My Story

Fifteen years ago in 2008, I opened up my one-man artists studio, at the beginning of a global recession, with a wife, a 6 month old little girl and $15k in student loan debt. We had no home and I had no shop to work in. We didn’t “start with nothing”….really, we started with less than nothing.  I had a high mileage Toyota Corolla I shared with my wife that would sometimes require one of us to hold open the hood and strike the starter with a stick, to free it up, while the other person turned the key.  I owned a box of hand tools, a few pieces of hardwood coming home with me from woodworking school and a sketchbook full of designs I was eager to make but couldn’t afford to build.  I hustled, I studied, I read, I sought mentors, I brainstormed lists of ideas on how to make this business work and tried almost everything.  I had my work in galleries, I traveled the country to dozens of art festivals, I joined a studio tour, art walks, the farmers market and everything else I could think of.  My strategy: throw everything against the wall and see what sticks.  My wife counseled me when I was low (often) and my daughter (and new best buddy), Ruth, gave me the motivation to keep working hard.  I failed and failed and failed again.  We survived for many years off of the occasional commission and the blessing of government-issued food stamps.  I was making award-winning furniture, getting trophies, being published in magazines all while we were living below the poverty line.  I almost gave up but didn’t.  By God’s grace, I managed to keep going & keep experimenting & keep sharing my work and I’ve been blessed with a business today that has sent my work all around the world.  Many of my customers have turned into collectors, and the enthusiasm I receive about my work is super encouraging.  We paid off that $15k in student loan debt and that 6 month old just got her driver’s license and is budding artist in her own right.  My wife homeschools our 3 kids and continues to counsel me, because entrepreneurship is not for the faint of heart.  Our Toyota has been replaced and I now work out of a studio I designed and built to help me achieve my best work.  My office walls are covered in sketches I want to create and my workshop walls are lined with materials I’ve collected and can’t wait to use.  For both the good and the bad, I am incredibly grateful.  And to each of you who have supported my work these 15 years, whether it be through a purchase or a commission, I sincerely thank you.