The Making Of: @strght Skateboards

For more photos from Strght Skateboards, be sure to follow @strght and check out their Photos of You section on your mobile device.

Gabe Willis is a surfer—or at least he was until he moved from sunny San Diego to landlocked Oklahoma for college. Facing a sudden lack of waves, Gabe bought a skateboard and took to the streets, only to be left with a broken board after a few weeks. Rather than dip into his student budget for a new one, Gabe decided to try his hand at making one himself. Drawing inspiration from old-fashioned wooden boards and his family’s engraving company, he set to work and documented his process on Instagram as he went.

As people saw the unique board he was creating, they wanted to figure out how to get one as well. Supported by the interest on Instagram, Gabe created the @strght account and began filling orders directly through Instagram. Now, seven months later, Strght has expanded to four full-time employees and has begun to sell in stores and through web retailers.

With the addition of Photos of You, Strght put out a call to action asking their followers to add the @strght Instagram account to their photos of the boards. As a result, they and their followers are now able to see photos from happy customers across Instagram brought into one neat place.

The Making Of: @arielealasko’s Repurposed Wood Furniture

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In the heart of Brooklyn, Ariele Alasko (@arielealasko) builds custom furniture out of repurposed materials and shares the process on Instagram. Originally from Monterey, California, Ariele moved to New York City to study sculpture and was soon drawn to woodworking. “I have always had a propensity for making sculptures that fit into houses…It felt great to start making things that people needed, wanted, and could use in their daily lives.”

Sharing photos of her woodwork on Instagram and documenting her processes on her blog allows Ariele to quickly share her work with audiences far from her studio in Brooklyn. “I love being able to share my building process in a quick moment without having to really stop what I’m doing,” she says. “Instagram has been a great way to feel connected to the outside world while I’m holed up in my shop, and it gives me a reason to document and share things that I may not have otherwise.”

Want to see more? Be sure to follow Ariele on Instagram: @arielealasko

In the Kitchen with @SidecarDoughnuts

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Who says it takes a brick-and-mortar store to get your treats into the hands of a hungry public?

Through their Instagram account, @SidecarDoughnuts, a yet-to-be-opened doughnut shop in Costa Mesa, California, has been keeping their fans up to date on the progress of their new store, sharing the location of their Sidecar doughnut-selling truck, and snapping candid photos of what’s happening in the kitchen.

If your Instagram feed could use a little sweetening, follow along at instagram.com/sidecardoughnuts.

The Making Of: @DannyHess Surfboards

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At the very west end of San Francisco, where the city meets the Pacific Ocean, Danny Hess (@dannyhess) makes custom surfboards, skateboards, and handplanes. Like the ancient Polynesians who invented surfing, Danny’s boards are made out of wood, which is uncommon for surfboards made today.

“Salvaged and responsibly harvested wood is by far the best material for engineering a light, responsive, and durable board,” Danny says. “I build these to last. My goal has always been to build a beautiful, functional board that you never have to replace.”

You can get a peek at the process of hand-shaping a wooden surfboard on Danny’s Instagram account, @dannyhess, and be sure to check out more of Danny’s work on his website: hesssurfboards.com.

The Making Of: @Mastersons Selvedge Denim Shirts

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Michael Masterson, who has spent the past 3 years making clothes by hand, is embarking on his latest venture—Masterson’s, a limited-run batch of US and Japanese selvedge denim and chambray shirts—and bringing his Instagram followers along for the ride at @mastersons.

“I have a collection of over 25 machines, most more than 50 to 70 years old. It takes a lot of finesse and dexterity to keep the machine and stitch working properly,” he says. “Instagram is a quick and easy way to share the production process with people during a busy day. And I think it also helps give people an idea of the time that goes in to producing these shirts.”

To get a peek at the process, visit @mastersons. Because of Masterson’s limited production capacity, they will only be available through Trove General Store.

The Making Of: @CarbonettiGuitars

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When Jimmy ‘Cobra’ Carbonetti is not touring with his renowned rockband Caveman, he is usually in his East Village, New York workshop, crafting beautiful custom-made guitars, and sharing the process through Instagram at @carbonettiguitars.

“I cut all of my own wood and wind all of my own pick ups… also spray all my own lacquer paint,” says Jimmy. “Instagram has been an amazing platform to show my work.”

Follow along at @carbonettiguitars as Carbonetti sketches, cuts, chisels and sands his one-of-a-kind instruments out of raw materials.

The Making Of: @KelseyBrookes’s Psychedelic Paintings

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San Diego, California-based artist Kelsey Brookes—@KelseyBrookes on Instagram—brings his followers into the studio as he creates painstakingly detailed paintings.

Perhaps the only thing more captivating than Brookes’ psychedelic artistic creations is the path that led him to art in the first place. After graduating college with a degree in Biology and researching West Nile Virus on a grant from the US Centers for Disease Control, Brookes left for Australia, where he lived out of a van, surfed, and took up drawing.

Since then, he’s created album art for the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and shown his work throughout the US, and internationally in Switzerland, the UK and Australia.

See more at kelseybrookes.com, and at his Instagram profile on the web.

The Making Of: @BangBangPie’s Tantalizing Treats

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Instagrammers in Chicago, Illinois, must exhibit extraordinary self-control because of their ready access to Bang Bang Pie Shop’s assortment of delectable, waist-expanding (but soul-nourishing) pies. Since opening in late March, Bang Bang has been serving up some truly photogenic treats, and racking up some saccharine praise along the way.

Thankfully, those of us outside of Chicago need only worry about salivating all over our cellphone screens as we watch @bangbangpie photos appear in our feeds. (Here are some tips for waterproofing your phone.)

Slice out a little space in your Instagram feed for Bang Bang, and you will not be disappointed! (Though you may be hungry…)

The Making Of: @orangecountychoppers’s Custom Motorcycles

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The process of building an Orange County Chopper motorcycle has long been the subject of Discovery Channel’s American Chopper. But the process behind the bikes—and the show itself—is also documented through OCC’s Instagram feed, @orangecountychoppers.

Follow along to tour the shop floor, without the possibility of incurring Paul Sr.’s infamous wrath.

The Making Of: A Perfect Glass of Red

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Historians believe the first wine fermentation took place in the late Neolithic period—nearly 8,000 years ago—and ever since, humanity has held vintners with the utmost regard.

And so it is with great admiration that we dedicate today’s post to Hardy Wallace, or @dirtysouthwine. Hardy makes wine under his own label—Dirty and Rowdy—while also working for Napa Valley’s Corison Winery. His feed takes followers to scenic vineyards around the world, from California to France.

Follow along, but be careful not to overindulge!