I’ve worked with for nearly 20 years to efficiently produce things. Production techniques have shifted and I’m searching for ways to make our factory’s native techniques fit with my aesthetic and desire for less common constructions.
What is your routine before getting creative for the day?
I try to swim in the ocean every morning. Look at the sun a bit, get some coffee and then head to the studio. I try to keep my life simple because my work day is not.
Comune Project
A Day in the Life
We spent a day with our COMUNE artist to get an inside look at his creative process, daily rituals, and what drives his work. Get to know the person behind the art.
COMUNE Essentials
Discover clean Korean skincare and elevated fashion essentials. Vegan, cruelty-free, and crafted with intention in Los Angeles.
About COMUNE
COMUNE was formed from the idea that there will always be people out there who not only embrace the rawness and imperfections of everyday life but use it to creatively push the boundaries of what’s possible.
Our goal is to provide products that reflects a lifestyle of carefree idealism and to support the people who choose to live it.
