Conversations with Phil Britton

Today we’d like to introduce you to Phil Britton.

Hi Phil, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
This adventure with letterpress started when I tagged along on a field trip to Fred’s Rubber Stamp with my daughter. I knew Fred made stamps (obviously), and that they were a FedEx pack-and-ship location, but I had no idea about any of the other stuff that happened there. I was enthralled by the old letterpress machines and the process that goes into printing on them. Later that day, I learned that my dad, his dad, and his dad’s dad had all worked at print shops.

That field trip was also when I learned that Fred and Audrey were retiring, and the business was for sale. After talking with them and mulling it over, I decided I didn’t want to run a print shop full time, but I also didn’t want to see these beautiful old machines with a rich history leave the area, or worse, head to the scrap yard.

At the same time, I kept running into people, mainly artists, who either had worked with letterpress in the past or were interested in working with it. After more conversations and musing, I ended up buying one of the machines – a Chandler and Price 10×15, made in 1917 – and some of the associated equipment.

We moved everything over to a studio space at SOMA studios in south Marquette in February, and have been working since then to get everything set up. While I may be a 4th generation printer, I didn’t grow up around it or anything. I have zero experience, but I’m enjoying being a beginner and learning this centuries-old craft. I have ideas for prints, and some workshops in mind, and also want to open up the space for others to use, helping keep the knowledge alive in our community.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has been remarkably, even downright oddly, smooth. I’ve never had a project that had so many green lights. There were several times I thought “Oh, this is going to be it, this is where the road ends,” but whatever potential dead-end I was envisioning just never materialized. That being said, there have certainly been struggles, but they’ve been more internal in nature, rather than logistical. The typical creative pursuit struggles – feeling like an imposter, etc.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’ve been a solo freelance consultant for 6 years now, operating as Fresh Systems, LLC. Like any freelancer, I work on a wide spectrum of projects, but the central theme woven throughout is systems development. I’ve done a lot of work with local food systems throughout the US, and have also worked with small businesses and economic development projects.

I’m ISO 9001 certified, and a lot of my work is taking the practices tools, and techniques of quality management systems and reinterpreting them in contexts they’re not typically seen in, like very small businesses and nonprofits. I nerd out about process, the “how” of how things get done.

This fascination with process is what initially drew me to letterpress and printmaking. In this form, the process *is* the art. Phil Britton Studios is the home for these creative projects, such as prints, writing, workshops, and more.

How do you define success?

You can’t. It’s elusive, you never actually “achieve” success, and it looks different for everyone anyway. The opposite, though, is giving up; turning yourself over to a kind of resigned apathy. I think if you keep moving forward and keep making a positive contribution to the world, you might as well call yourself successful.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.thephilbritton.com and www.freshsystemsllc.com
• Instagram: @philbrittonstudio
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thephilbritton/