Martin Johnston – Cabinet Maker

The Noun Collective is a project documenting the lives of “average joes”, by two creatives Kat Parker (photography) and David Childs (film). They have traveled the East Coast of Australia and New Zealand in search of inspiring stories, and whilst in Byron Bay they met up with Cabinet Maker Martin Johnston, a high school friend of David’s, and shared his story…

“My old man is a talented Cabinet Maker and I guess it was only natural that I’d start messing around in the workshop after school. We grew up in Billinudgel, just north of Byron Bay, in a cow paddock where we had our workshop and our home. It was great fun, whenever I needed something we would just make it. Anything from skateboards and skate ramps through to slingshots, billy carts and cubby houses. In hindsight, it gave me a basic understanding of how to use my hands, think creatively and make my own fun when we actually couldn’t afford to buy something off the shelf.

Soon after high school, I started an apprenticeship and grew to hate the trade. So I packed my bags and went traveling through indo, the US, Europe India and landed London armed with my cameras and accompanied by my beloved girlfriend, Casey. Ironically, I landed a job in Urban Outfitters where I was a shopfitter, and grew to love it. So I decided to move back to the north coast and have a decent crack at it.”“It doesn’t matter what life you live or how you live it… it’s about making the most of your surroundings”