As part of the Mappy Hour Maker Series, presented by Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. we interviewed Jeremy Goldsmith the maker behind the beautiful Pyro Globes. Below is just an excerpt of the full interview where Jeremy dives even deeper into how he found his way to making these unique globes.
What do you love doing outdoors?
My favorite thing to do in the outdoors is definitely walking…it allows me to feel like my complete self and I feel very much in gratitude when I get to do it. So the slower I go through the woods and through nature, the happier I am.
Where should people go if they’re visiting Colorado?
Well, actually… I work on the trail maps at National Geographic as a cartographer. So designing a trail booklet, a hiking booklet, a guidebook for people who are visiting. So if you want more information, I can plug the company I work for. (Check out Jeremy’s maps: Colorado Backpack Loops North Map, Colorado Backpack Loops South Map and Rocky Mountain National Park Day Hikes Map).
Jeremy’s recommendations for coming to Colorado
- Weekdays are better
- Hike longer than 6 miles so you get in the backcountry
- Drink extra water
- Carry a filtration device (even if you’re day hiking!)
- Continental Divide Trail / Colorado Trail is a great place to start
What’s your favorite spot for a day hike or backpacking trip in Colorado?
I would say the Continental Divide Trail / the Colorado Trail. Like if you could do a large stretch of that, it’s pretty amazing. And there’s a lot of just cool history around the National Recreation trails in Colorado.
One National Recreation Trail that people don’t really know about is the Wheeler trail. The Wheeler trail partly goes from Copper Mountain Resort up to the ridge and it’s like 3,000 feet over for like five miles, six miles. And then you get sweeping panoramic views of Summit County and Breckenridge. That’s like a guaranteed great hike.
What does a cartographer do?
Cartographers are authors basically and we write the story in the map based on what we’re trying to write about or what we’re trying to display, basically. My job, for the most part, is a specific geo focused graphic designer.
How did you decide to start making pyrographic globes?
In the world of cartography, there’s also globe designers and globe makers. So I started discovering my curiosities around who makes globes? Why do they make Globes? How do they make globes? Where do they make lobes? And what is the history of globe making? So I kind of did a like preliminary investigation.
In the world of cartography, there’s also globe designers and globe makers. So I started discovering my curiosities around who makes globes: why do they make globes? How do they make globes? Where do they make globes? And what is the history of globe making? So I kind of did a like preliminary investigation.
And then I went to a cartographic conference in Minneapolis where I met some cartographers that were doing various cartographic art projects outside of their nine to fives outside of their normal jobs, because they’re so in love with the geography.
I started my project after realizing that pyrography was an art form that I was never really exposed to until a friend of a friend introduced me to this woman’s art in Colorado.
And she did these beautiful murals… And I was just like, incredible. And so I just kinda like went down that rabbit hole a little bit.
How to Make a Pyrographic Globe
For more from Jeremy, watch the full video!
