I’ve never lived further south than a three-year stint in Chicago, spending the bulk of my life’s decades in Michigan, and spending plenty of that time gravitating north to its fingertips and beyond to the U.P.

People of the north, their clocks tick to the drum of a different marcher. Their dwellings are mainly nuisance winter necessities, grudgingly tolerated to avoid a hypothermic demise. No matter the season, their hearts are outdoors and they’d prefer their bodies follow on most occasions.

As it is with any vague and elusive ethos (a “vibe” I think the kids call it these days), I of course had to capture this one in words and design, and share it with the world. Presto, yet another Pete VR brand was born.

Naming the Vibe
But what to call it? When you venture north of the 45th parallel and hang out around a deer pole or two (like, say, the one outside the Moose Jaw Junction restaurant near Larks Lake in Michigan), you quickly realize that you’re not only not in Kansas anymore, in some ways, you’re not on our planet anymore. The north’s inhabitants live freer and franker, under skies scraped solely by trees and birds on the wing. It’s a mindset expressed in camo and comradery, auroras and autonomy. No taxis, just taxidermy.

Their existence is a conundrum of capitalization in that they live much closer to the earth, yet in many ways are not of this Earth. So, they’re earthlings, technically. But really, from their own planet entirely. Or …

Northlings.

That was back in 2012. Probably earlier, but that’s when I registered northling.com. From there, it was a few years of life, business, family, more art, more brands, more drowning in an endless avalanche of ideas.

Ramping Up. North.
Then in 2019, I leaned into the Northling brand in earnest, starting with the website concept below and offering a full line of designs on apparel and accessories for sale online in 2020. And have been ever since.

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Soon after that first wave of merchandise, I doubled down on the extraterrestrial implications of the Northling concept and created its current logo: Norton the Northling, the antlered alien, proud symbol of anyone who’s Way Up and Way Out.

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Another slate of t-shirts, hoodies and accessories with new designs was created to introduce the new look and are still available today.

Who’s a Northling?
The beauty of the Northling brand is that it’s, at once, exclusive and inclusive. Yes, it’s dedicated to capturing the singular particularities of the northern spirit, but it’s a spirit in which all can share. Do I live “up north”? Maybe to a Floridian, but not in its truest sense. Does that mean I’m not a Northling? Of course not. I tap into the essence of the North every time I’m up there and carry it with me well after I’m back. Being a Northing is completely portable and indelible. You can be a Northling living in Fairbanks or Flagstaff or Florence.

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Live by the Brand. And Where to Buy the Brand
Look, I realize you have endless choices of “Up North” stuff to buy. But when 90% of it literally says “Up North,” wouldn’t you rather express it with a hint of personality? Originality, even? That’s the point of Northling (and all my brands for that matter). It’s one massive attempt to defy the masses—the graphic groupthink displayed on everything from t-shirts to car bumpers. You want to moo out a hackneyed slogan with the rest of the herd? Have at it. Northling designs, conversely, are a lone loon call, sounding above the crowd with creativity and spirit. Take your pick.

As I’ll reiterate often in this blog, this is my latest and final attempt to corral all of my concepts into some coherent structure. Everything I create for sale will be housed at my commerce site ExistentialGarnish.com, with further musings and missives housed here.

Northing.com is, of course, the place to start for finding the latest on the brand, with links to current clothing and accessory collections, as well as legacy designs that go back to creation dates of 2019.

Until next post, all the best, Northling.