Thomas Moore

If you’re ever lucky enough to meet Thomas, the man behind Last Maps, the one word that will resonate above all others is genuine. Inspired by nature and the art of visual story-telling, he is a rare talent. And he’s only just beginning.

Where do you live/are you from?

I live in York right now. I’ve lived here for a year and I love it. I’m originally from the south coast near Winchester and the North of the country was always this really exciting place that I went on holidays to — places like the Lake District and the Peak District. I never envisioned myself living there but I’ve always felt like it’s important to be open to change, to keep things fresh creatively. My partner got offered a job this way and I saw it as a fantastic opportunity to shake things up.

That makes it sound like I’m really cool and easy going but actually, we’d only just got back from a two year trip around the world. I hadn’t necessarily missed the UK that much but the moment I got back, I very quickly got into a comfort zone. I probably had more of a crisis than I thought at the time. I realised I’d be miles away from friends and family and that definitely made me wobble. But overcoming that fear is definitely the best thing I could have done.

What were you doing before Last Maps? And what made you take the leap?

I went to Oxford Brookes University to study architecture, which isn’t too far away from where I was born and raised. But I realised I didn’t want to do architecture pretty quickly, I knew it from the end of my first year. So I jumped over to environmental science. I finished my degree and then we hopped on a plane to New Zealand about six months after I graduated. I just felt like I had to go somewhere totally different and it ended up starting a totally new chapter in my life. Culturally, New Zealand is fairly similar, but it’s also so far away. It gave me the space away from a predefined path that allowed me to stray off into my own thing. Living in the middle of nowhere helped me make a break from my conventional outlook. That’s not to say that location is necessarily important if you’re looking to make a change, these days I think you can be anywhere. But I do think that stepping out of your current environment holds a real power.

I wasn’t even aware that I could be an illustrator when I first left the UK. I think I’d kind of given up all hope before even trying, if that makes sense. It’s easy to get these preconceived ideas of what life should be like and what an acceptable career path should be. From the age of 15 we’re all gearing up to sit exams and the expectation is that we graduate, get started on a career and put one foot in front of the other until we retire.

After I moved on from architecture, I didn’t pick up a pen for at least four years. When I look back now, I can see that I was creatively depressed. I was so convinced that I couldn’t make a living drawing that I’d buried my love for it. Which is madness; to turn away from something I’d enjoyed since day one of my conscious memory. Going away gave me the opportunity to breathe. Being away from everything that I knew allowed that love to come to the surface again.

Why maps? What drew you to them in particular?

I remember one night very vividly. I was working at a wilderness lodge on Lake Wakatipu in New Zealand. Each year, over the winter season, they shut down and the owners leave. It was basically, “This is your list of jobs. See you in a few months.” On one of the days, we’d been on a really long hike and were back in the lodge in front of a beautiful open fire. I was sat sketching out a map of the trail we’d just been on and I started to draw a bunch of the birds I’d seen. One of the other guys was like “Whoa, I need you to make a copy of that for me”.

We were going through our task list the next day — and that fire? Well, as beautiful as it was, it needed wood. So we spent the whole day chopping firewood. That’s a task that starts off fun but gets monotonous pretty quickly. You spend a lot of time in your head and one idea leads on to another while your brain picks through what’s been going on recently. I remember it was then that I first thought about taking the idea seriously. The original idea was to draw and illustrate adventures and journeys but that very quickly became telling stories in a wider sense and it all fit really nicely.

My client base is so varied now. I’m currently working on beer labels, the lining for the Lawrence jacket, I’ve got maps on the board, illustrations and tattoo designs. I couldn’t pinpoint a specific client that I work with but they’re all people that are all seeking the same thing. They’re generally people that run their own business that have a story to tell and need a hand sharing it. I think that’s probably the common ground, the desire to share and inspire.

I’ve found ever since that maps, illustrations and logo design all kind of sing the same song to a large degree. They’re all about capturing people’s stories and that, without doubt, is the most pleasurable part of my job.

Has the transition from one career to another been easy? Any major direction changes or bumps in the road? Did it go how you expected?

In reality, Last Maps is my first career but I’ve always been incredibly torn between pursuing creativity and science. In a way, I explored both when I was at Uni by starting out with architecture and then settling on environmental science. But there’s actually a huge scientific element to mapmaking. It’s an incredibly precise art, or I guess you could also see it as a creative science. So in a way, I’ve landed up blending the two.

What lesson(s) have you learnt that you would tell other people who aren’t fulfilled doing what they’re doing?

For me, I had to do something that I really cared about. I think I’ve always been that kind of person. It’s why I changed degrees. Something didn’t feel right and so I made the decision early on to shoot for something that I felt passionate about. So I guess there have been some changes and some swerves. But really, the ultimate goal has always been the same. And that’s to do something I enjoy.

“But really, the ultimate goal has always been the same. And that’s to do something I enjoy.”

There was a gentleman who spoke at my graduation. The main thrust of his talk was that most of us would be doing jobs five years after finishing up our degrees that didn’t exist yet. In reality, it would have been a much better chat before the degree rather on the last day. But he was right, there’re so many opportunities in the world now. Especially at a time like this, where some of the titans are falling, it’s allowing some space for innovation and for smaller businesses to carve out new niches. That’s what I feel like I’m doing and something I’ve learnt recently is that the more comfortable you are with change, the more adaptable you can be, the more likely you are to be happy in what you’re doing.

Do you think people are born to be entrepreneurs?

I think every human being is different and there are no rules that can apply to all. But the people that excite me most are the people that have created something that didn’t exist before they decided to strike out and do something new.

My dad runs his own business. So I guess from day one, I’ve been aware of the benefits and the drawbacks of running your own thing. From my perspective, the pros always seemed to outweigh the cons. Having control over your own time, making your own decisions. Of course as a child, I saw it as being able to work when you wanted and obviously that’s not how it works but I think that planted the seeds of independence for me.

My granddad’s 90 but he was an engraver by trade and worked on different banknotes around the world. He’s really, really talented and still paints today. But he was also one of the guys that told me I wouldn’t be able to make money being an artist and running my own business. He gave me the classic advice that I should do something that’s reliable and safe. Life’s hard, you need money and you’re gonna want a family one day etc etc. The motives behind that advice were always very good of course. I had a great childhood and my family are lovely people. But unless you can see what’s possible, it can be really tricky when you’re younger, to navigate that.

Since I set up Last Maps, I’ve connected with so many creatives and brands and it’s been so inspiring. The bigger my community gets, it helps me realise that there’s a whole world out there of people doing awesome stuff and plenty of people who are making it work.

So what’s interesting is that my Granddad’s advice definitely had a hand in directing my choices in terms of my education but almost as soon as I’d graduated and I saw an opportunity to start doing my own thing, I took it.

Do you think people are born to create?

Yes. I think we would be entirely lying to ourselves if we were to say otherwise. Throughout evolution, we had to be creative to survive different environments, to grow, to find food, to stay warm and I think that’s defined our human existence.

Sadly, I think people are often told that they’re not creative at an early age and that can impact their lives pretty significantly. I would argue that everyone makes decisions that result in creation. They might dress in a particular way or present food on their plate in a way that is pleasing to them. They’ll have particular colours that they like more than others, they’ll enjoy one landscape view more than they like another. These decisions create a sense of self.

I believe that everyone creates more than they think every single day, even if that’s just singing along to their favourite song in a slightly different key. Some of us may live a more overtly creative existence but even the way each of us communicate is creative. We make decisions every moment of every day that puts something new into the world.

I think if we took creativity as seriously as we did maths, or history, humanity could solve a lot more of the problems we’re facing today.

Tell us about a project you’ve worked on. Why does it stand out to you and what did you learn during the process?

I don’t want to dodge the question but I learn from every single piece of work I do. It could be that I improve my technique or that I learn to communicate with the client better. I learn from the people I’m working with each time as well. How did they build their brand? What do they care about, and what’s important to them. Every project throws a new log on the fire.

It’s always nice when you create a logo that does a good job. I think that’s always a very satisfying moment but I think the map of the River Test I did was probably the most important one in terms of endurance. I really learnt that you can’t rush anything.

I worked with Jonathan who’s a river keeper on the Test. He’d always wanted a map of the area and the flora and fauna that surrounds it for his wall. In the end, it turned out to be a very small print run that we did for a number of people who live on the river. But when we first started talking about it, It felt like a huge gamble. I hadn’t done a project anywhere near that size at the time. We’d met a few times and it was his belief in me that pushed me to take the commission on. I’d be lying if I said that I thought I could do the whole thing justice when I took on the commission but I learnt how important it is to break projects down into smaller parts. It’s so easy to get overwhelmed when you’re faced with a project that you know is going to take up a significant amount of time and headspace.

Any other words of wisdom or anything else you’d like to share?

I love to be advised and to mull over points with someone experienced. So I find offering any words of wisdom slightly tricky since it puts me on the other side of that relationship. But I think to listen, to be challenged and to be open to learning is so important. Often, in business in particular, there’s this kind of cutthroat attitude where it’s expected that you get out there and you win, no matter the cost. In the process, if you casually screw people over, well that’s ok right? It’s business. I really don’t agree with that. It creates a combative approach instead of being collaborative.

Running a business isn’t necessarily a competition. Instead, if we approach it with collaboration and learning in mind, without ego and with a sense of plenty rather than a fear of scarcity, we can achieve so much more together. By flipping that mindset a little bit, it’s so much easier to reach out for advice. If you’re concerned about appearing a certain way or proving yourself, that can make things really tough. There are so many people out there that are really good at what they do and would love to help but you’re only going to find them if you’re open and willing to listen.

The only other thing is that I feel like it’s all too easy to become complacent. To forget the urgency in terms of how important is to do what makes you feel good. Whether that’s to draw or to build a business, renovate a house or go on a trip of a lifetime. I feel like I realised early on that the clock is ticking each day and I’m so grateful for that. It’s so exciting to meet new people, to learn and develop and grow Last Maps. Whether you want to launch your own business, or brand, or product, or whatever it is, the time is now.