{"id":4644,"date":"2022-01-24T18:51:20","date_gmt":"2022-01-24T18:51:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shinola.com\/our-stories\/?p=4644"},"modified":"2022-01-24T21:16:31","modified_gmt":"2022-01-24T21:16:31","slug":"time-tested-with-mike-han","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ourstories.shinola.com\/our-stories\/time-tested-with-mike-han\/","title":{"rendered":"Time Tested with Mike Han"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Mike Han is a Detroit artist, and a modern \u201cvandal\u201d who has been part of the Shinola story since the beginning. In a recent conversation, Han chatted about his love for the city and why he chose to test the Duck dive watch.\n<\/pre>\n\n\n\n
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ALTERED PLANS<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Mike Han doesn\u2019t shy away from the word \u201cfailure.\u201d In fact, his approach to it has helped define his success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A lifelong artist, he\u2019s spent recent years applying his creativity primarily to sushi while dabbling in painting on the side. Han\u2019s been a chef at prestigious sushi restaurants in major markets, spanning Chicago to Miami, New York to Denver. Along the way, he tried his hand at opening his own ventures. His fourth, a concept in Ann Arbor, was poised to open in early 2020. When COVID-19 pandemic changed the world, Han\u2019s life changed along with it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI put my heart and all of my energy into each of these ventures, and I was so depressed,\u201d he recalls. For six months, Han struggled to make sense of his path\u2014and make rent. Out of a job and caught in a quagmire with unemployment payments, Han received a lifeline in the form of a commission for a mural that paid his expenses through December. He viewed it as a signal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt was a strange year\u2014but I made the decision to go all-in on art.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What began with disappointment ended in success. Han\u2019s commissions have blossomed, going from one a year to one a month. \u201cIt\u2019s been the best year of my life,\u201d he said, careful not to forget where he was just a short time ago.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n
\u201cI call it failure\u2014but I also call it experience. I\u2019ve tried a lot of things, learned, and grown. I\u2019ve been willing to get up every single time.\u201d How\u2019d he do it? \u201cWith Detroit spirit and Korean tenacity.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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DETROIT ROOTS<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Han is well acquainted with Shinola having served as a creative consultant on everything from bicycle design to scouting the location of the company\u2019s headquarters a decade ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cShinola is full circle for me, so getting to interact with the brand is really exciting and impactful for me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cFull circle\u201d is actually an understatement. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In 2012, while working on an art project in Detroit called Woodward Windows, Han struck up a friendship with a business tenant on the 1400 block and gained access to the abandoned upper floors of the building. Among many treasures Han found he salvaged blueprints from the Meyer Jewelry Company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Over the last 100 years, that property housed many retailers, including the T.B. Rayl Co. store, Liggett\u2019s Drug Store, Lloyd\u2019s Furs, Sally Frocks and none other than the Meyer Jewelry Company\u2019s \u201cMeyer Treasure Chest of Jewels\u201d store. In 2019, the Shinola Hotel opened its doors in that same restored historic building.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Inspired by the history of the blueprints, Han embarked on a project with a story that only he could tell through a technique he calls modern vandalism\u2014the conscious decision to destroy materials, products, and space in an effort to create value.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Using bone black acrylic paint made from charred animal bones\u2014produced for over 150 years by Detroit\u2019s Ebonex Corporation\u2014Han used the discarded blueprints as a canvas for his signature style that is influenced by Korean calligraphy, graffiti, and modern design.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Reborn as an installation in his own apartment and richly layered with meaning, the pieces speak to the motto of the city of Detroit itself: \u201cWe hope for better things; it will rise from the ashes.\u201d Fittingly, it\u2019s called Altered Plans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Almost a decade after finding the blueprints, Han created an unconventional rebirth story that could truly only happen in Detroit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Sushi is\u2014and always will be\u2014part of Han\u2019s identity. This year, he\u2019s committed to practicing his passion not for a crowd, but for himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI know that I\u2019m not going to be in restaurants anytime soon, so I\u2019ve taken it upon myself for this year for my personal wellness to bring sushi back into my life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Han volunteered to test-drive the Shinola Duck for us recently. He chose the surf watch for its sturdy, water-resistant nature\u2014a quality that\u2019s useful in art and in the craft of sushi, as well. \u201cMy hands are always in water!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For the photoshoot, Han prepared a touch of sashimi. His craft was on full display\u2014the confidence of a professional with the flair of an artist. It\u2019s obvious that no matter what medium he works with, Han will continue to rise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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See more of Han’s work at www.thehouseofhan.com.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Mike Han is a Detroit artist, and a modern \u201cvandal\u201d who has been part of the Shinola story since the beginning. In a recent conversation, Han chatted about his love for the city and why he chose to test the Duck dive watch. \u201cI call it failure\u2014but I also call it experience. I\u2019ve tried a […]<\/p>\n
Read More…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":67,"featured_media":4707,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[117,119],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nTime Tested with Mike Han - Our Stories<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/ourstories.shinola.com\/our-stories\/time-tested-with-mike-han\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Time Tested with Mike Han - Our Stories\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Mike Han is a Detroit artist, and a modern \u201cvandal\u201d who has been part of the Shinola story since the beginning. 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