We have a lot of favorites on Instagram, like these adventurers or these well-traveled pets. But in an age of "pretty people staring off into the distance on a precarious cliff" or "incredibly colorful pastry you'll have to wait four hours for," we've found something that stands out, calms us down, and inspires us to travel to far, far off places. Yep, it's all about globes.
Surprise, surprise, it's called @globemakers. The account—with more than 160,000 followers the world over, photos filled with muted blues and greens, and one adorable Boston terrier—follows the lives of globes and their makers at Bellerby & Co., a custom globe-making shop in London.
It started with the no-gift-is-good-enough quandary we've all experienced: In 2008, Peter Bellerby wanted to buy a globe as a birthday present for his father, but couldn't find a suitable one. Latitudes didn't line up. Whole countries were in the wrong place, named incorrectly, or just missing completely. So, he did what anyone else would do—sort of: he decided to make his own. Fast-forward ten years, and there are 15 young globemakers, cartographers, woodworkers, and designers working at Bellerby & Co. every day, hand-painting custom globes so small they can fit on your desk to those that are so big they won't even fit in your room.
Since you can't visit the shop, we sat down with Jade Fenster, Bellerby & Co.'s social media manager, to get a glimpse into what's really going on behind the scenes.
What made you think “Huh, this would make great Instagram content?”
Everyone likes to peek behind closed doors [and there's] an element of that. It’s a nice escape to think about a job where you're not on a computer all day and are working with your hands. It reminds people of far off places and distant lands.
I think at the beginning, people were drawn to what we were doing because it was unique and a real insight into a process no one sees or knows much about. It helps that our studio is beautiful, with floor-to-ceiling windows stretching high above, artists who—luckily—photograph quite well, and a product everyone can recognize and love: the earth! And [so far,] I haven't gotten attacked by the flat-earth people.
Instagram content
This content can also be viewed on the site it originates from.
A lot of people are listening to music in your photos on the account. Top globemaking songs?
I used to do a #MusicToMakeGlobesTo series and [it was mostly] mellow songs—Ella Fitzgerald, Beirut, Etta James, Bob Dylan, Mama Cass, José González, Elliot Smith, The Rolling Stones, Nick Drake, Radiohead. We [just] had a Devendra Banhart day. At one point, everyone was listening to The Count of Monte Cristo. And usually there's BBC’s Woman's Hour.
It took Peter two years for his first globe. How long does it take to make one now?
Each globe is made to order and will have custom cartography, plus things like hand-drawn and hand-painted illustrations, travel routes, and more. It can take weeks just to get that part complete. So it takes between a few weeks and a few months to make each globe. That's not every minute of every day, but it’s what it adds up to with drying and resting time, and to go between the five or so people that need to do their part.
Instagram content
This content can also be viewed on the site it originates from.
You also work in customer service, helping people plan their custom globes. What's the coolest one you've worked on?
My favorite so far has been a Moby Dick-themed globe. The coloring was a vibrant aquamarine and suited the illustrations and detail so well. He had thought of his favorite passages and where on the globe they should be placed. It was a lot of back and forth, but it paid off. We wrote the quotes out by hand in calligraphy and added the travel route with a delicate line and scenes dotted around. It was a small globe and you still could stare at it for so long, finding new things. And even though Moby Dick is a book read by many, the detail on the globe was truly unique to the customer.
Another one was a really fun customer to work with, as well a small globe. It was his best friend's wedding and a gift that would arrive after they returned from their honeymoon. He had illustrations to show where the couple got engaged (Hawaii), with his friend down on one knee in what they were wearing; where they got married (India), with an illustration of them together in their bridal clothes; detail from their wedding invites, like the logo and date in calligraphy; detail from their home countries—a Georgia peach for her and an elephant with a blue ribbon for him. Everything again balanced out nicely around the globe, telling a unique story.
This interview was edited for clarity and condensed for clarity.