Meet Errin Ruffer: Vinyl Clock Maker and Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Errin Ruffer and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Errin, let’s start by talking about what inspires you?
I think the music itself inspires me the most. I’ve always been very into music and when I started collecting vinyl records 20 years ago there is just a different feeling you get when listening to records. I always put on some vinyl while I paint my clocks so I think just hearing the crackle and knowing that years ago someone else played the same record and experienced the same feelings I get is pretty cool. I see it a lot when selling my clocks at art shows when someone is looking at one of them and you can tell that they just have this connection with a certain album or even just seeing the album cover brings them back to a time in their life when things were good. I think each album has it’s own story and whether I’m listening to them or making them into clocks I try to embrace that feeling and appreciate the music. 

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I’ve always had a creative side but for the most part it never involved painting until I started making my vinyl clocks. I think part of the reason I love making my clocks so much is because it involves painting but also some more intricate work and small details when putting the clocks together. I can remember building a toothpick house years ago and spending hours and hours sanding, carving and making it perfect because I just had to. I think being OCD and a bit of a perfectionist helps a lot for my clocks because there is a lot of little things and attention to detail that goes into making them. I’m really just trying to save all these damaged and unplayable records and give them a second life and hopefully just make people smile when they see them.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
That’s a tough one. Living in Fort Collins, Colorado is great because although it’s not a huge city we pack in so much to do and see. I think for drinks we would have to go to some of the many basement bars around town. Whether it’s the relaxed and jazzy atmosphere at Ace Gillette’s, the amazing drinks and feel of Social or the secret bar at Sonny Lubick’s steakhouse. For food you can’t go wrong with Avo’s, 415 or Bluebird Cafe but there are so many others we frequent. When friends are in town we always drive up to Horsetooth for hiking and amazing views. Walk around and see nature before heading to one of the many breweries in town including some of our favorites Equinox, Intersect and Odell’s. There is so much art to see around the city and Swetsville Zoo is one of our favorites. My wife and I love to give tours of the Music District since we volunteer and have our own radio show spinning vinyl on KRFC 88.9FM, Fort Collins own.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
There is no way I would be able to do all of this without my wife Ashley. She has supported me since day one and is always there for me. We have two young boys and it can be difficult to find time to make clocks and just doing art shows so having someone else there for you makes all the difference.

Website: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TickTockVinyl?ref=seller-platform-mcnav
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ticktockvinyl/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ticktockvinyl
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCloFzzwrq7nYWS_lbPVxFyg

Image Credits
Johnny Robson