We were lucky to catch up with Rachael Gootnick recently and have shared our conversation below.
Rachael, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Naming anything – including a business – is so hard. Right? What’s the story behind how you came up with the name of your brand?
The origin story of Just Terrific is a special one. While at work on a lunch break one day, I rummaged through the recycling bin, and made a tiny book from scraps. I showed my boss, excitedly, thinking it could be a new product we could offer. However, he was less than thrilled, and told me to stop wasting my time making such trivial books. That same evening, I showed my grandmother, to which she exclaimed, “Oh Rachael, this is just terrific!” She encouraged me to quit that job and pursue making and selling tiny books. She believed in my creativity and thought I had an original idea worth sharing. She was my biggest fan, and saw the passion I had for art. I ended up starting my business with a $50 savings bond she had given me at birth, so it felt fitting I name it after her uplifting words. My story exemplifies the power in one person saying yes, when another person says no. Naming my business Just Terrific is a meaningful way for me to infuse her enthusiasm into everything I make, ensuring that the end result is always that: just terrific. I work each day with a picture of my grandmother nearby, and know she would be delighted I followed my passion and turned it into a successful career.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I always knew I wanted to work with books in some capacity. Growing up, my family really encouraged reading, and much of my time was spent at the library or bookstore. If I didn’t have a book in my hand, I was doing arts and crafts projects, or meandering through an art museum. I decided to study print media and book design at the Rochester Institute of Technology, and got a job in publishing after I got my degree. I enjoyed it, but didn’t so much enjoy the time I spent in front of a computer. I ended up getting a position at a book bindery producing small edition photography books, and I found it was much more satisfying to use my hands to produce something tangible. However the work environment was less than desirable, and I often felt creatively stifled. So when I met a very kind older gentleman, with decades of experience in book repair, bible restorations and leather bindings, I quickly jumped at the opportunity to work for him as an apprentice for a year. Afterwards, he gave me a book press and a roll of leather, and I started working for myself as Just Terrific. Now, eleven years into my business, I get overwhelmed with gratitude for my work, and know I am very fortunate to have found my artistic calling; I value having a career I truly enjoy. When I was younger, no one ever told me I could grow up to become a book artist, but I’m so glad my path led me here.
what type of products/services/creative works you provide,
I got my start making miniature jewelry—folded and stitched just like a larger journal, but much smaller. The earrings are about an inch in size! I source discarded leather from items like jackets and purses, and use small offcuts of paper from my scrap bin to make my miniatures. I love taking otherwise unloved materials in flat form, and transforming them into something brand new—a usable three-dimensional object. These miniature books are small reminders to capture and archive the little moments in our life, because they often add up to be your life story. Plus, anything extra tiny is extra cute!
In addition to making tiny books, a majority of my working hours are spent doing book repair and rebindings of 18th and 19th century titles, personal Bibles, and children’s books. Most of the books come to my studio in pieces, and after hours of work, leave with my clients as a usable book again, ready for generations of more reading. My clients are individual collectors, book dealers, and libraries. Really, people who care about the longevity of their book collection. Extending the life of well-loved books, giving them their true function back—to be able to be read—is very rewarding.
When I’m not working on books for my clients and customers, I create art for galleries and exhibits. This more personal work is in the form of mixed-media, book art, and collage work. These original pieces of art reflect my views of the human condition. I believe that although people hold differing opinions, cultures, and personal life experiences, there are commonalities that can unite and ground us as collective human beings. Art has the power to be a catalyst for change, which is an under-utilized tool in society. I try to illicit thought experiments to the viewer, to test their outlook and their place within our joint humanity. These pieces are creative expressions of certain moments in my life, and allow me to flex my artistic vision in a more abstract way. It also allows for a more free-flowing creation process, which is something I use as a welcomed balance to my other, more precise and structure-focused bookmaking.
what problems you solve for your clients and/or what you think sets you apart from others.
I often joke, “You don’t realize you need me, until you need me!” It is an unusual and niche craft to practice. Many people are surprised my services even exist, especially in the digital age we live in, but I believe that books are more treasured now, because of the technology that surrounds us in our lives otherwise. So, I’ve deemed myself a self-proclaimed book doctor, fixing the problem of broken books, and reviving their original purpose—to be held, and read. A majority of my clients tell me they found my business on google, with a search term like “book repair near me” after they’ve discovered a special book of theirs is falling apart and they can no longer use it. They aren’t looking to buy a cheap new copy off Amazon, but rather want to pass their existing book (along with all of it’s provenance, memories, and marginalia) down to younger generations in their family. It brings joy, not only to my clients, but also to myself, knowing that I’ve saved a book from the landfill and given it another opportunity to be read and enjoyed in a cozy armchair, perhaps by a grandmother to her granddaughter.
What are you most proud of and what are the main things you want potential clients/followers/fans to know about you/your brand/your work/ etc.
I’m most proud of the efforts I take towards sustainability in my work. Whether it’s using discarded materials to make a miniature book necklace, or reconstructing a broken Bible back into a usable tome, I pride myself on doing the work to keep these items around, rather than throwing them away. Many new items throughout our home can be labeled as ‘churn-and-burn’, where products are made cheaply so that you’ll be forced to buy a replacement in due time. I believe that as time goes on, more and more craftspeople will specialize in restoration, and speciality repair shops will open, allowing the older and more prized items in our lives to continue their existence. I really love giving unused materials a new life as a miniature book, as well as prolonging the life of countless old books.
More broadly speaking, I’m proud of contributing to the appreciation of the printed word. It is so important to keep books, reading, and writing, a part of our culture. I enjoy living an analog lifestyle; If I can remind others of how books can hold a significant place in our lives, I feel like I’ve had a good day at work.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
The most rewarding aspect of my work is the visual transformation: When a 100-year old book comes to my studio, held together with duct tape or rubber bands, and I spend weeks to meticulously clean the covers, and repair it’s broken binding, for it to leave my studio in one piece, rebeautified, with a satisfied customer. I will admit I love the reveal, the moment when I present the finished book to my client. I love the look on their face, their initial reaction, the smile, the “aww’s” and “oh my gosh’s”.
That connection with my customers is extremely rewarding. I love hearing the stories of where their old books originated from, the history, and how much they cherish it’s past. I’ve been trusted to work on some really special and rare books, and have made miniature books for a lot of special occasions and moments in people’s lives. I’ve had customers come back years later and tell me how they’ve filled up their miniature book necklaces with meaningful words from loved ones. I’ve had people cry to me, so touched and heartened to receive my work. And in turn, I am reminded that I am doing the work I was always meant to be doing.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
Other than the practical mission of contributing to more sustainable world, my more personal mission revolves around sentimentalism. I believe each of us has our own story to tell, and all of them are worth archiving and preserving. Some stories lie within the pages of an old book, worthy of repair and reconstruction for future generations to read and cherish, while other stories lie within the small canvas of a blank page of a miniature book. Giving a new life to a beloved Bible, preserves the history the owner has bestowed upon it, adding even more sentimental value to the book. A miniature book holds the opportunity to compile special moments, giving those words larger meaning within our lives, all while adding a keepsake piece to a jewelry collection.
In all of the work I do, I strive to make books that are long-lasting, while also making them meaningful. Books are more than a simple object. They contain our legacy. Books hold special places in our lives, putting us back into a memory of when we first interacted with it. That feeling is surely something worth keeping close to our hearts, and something I strive to provide for everyone I cross paths with.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.justterrific.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/justterrific
- Facebook: facebook.com/justterrific
- Other: justterrific.etsy.com