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There are people who go looking for answers, not because they expect it to be easy—but because they know there’s something worth finding. And even if they don’t find what they thought they would, they make the most of it.
Because either way, the journey matters.
About Jamie Starling: Creator Alchemist
I’m Jamie Starling. I make things, notice things, and try to share what is useful.
I’ve started calling myself the Creator Alchemist because, honestly, that is what I have been doing most of my life: taking different things — ideas, skills, tools, scraps, questions, half-finished experiments, and random parts — and working with them until something useful, meaningful, or interesting comes out of it.
This site is where I bring those pieces together: technology, model trains, photography, electronics, local creative life, and the lessons I pick up along the way.
It is not a business card. It is not a resume. It is not a polished portfolio trying to make everything look finished.
It is me putting the pieces in one place and seeing what comes out of it.
A Bit About Me
Most people know me as the guy who can figure stuff out. The one who builds things, fixes things, and makes things work.
That part has been true since I was a kid. I was always taking things apart to see how they worked. Sometimes I even got them back together.
Before I started school, my dad gave me a Radio Shack 200-in-1 electronics kit. I had a door alarm rigged up to our front door in no time. He walked in, it went off, and he just stood there smiling.
That moment stuck with me. I had made something real. It worked.
Another memory that stayed with me came from the late 1970s or early 1980s. I visited one of my dad’s coworkers, and he had a computer at home. That was rare then. He let me type on the keyboard, and something clicked.
That glowing screen felt like possibility.
I did not know where it would lead, but I knew it mattered.
Technology has always been more than a tool for me. It is a way to create, solve problems, test ideas, and build something that did not exist before.
Photography, Trains, and the Rest of It
Somewhere along the way, photography came into the picture too. I was maybe three or four when I found some of my sister’s film negatives from a class she was taking. I did not fully understand what I was looking at, but I knew there was something there.
That was the seed.
These days, photography helps me slow down and pay attention. It gives me a reason to notice the shapes, textures, light, weather, and small details that might otherwise get passed by.
And then there are trains.
I do not have a fancy explanation for why I like them. They have just always felt right. I have been fascinated by them since I was little.
Model trains bring together many of the things I care about: electronics, problem-solving, design, scenery, lighting, detail work, patience, and storytelling. It is part hobby, part art form, part ongoing experiment
You can find more about my model train adventures at : Leaping Cat Model Works.
Putting the Pieces Together
For years, I kept different parts of my work in separate boxes: one place for photography, one place for model trains, another place for technology and technical work.
That made sense for a while. It helped people know which version of me they were looking at: the photo guy, the tech guy, the train guy, the guy who gets things done.
But none of that showed the full picture.
JamieStarling.com is where those parts come together.
This site is not about showing off. It is about following the thread between things that have always belonged together for me: building systems, making things work, noticing details, solving problems, taking creative ideas seriously, and turning them into something real.
It is about the process as much as the result.
The idea. The mistake. The fix. The image. The finished piece. The lesson learned halfway through.
That is the part I want to share.
Local Creative Life
I am also paying more attention to the creative life around Carteret County and the Crystal Coast.
This site may include notes about local makers, artists, resources, meetups, places, and creative observations. Not because this is an official community page, but because part of my life now is noticing what people are making around me and helping make that creative work a little more visible.
The more I look at it, the more I believe creative people need places where the unfinished work is welcome too.
Where I Am Now
These days I live in Beaufort, North Carolina, with my wife Julie and our three cats: Beebs, Milo, and Jocko. They mostly supervise.
I am grateful to live near the Crystal Coast, around good people, coastal light, old buildings, working boats, weathered textures, and enough space to keep exploring the things I care about.
Some of what I share here will be practical. Some of it will be creative. Some of it will be local. Some of it may just be a note from the road, the bench, or the camera.
If you are ever in the area and want to grab coffee and talk about creative projects, trains, tech, photography, or whatever else, reach out. I am always up for a good conversation.
One Last Thing
If there is anything I have learned, it is that everything does not have to stay in its own box.
The real power is often in putting things together.
That is where meaning shows up: not just in doing the work, but in understanding why you are doing it. Making connections. Seeing the bigger picture. Turning separate pieces into something that feels alive.
That is what being a Creator Alchemist means to me.
Make things. Notice things. Share what you find.
—Jamie Starling