The Grove
Not the billionaire owned 13-acre mall.
(No millionaires here either…)
Not the surfari water park nestled in the sunshine state.
(Though we appreciate some good natural surf…)
& Not The Farmhouse Vineyard On The Outskirts of A-Town & Paso.
(That however is a destination we can get behind!)
What Is The Grove?
A Craftsman Collaborative.
The Grove serves as an overarching home for all things we find purposeful:
Art
DIY Projects
Outdoorsman Lifestyle
Mindful Health
Alternative Living
& More
Crafting Community.
Where Do We Come From?
Speaking first hand – I’ve worked the last several years as a self-started photographer, freelance writer & journalist, surf instructor, surf shop manager & beyond. What started as a creative combination of jobs with one simple goal: to self-fund a core college career with a healthy side of passion projects & adventure. This same lifestyle fostered much more: a collection of projects, ideas, and community connections too broad to fit under the label of a photography brand website, a personal focused blog, or anything else short of a collaborative community.
Core Communities We’ve Grown Through:
City Photo
Overlooking the instinct to steer clear of the hustle and bustle, the earlier days of a side photography career found home in the heart of downtown San Diego. City College to be exact. Studying a craft with plentiful resources, minimal cost, and a peer-group of more working class individuals than not. Diversity in age, background, and occupation – yet a connection in returning to study analog and studio photography. Combined with industry connections as a practicing photographer, a community that still fosters creativity and growth. -> Jake Grove Photo
Wheelbase Magazine
Connecting all curators of 4 wheels and a plank – the Wheelbase community brought old school skate roots to the new-generation downhill scene, and a different side of “longboarding” to the street-shralping skate rats. No corpo-messages, executive influences, or amazon affiliating – under the lead of Marcus Bandy (OG – look up some classic skate parts) we broadcasted as a purpose driven publication. Connecting tried & true small businesses with skate-hungry communities. Leading the way while we could. The mag slowed to a halt as life happened, members grew to different careers, and the underlying industry shuttered – but the community still perseveres through us all (the content archives keep us stoked, and a little nostalgic) -> Wheelbase Mag
Central Coast Connections
A university hiatus from the local territory south – the central coast brought its share of influence and connections to communities close – yet right outside the usual reach.
The same, but different.
Avoiding the high-demand low-supply housing economics in town to kick it 5-minutes from MDO instead. Living on a block concentrated more of well-rooted contractors, artists, and craftsmen than those with the loot to give the boot to those before.
In another light – not completely alienated from the campus community in town, founding the first university van life club we’ve ever heard of. Kickstarting a medium to connect both like minded and wandering individuals with a knack for alternative living. -> CPVLC
The core diploma-driven purpose of the residency also taking a turn away from top level marketing. Instead, digging down to the roots of why we do what we do, why we sell what we sell, and why we solve the problems we solve: stepping back and studying entrepreneurship with an inquisitive mindset. -> Cal Poly CIE
DIWhyNot Fabrication x Expedition Tops
Growing up with friends in the fabrication community, ambitions to go above and beyond with side projects, and a crossover interest into van-life and desert-wandering, another community joined the ranks. What started as a no-prep upcycle project (mating a Westfalia pop-top onto a vintage cherokee) snowballed into focusing spare time, parts, and funds towards scaling down production level processes into a garage-capable build. Fiberglass fabrication, with a side of metal, wood, and electrical design to bring to life an ongoing custom camper project. -> Expedition Tops
A Good Day’s Work
There may be a day where a more corporate kind of calling makes sense and becomes a portion of this growth – but that day hasn’t come yet. Not to bag on fully-scaled business models and concept capitalism: that which can remain intentful, purposeful, and connected when rightfully aligned. But personal employment this far has allowed for growth of the same skills focused into a closer-to-home small business setting.
Working the ranks from an entry level photographer to running the show alongside the founding crew. In between, reestablishing an entire media department and operation, sharing the passion of a waterman through a healthy dose of surf lessons, and paddling out with core coworkers. Branching out from skate roots to surf connections – and building perspective as an industry lead along the way.
Dysautonomic Tendencies
The community we never asked, planned, or yearned to join.
The community we took part in unknowingly for years.
Health struggles & triumphs have never been a top headline of the collective personas above.
But here we are – inescapable and this far incurable.
Manageable – a more fitting term and pursuable lifestyle.
Broadcasting personal experiences with POTS Syndrome, Ehlers Danlos, and Mast Cell Complications had never found its own platform, but holds a home within this collaborative.
Judging on everything listed above (and the countless experiences left out), life with a chronic illness has still proven fulfilling and capable. If this collaborative can bring awareness to deliver just one person’s revelation (just as my first hand POTS diagnosis story began) – then it’s already proven purposeful.
If it can provide a platform for ongoing health guidance & connection – even better!
We’re Here For It All
Concluding the first landing post of this site, we’re here for it all.
We’re here for you – if you’ve read this far we know you’re just as hyped to take part.
Have a look around, find your niche in the collaborative, and apply it to your own craft!
– Craftsman Collaborative
