Uncommon Goods | Your Life Story Mapmaking Class
Skip to main content
Your Life Story Mapmaking Class
Your Life Story Mapmaking Class
Your Life Story Mapmaking Class
Your Life Story Mapmaking Class
Your Life Story Mapmaking Class
quick_referencemore infophoto_librarycustomer photos
Your Life Story Mapmaking Class thumbnail 1Your Life Story Mapmaking Class thumbnail 2Your Life Story Mapmaking Class thumbnail 3Your Life Story Mapmaking Class thumbnail 4Your Life Story Mapmaking Class thumbnail 5
quick_referencemore infophoto_librarycustomer photos

Your Life Story Mapmaking Class

Created by Brendan Lorber

Spend 90 minutes with a creative cartographer turning real-life adventure into a legendary landscape.

$110.00

choose an experience
pick a date

Need to pencil it in? Rescheduling is available until 48 hours before the start time of your experience.

Independent Maker

Exclusive

Your purchase includes

A 90-minute live virtual experience with an expert instructor

A Mapmaking Kit, mailed to you before the date of your experience

An email sent at least 24 hours before the experience with all the preparation details including experience log-in information

The Experience

keyboard_arrow_up

The Road Goes On

While wizards are not in the habit of turning up at front doors these days (alas!), everyone’s story is still an epic adventure. Join us for a remarkable 90-minute online experience that will teach you to map the most legendary realm of all: real life. Our guide on this quest is Brendan Lorber, a poet, writer, and artist whose fantastical biographical maps are on display in libraries and museums from Bed-Stuy to Edinburgh. Taking inspiration from classic fantasy fiction and role-playing games, Brendan’s imaginative style is uniquely suited to creating an extraordinary present for a friend or family member—and the class itself makes an unforgettable gift, especially for someone celebrating a milestone birthday.

Prior art experience is not required, but everybody will have some fun homework before class: listing the landmark events, passionate pursuits, and memorable moments that make up the history of their subject (these will become the map’s geographic features). Each map can cover a full life or focus on a specific time frame, such as the past year, college days, or that one amazing summer. Once the lesson begins, Brendan will get right into it with engaging, practical instruction and plenty of time to work and ask questions. No worries about specialized supplies, since this class comes with our custom Fantasy Mapmaking Kit, which includes a template on artist-quality paper, a French curve drawing tool, Brendan’s own cartography guide, a perfectly sized wooden frame, and more.

In an hour and a half, participants will go from apprentice mapmaker to master cartographer as they create a mythic masterpiece worth cherishing for years—drawing new versions may even become an annual tradition. While you likely won't finish your map in class, Brendan will equip you with the skills to complete your map with confidence. As Brendan says, Anyone can have a treasure map. In this class, you’ll be making maps that themselves are treasures.

Before class, you must complete the Concepting Your Map project, outlined here.

Want more Brendan Lorber? Check out our Romantic Mapmaking Class and our Pet Mapmaking Class.

Experiences make great gifts! To gift this class, simply purchase the class for the date/time you think will work for your recipient. If that doesn’t work for the recipient, no worries! Send an email that includes your order confirmation number to help@uncommongoods.com at least 48-hours prior and we’ll help get them moved into a scheduled class that works better for them. Please note: By default, order confirmations and event details are sent to the purchaser’s email. If you'd like this information to go to your gift recipient instead, select "this is a gift" under your chosen date. Once in your cart, you can enter the recipient's email address and choose a delivery date for the class confirmation email.

Looking to host a private or corporate event? Fill out the form on our Corporate Gifting Page.

Explore more of our upcoming Uncommon Experiences: View the Calendar

Giving this as a gift? Print out this card to let them know what's coming.

Hosted by

Brendan Lorber

About

Ride the ferry to Brooklyn and make your way to its tallest hill. There, across the street from a vast Victorian-era cemetery, is the little castle that Brendan Lorber and family call home. This atmospheric locale is well-suited to the poet, writer, artist, and, now, maker of hand-drawn maps inspired by classic fantasy world-building. "I've always loved maps," says Brendan of his creative cartography. "They add a layer of intrigue and a sense of achievement when you get where you were going."

In addition to the map kit included with the class, you'll need a ruler, some blank sheets of paper, a pencil (a standard #2 works, but a mechanical pencil is preferred), and coffee or dried beans.

get more detailsopen_in_new

send You'll receive an email at least 24 hours before your experience with all the preparation details.

The Mapmaking Kit will be shipped in time to arrive before the date of your experience.

See all shipping options and costs

This item is not available to ship outside of the U.S. See International FAQ for more info.

Uncommon Perks

Get unlimited FAST, FREE SHIPPING (and other good stuff) with a 14-day free trial of Perks.

join uncommon perks

Sadly, we are unable to ship to APO, FPO, or DPO addresses at this time. We are working towards a solution that will allow us to resume this type of shipping.


Ages

16+

Measurements

11 in x 14 in

Care

Please use the included frame for preservation once finished with your map

Notes

Before class, you must complete the Concepting Your Map project, outlined here.

1-2 people per screen, please (More than that affects the quality of everyone's experience).

Item ID

54993

Still haven't found the details you're looking for? Check out our Product Q&A!