STONER...and proud of It!

You know they say that the first step in solving a problem is admitting you have one.  Josh Hoffman candidly admits that he is a "Stoner", but he has no plans of ever seeking help, nor do his friends want to do an intervention.  In fact some of his friends actually participate in his addiction, constantly feeding his need.  Every Friday night Josh can be found waiting to score another 12 ounces of acetate plastic combined with some extreme custom elixir.  How long has this been going on...since 1998.  His first hit came at the hands of Peter Stone, and a black rearing horse.

Josh and his "canine horse" Izzy

Josh is a "Stoner" alright...an addicted "Stone Horse Collector"!  Actually Josh coined many of the play on words I used in the first paragraph!  Josh Hoffman is our Design-A-Tee Shirt contest winner!

Josh designed the beautiful pastel Equilocity T-shirt, which can be found on the Equilocity tab of the Stone Horse website!  He also designed the very tongue-in-cheek "Stoner" shirt which will be available very soon!

I thought it might be fun to get to know Josh, T-shirt designer extraordinaire, and find out where his inspiration is born, and why he is a "Stoner"!

I did a written interview with Josh, giving him a series of questions to answer.  I could almost feel the energy, that "is" Josh, bouncing off his written word.  His sense of humor and whimsy is so refreshing, and his happiness contagious!  I hope you enjoy reading his story as much as I enjoyed writing it!

Josh started collecting nearly 30 years ago.  He blames his addiction on his OCD personality, which his very supportive parents fed with fire and a JC Penney's catalog.  The Christmas Catalog, does it get any better...not for Josh.  He got to choose just (1) Breyer horse, out of the catalog, for Christmas.  Josh chose the Breyer Unicorn...and as Josh put it, "It was the best toy ever!!"  His parents wanting to capitalize on this amazing purchase then got Josh, that next Christmas, a plethora of Breyer horses.  He said he wonders if they regret that now, looking back, or perhaps simply looking in the next room because that's where Josh houses his "thousands" of horses.  He has them in his old bedroom, in their family room, and at his own house.  His hope is to one day have a room totally dedicated to his horses; a horse library if you will!

Although Josh still collects Breyers, he took that "next step" as he put it, and began collecting Stone Horses.  He said that the Stone models are superior in quality, craftmanship, and realism...you know you are a serious collector when you start collecting Stone models.  He got his first Stone model in a "Grab Bag" offer, a horse named Marie.  He said he had admired Stone Horses online for a long time but just never made the leap to purchase one.  But after getting the grab bag horse he was hooked.  In just two short years Josh has collected almost 200 stock horse models.   Why the stock horse...it's the romance of the American cowboy, the working quarter horse, the sturdiness and sleek lines.  "He's a handsome guy!" as Josh terms it.

"Sleek lines"...Anyone using those two words to describe something will tell you a lot about that person.  It often tells you they are very visual, and have an eye for design.  Visual design describes Josh extremely well.  Josh is a graphic artist!  Some of his first memories are those of he and his mother drawing together.  But despite his artistic gift he wanted to be a Veterinarian...well until his first semester of college.   His path changed after his first college biology class and the dissection of a fetal pig...let's just say that things did not go well for Josh.  He suddenly had to re-think his career path.  It still wasn't obvious to Josh what he was meant to do.  He spent a year and half at Concordia College trying to figure it all out. Still perplexed by life he took a semester off.  He decided to try and get his general course work out of the way at a community college.  He threw in some art classes just for fun and guess what...yep, fate spoke to him loud and clear. He transferred to St. Cloud State and became a graphic design major.  He is doing what he loves, combining his passion for art and his visual nature.  He is now a full-time graphic designer in St. Cloud.  He said, "I get to do what I love everyday!"

Josh taking that semester off! 

My curious nature wondered if the graphic design part of Josh played a role in his collecting. Again it comes back to his visual nature.  Graphic design images can be incredibly powerful and compelling tools of communication, conveying not only information but also moods and emotions. People respond to images instinctively based on their personalities, associations, and previous experience.   The images that Josh creates and the models that Stone Horses create are much the same.  It's the experience the model creates for him; they're visual, they evoke emotion, tell a story, and represent his childhood and fond memories.  They are the total package. 

The T-shirt contest combined everything he loved, design and model horses.  He said that it's a rare opportunity when you get to design for something you are so passionate about.  He jumped at the chance to design for this particular Stone Horse contest!  Josh not only designed the winning tropical theme you see offered on the website, but also the "Stoned" idea you see on our Facebook site.  He gives a lot of credit to Jen Stroschein for the wording on the "Stoned" shirt.   We loved the idea here, at Stone Horses.  It such a "fun" concept! 

Josh and Jen

I have to ask "why Stone?"...why Stone Horses, what makes them so special?  Josh said, "The quality and craftsmanship is hands down better than the competition.  They are so life-like, the details that go into each horse are impeccable!"  And the fact that you can call and talk to a real person!   Josh added, "The customer service is fantastic...Doug, Sandy, Peter...the whole team is just amazing.  What other company can you call and get the owner?"   And an added benefit are the friends he has made.  One of his best friends in fact is another collector.  He actually stalked her stock horse collection for a long time before he finally got up the nerve to talk to her.  Jen Stroschein has become one of his dearest friends, an Anam Cara, and all because of Stone Horses!

I love to know what people would be doing if they could choose any job in the world.  Suffice to say that Elaine Stone and myself want to go into business with Josh!!  He would own an antique store with a mix of both old and new wonders.  There would be a little coffee shop attached where he would sell homemade bake goods...you can almost smell the yeast and strong coffees.  He wants a dog bakery too though, but I think you can have a counter for the canine crowd in your shop!! 

Josh in his greenhouse!

The majority of my audience probably collects model horses...I collect books and quotes, so I asked Josh for his favorite quote.  "Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted."  Einstein

We count our blessings each day for collectors like Josh Hoffman and the positive force he puts forth in this world!!

We want to thank Josh so much for indulging us with his words and his creations.  We look foward to many more!