Welcome to the world of Rolling Projects, where passion meets heartfelt stories of personal resilience and connection. I'm Ben, Rolling Project started with me and my family's relationship with projects.
BACKGROUND
My journey with Rolling Project has roots in overcoming a childhood diagnosis of Chronic Renal failure. Enduring 13 years with a failing kidney, I found solace in the world of motoring, which became my sanctuary. Even after receiving a life-changing Kidney Transplant in 2011, the motoring-and-transport space remained my haven—a place of creativity, passion, and cherished memories.
The spark of my passion ignited at the age of 8 when I worked on my first project with my father. By the time I turned 14, I had my own project car. Today, our family works on seven projects, all are as unfinished endeavours but that is how we like it.
I moved away from home in 2016 to study in the city. By moving away, I was leaving my projects and the tools. To keep my motoring passion I decided to find new ways to keep me involved. I found the answer when I picked up a camera and created an instagram page to document my car photography. This instagram page name was Rolling Project.
MAGAZINES:
Covid came and put a stop to events in 2020-2021. While being in the high risk group I was forced to be inside. During my time in isolation I spent hours editing old photos. At the time I was working full time as a graphic designer but also working on my freelance work as an editorial designer and publisher which gave me a light bulb moment to create a magazine to hold the photos. I reached out on my instagram profile and instantly I saw an interest from individuals to share their own stories. In 2023, we published our 4th magazine but with continued requests and pressure coming from full-time work and my own freelance which was putting money into Rolling Project, I eventually broke under the pressure.
THE BREAK
It was inevtiable, designing, editing, content creating, publishing all the bits for rolling Project as you seen pre 2024 was done in my spare time that was already being used by my freelance graphics work. Motoring and Rolling Project was my happy place, capturing photos was a place to unwind but last year it made me unhappy and effected my relationship with the brand. Mental health is important, I decided to take a break and focus on my freelance and full-time work and started other activities such as mountain biking and horse riding.
I took a break for over 6 months when soon the urges started coming back, friends were asking about Rolling Project and when I started moving house with Chloe, I came across an original sketch of my first magazine. This is when I realised that I was giving up on an idea and the hard work that young me had done during lockdown to get the first magazine together. The highlight reels on the socials media also helped with snap shots of old reels and stories that capture my excitement while designing the magazine and going out meeting people for photoshoots.
It was time to bring out the note book and plan the revival.
2024 AN THE FUTURE
The major issue with Rolling Project is content creation and finding its own identity. While it has worked over the last few years, the magazine and the consistency across all platforms has been quite poor. The instagram started as my portfolio for photos but following magazine publishing, it continued to be a portfolio while it should have been presenting the brand in its own light. So while thinking of the brand and reading the old magazines, we soon came to realise that projects aren't the steel and the oil, but rather us—the human element within every project. We shape our projects for what they are, and this is what we will be conveying in our brand, videos, and content in 2024 on wards. The brand revolves around capturing the essence of project culture from the human perspective, celebrating the memories, the adventure and what it means to you. It's what you make it.
EXAMPLE:
Meet Angela, my grandmother, and witness the story of "Project Harold." The tractor before belonged to my Great Grandfather Harold, Angela's father. In the 1970s, he sold it, and it disappeared from our family's farm. Fast forward to 2015, a tip led us to a TE20 found in a farm's trash, three miles away, with a log book bearing Harold Jones's name. It was the same tractor. Two years of meticulous rebuilding later, we unveiled "Project Harold" to my grandmother, a tribute to her father and a testament to the enduring connection they shared. The joy and meaning it brings to her go beyond steel and bolts.
Capturing these connections, the smiles, and the tears is what defines Rolling Project. It's more than nuts and bolts; it's a journey into the depths of personal significance.
We hope you will join us on our journey but also share your relationship with motoring whether you own a project, work in the industry or capture your passion in a creative way. We would love to hear from you.
Let's hit the road! (Ben and Chloe)
SHOP THE LOOK: https://rollingproject.store
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