We had the good fortune of connecting with Travis Weaver and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Travis, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I used to do a lot of journaling as a kid but found that unlike most people who feel better after getting their thoughts down on paper, my thoughts got louder and harder to escape. Naturally I stopped journaling, but my love of notebooks, journals and paper continued. I am constantly “collecting” notebooks and decorative papers. Also as a kid I was mesmerized by my mother’s and grandmother’s needlepoint and embroidery artwork but quickly came to realize that I have no patience for it. In order to fulfill that desire to sew and to create an outlet for all the paper I had amassed, bookbinding seem like the next best step forward. When doing research for custom notebooks I found a lot of bookbinders out there but nothing that quite fit my quirky and nerdy style. So I thought to myself….”looks like I will just have to make my own!”. So from paper hoarding and impatience BlackFalcon Studios was created.
Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
The notebooks I make stem from the work and styles developed by other book creators and binders. What really sets my work apart is in how I stitch (or sew) up my books. This is where your personality can really come through in your work. I also like to use papers that speak to my quirkiness rather than just using fine marbled papers and book cloth.
I am still learning about my craft and getting better with each individual project.
I have only been doing this since April of 2021, you might call this my “pandemic project.” Some parts of the craft came naturally but other parts have been difficult and met with frustration but I love creating and the end result really justifies the effort put in and makes those difficulties worth the challenge!
The best part about my brand is its transparency in the process. I often make tutorials so that others can join me in making books but I do not shy away from showing my mistakes. It is important for crafters to know that they will make mistakes and sometimes those mistakes are easily fixed! At the end of the day this is crafting and there is no right or wrong way to do something, just continue to be you and stay weird!
If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
The first day would definitely be in spent in the NASA/Clearlake area visiting Space Center Houston and enjoying meals at Mogul (the best place for Indian food, in my opinion), Tookies, and getting drinks at my wife and I’s favorite cocktail bar, Rosewater. Breakfasts will be a mix of Morning Kolaches and Shipley’s Doughnuts.
The remainder of the week would include visits to Houston’s cultural institutions such as the Museum of Natural Sciences, The Houston Museum of Fine Arts, Rothko Chapel, and the Holocaust Museum. We would definitely try to fit in a show at the Hobby Center, Herman Park, or Wortham Theater.
You can never forget about food, we would make time to visit some of our favorite restaurants including The Hobbit Cafe, Ninfa’s on Navigation, Rodeo Goat, Star Pizza, steaks from B&B Butchers, and of course you cannot come to Houston without trying a smoked brisket from the many BBQ establishments.
Depending on the time of year we would round out the week with a trip to either Minute Maid Park or PNC Stadium.
The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Ultimately my wife puts up with my obsession and been there to support my journey whether that is testing out my notebooks durability, to finding new decorative papers for me to try out, she is almost as excited about paper as I am….I might have created another paper hoarder though……………………….But really I would be no where without her!
My continuing bookbinding skill and growth definitely belongs to the small online bookbinding and paper craft community, Paper & Bone and more specifically Corliss Bookbinding (@corliss.bookbinding) for constantly putting up with my never ending questions about different techniques and ways to hone in my craft.
As well as my very dear friend Adele at YumiYums Bookbinding (@yumiyumsbookbinding) who puts up with my nonsense (Gilly & Stanly forever!) and gives me encouragement when I don’t feel my work is good enough!
Website: www.b1kfalconstudios.com
Instagram: @b1kfalconstudios
Other: Twitch – @b1kfalcn
Image Credits
Amy Aldy