Rachel Brown Jones and her husband Adam Patrick Jones came up with the lifestyle periodical known as Industry of One. The journal focuses on bringing you the insights into the life of an ambitious individual out to conquer the world.
How it all begun
In the year 2011, the co-founders of Industry of One joined hands and launched the periodical. The project dealt with the profiling of entrepreneurial makers as well as creative people who lived in the United States. Adam handled the photography sessions, given his artistic eye while Rachel focused on taking interviews and writing blogs for the periodical. The whole point of the project was a means to connect as well as to learn from people that the duo admired. Rachel attests that her numerous interactions with talented people changed her life. Years later when she embarked on launching her design wear (just like Vera started with jewelry), she realized that she had learned a lot of business skills from those interviews. Through working with different business minds, she got the basic knowledge she required to run a business successfully, and she opened up JONESY in 2014.
The story behind Industry of One
Adam initially worked on the concept of the undertaking as well as the title. The idea behind the whole project was that most artists and creative people in the world are businesses that run under one person. When the concept gets put in such a manner, entrepreneurship can look like a very lonely venture. However, when viewed in a positive light, you can see that it attests to the creativity as well as the artistic nature which one person can possess. Rachel did not understand the concept much at the time. Over the years, she founded a company and said that because it comprises of one and a half people, the idea of one person at the head resonates with her. Whether it is art or something drastically different such as online sports betting, creativity and individuality are the key words that Industry of One focuses on.
How the project works
Rachel says that for the publication to succeed, it requires her to have an unending amount of curiosity. When she interviewed people, she goes all in, not holding anything back. Asking people personal questions enables her to discover things about them that Rachel could not have under other circumstances. She also asks her guests questions that provoke their thoughts and make them think harder about how they came to make individual decisions in their life. By trying to understand another person’s world, she gets to derive a lot of information from them.
What they do
‘Industry of One’ does not focus on the lives of celebrities as most periodicals tend to do. Instead, they delve into the lives of ordinary people such as small-town bakers, woodworkers, and librarians. People who live everyday lives and yet make the most out of their lives are interviewed to give some insights into their life.
People who see the world in a different way – We all have different ways in which we view the world and how we handle the obstacles that come our way. Rachel will interview different people with varying outlooks on life and show how though we may see the world differently, at the end of the day we all have some things in common. Such a way of thinking inspires unity. A reader can come across such an article and change their perception of things. You could find someone that has been through a lot of struggles that are similar to you and on seeing how they handled the challenges; you can get inspired to do something similar to what they did.
On what people are working – Modern artists always come up with ideas that are amazing. In the interviews, you can come across an exceptionally creative person who is working on a great piece of art like a book or a painting which can spark admiration. Seeing what other people are doing with their lives is an excellent experience.
Expression of creativity – In their blogs, you get to see various forms of work getting done. You can come across a rather ordinary person who bakes cakes, and you might think that there is not much that goes into it. On taking a closer look, you could find that the baker puts all their heart and effort into baking and comes up with amazing cakes that will have your mouth watering on sight. Different forms of creativity are explored, showing that creations can also be diverse. If you want to understand what creativity and risk taking are, just check our interview with Satoshi.
Various industries – Rachel does not focus on one profession, but instead, she casts her net far and wide, delving into the lives of people in different sectors of the economy. While going through the blogs, you are likely to find someone who works in the same field as you, and you can get some ideas from their life.
Is there a relationship between a line of work and a walk of life?
If you want to know if there is such a connection, you can read the numerous blogs on their website and soon, you will be in a position to tell whether the two areas interact. ‘Industry of One brings different people and ideas onto one platform, showing people that though they may differ in some aspects, they are still one at the end of the day. Reading the blogs will inspire you differently from the norm, allowing you to see the world differently.