The Power Of An Image

Using an old advertisement for Marsh Stencil and Ink to showcase where we are today

At an early age, imagery and experience begin to shape the rest of our lives. One of the fond memories I have growing up involves working and playing down at my grandfather's crab house in Wenona, MD. After we fished the floats (soft crabs shed their hard shell), we would then have to clean the soft crabs and prepare them to be shipped out.

So many times I would look at the wax boxes for shipping along with stencils that had to be applied and was always curious about how it all worked. Not that it was anything complicated but maybe it was at that moment when the seed had to have been planted to thoroughly enjoy branding and entrepreneurship. As soon as the family name went on the wax boxes with the Marsh Stencil and ink brush, it was one of the final processes before the crabs could be driven to market and the watermen would finally get paid for their week of hard work.

When I found this old advertisment in a design magazine, all I could think of was how proud I was to see those stencils being applied to wax boxes to ship our freshly caught seafood. It would make me damn proud to have my grandfather still around to see the work I do today and to let him know how much I appreciate the value of hard work and the smell of salty air by the sea. Would be great to enjoy a puff on a cigar together and watch all the watermen coming in out of the harbor at the back of the crab house and just talk about anything. Thanks for the memories Pop Pop.

Check out the video below about Alan Parks from Tangier Island, VA. Nuthin' better than a good ol' tide wooder accent and hearing talk about the bay.

Found this photo on flickr of the old family crabhouse in Wenona, MD. Wish I could go back in time...