Jasper Magazine is on the look-out for college interns for the upcoming semester.
We need students majoring in print journalism, english, advertising, photography, and creative writing who are willing to work (hard and for no cash) in exchange for being a part of the Jasper Family.
Interested students should send their queries, along with references and samples of their work, to editor@JasperColumbia.com.
(photo courtesy of Shannon Staley)
by Austin Blaze, Jasper Intern "Have your cake and burn it too!” It sounds like the catchphrase of some wild-eyed tv arsonist. But it’s not some cheesy criminal mantra. Far less illicit, far more original. In fact, it’s the tag line for the Columbia-based Southern Baked Candle Company.
Candles have a somewhat intangible appeal. Whether it’s the domesticated flame, the fragrance, or the nostalgia of a pre-electric past, they have a unique tendency to make a house feel like home. But to owner and life-long candle enthusiast Debey Hancock, this wasn’t enough.
“There were several things about candles in general that truly disappointed me,” Hancock said, reminiscing about her childhood. “They never smelled as good at home as they did in the store; when you burn it, you are left with an ugly hunk of wax or an empty jar, and finally you’re left with the same scent until it’s gone.”
The resolution to Hancock's candle conundrum came in the form of her other passion: baking. After years of people expressing their wishes to preserve her intricate and beautiful desserts, she came up with the idea to merge baking and candle-making into an ambitious business endeavor. For 10 years she researched and experimented, “set[ting] out to find out just what can be done with wax” and “tak[ing] the art of candle-making to a new level,” as she learned to craft ornate food-themed candles.
When asked to detail her process, she admitted that she attempts things that “most master candlers would never even consider.” This claim seems lofty until you’ve seen her work. All 100% wax, though you’d never guess it at first glance. And when you consider that there “are only seconds between too hot to mold and too hard, and split seconds between frosting and cottage cheese,” her work is all that much more impressive.
Because the Southern Baked Candle Company not only accepts, but encourages special orders, Hancock has crafted everything from the majestic Eiffel Tower, to the all-American baseball, to the bizarre “pile of poo that smelled like roses.” She’s created bottles and shoes for baby showers, cakes for weddings, and a cup of coffee for Good Day Columbia’s “Mugshot.”
Though some of her most impressive creations are custom orders, her stock repertoire is extraordinary in quality as well as variety. Pies, milkshakes, stacks of pancakes, and her personal favorite, (although she admits it’s difficult to choose just one of her “babies”) a burger, fries, and a beer. All of these candles burn straight down the center, so your cake or pie maintains its shape even after burning. In addition, Hancock's candles feature interchangeable inserts; if you grow tired of one scent, simply swap it out for one of Southern Baked Candle Company’s other 300 unique, quality “flavors.”
To truly appreciate the craftsmanship practiced by Hancock's company, you have to see these candles for yourself. Visit http://www.thesouthernbakedcandlecompany.com to browse their collection, or to special order a one-of-a-kind candle of your choice.
Neither cartoons, puppets, video games, nor music sound all too foreign. Unless you’ve been living under a rather sizable rock (or had the misfortune of attending an artistically disinclined South Carolina public school), you’ve undoubtedly encountered each of these creative media before. But chances are you haven’t encountered them together as a single, collaborative event.
This Friday and Saturday, Pocket Productions affords you the opportunity to do so. Since 2009, this local arts organization has been expanding the public’s definition of art by exposing Columbia to innovative examples of interdisciplinary artistic cooperation. Their “Playing After Dark” series, in particular, has introduced audiences to visual, musical, performing, and even culinary arts.
This weekend’s installment of Playing After Dark (titled “1001”) revolves around the unique collaboration between digital and analog art. It will feature the following performances: Dre and Sammy Lopez of Piensa Art Company will present a combination of digital and analog drawings; Lyon Hill (puppetmaker and puppeteer with the Columbia Marionette Theatre) and Wade Sellers (commercial producer/director and owner of Coal Powered Filmworks) will perform a marionette/cartoon act; Professor Fripples (brilliant young programmer David Hamiter) will show off an audio controlled video game that runs alongside a puppet show; and DJ Deft Key (Entropy Studios’ producer, sound engineer, multi-instrumentalist, and remix artist) and singer/songwriter Bob Benjamin will perform a fusion of digital and acoustic music.
Playing After Dark “1001” begins at 7 pm this Friday and Saturday at CMFA Arts Space (914 Pulaski). Tickets are available for $10 in advance (online at www.pocketproductions.org), $12 at the door, or $8 with membership. In addition to the one free drink with admission, fine IPAs, stouts, Merlot, Syraz, and hors d’oeuvre will be available. The event may also feature a “puppet” boiled peanut stand courtesy of Happiness Bomb (a diverse group of artists, musicians, designers, programmers, and, of course, puppeteers).
For more information about Pocket Productions, check them out on Twitter (twitter.com/PocketProSC) and Facebook (facebook.com/pocketproductions).
-- Austin Blaze - intern, Jasper Magazine
Noah Brock with birds
Whether we’ve had to fulfill requirements for an honor society, pad a resume, or to try to convince the world that the Greek system is something other than a primal dating industry, most of today’s twenty-somethings have had some experience with volunteer work. The catch is, well, that there’s typically a catch. We pervert altruism into a self-serving mode of academic, professional, and/or social advancement. In short, we’re in it for the commemorative t-shirt.
Thankfully, this generalization doesn’t always hold water. Case and point: Noah Brock. This local musician admits that “there is little to no glamour in [his] life.” He lives modestly with his wife and puggle (a pug/beagle mix) in a rented house behind a fire extinguisher refilling plant. Though Noah disagrees, he’s done something rather noteworthy; he has organized an Art Show and Rummage Sale to raise money for and awareness of Sister Care, a local charity organization benefitting women and children who have fallen victim to domestic abuse. Sadly, the question that comes to mind is: why? What motivated Noah to organize such an event? When I asked him, he responded with a refreshingly candid, “I can’t really say.” To me, this inability or unwillingness to rationalize his charity reveals an unadulterated innocence of intention. He’s not in it for self-flattery or politics; he quite simply wants to use Columbia’s vibrant arts community as a vehicle to fundraise and promote “a great charity that is sometimes overlooked.”
Noah’s fundraiser is to take place this Saturday (6/16) from 10 am to 5 pm at Conundrum Music Hall (626 Meeting St., West Columbia). The event will include: live acoustic music from Alderman Douglas, Hope Clayton Cullum, Marv Ward, and The Dubber; a raffle ($2 per ticket) featuring prizes from local West Columbia businesses Bug Outfitters, Sun Spirit Yoga, and Scratch and Spin Records; beer and soda will be sold by Conundrum (no outside alcohol permitted), and KC Hot Dogs will be vending. Admission for this event is $3, and anyone interested in setting up a table or booth for the rummage sale can do so for $5. All proceeds from the door, table fees, and raffle tickets will go directly to Sister Care.
“There are certain things no one should ignore,” Noah told me. Battered women and children certainly fall into that category. So, too, do those folks like Noah who remind the rest of us to pay attention. So this Saturday, pay attention. Come to Conundrum, support a great local cause, and pay Noah a compliment he will likely dismiss.
-- Austin Blaze, intern, Jasper Magazine
Ahh youth!
They're fresh, eager, up on the latest technology, and malleable. Jasper is delighted to welcome our Summer Bitches Interns!
Kidding aside, we are thrilled to have this kind of talent working for Jasper Magazine this summer. Both young men are students at USC and both bring their own special sets of skills to the table. Look for articles by both in the July issue of the magazine, as well as blog posts for What Jasper Said all summer long.
Please welcome Chris Rosa and Austin Blaze to the Jasper family.
Christopher Rosa is a rising sophomore at the University of South Carolina, majoring in journalism. He was born in New York City but calls the town of Lexington, SC his home. Since childhood, Christopher has always been passionate about the arts, particularly theatre, and quickly discovered his love for writing when he joined his school newspaper in eighth grade. Six years later, his passion has grown immensely and has remained constant. His previous internship experiences and work with student media at USC have further cemented his dream of becoming an entertainment or fashion editor of a magazine. When Christopher is not writing or editing, he is acting. Theatre has been another love of his for years and he has acted in several plays and musicals, including Peter Pan and Seussical the Musical. Christopher is loving his work with Jasper thus far and is learning a prodigious amount from the talented writers and editors of the magazine. In the future, he hopes to one day have a permanent byline as a senior writer for Entertainment Weekly or as a fashion editor for Harper's Bazaar.
I'm a native of Northern California studying English at USC. As the cross-country emigration suggests, I enjoy exposure to foreign environments, people, and ideas. An avid reader and writer, I tend to process the world (and my experiences in it) through the written word. After receiving my bachelor's next Spring, I intend to pursue an MFA in Fiction.
