My grandfather had a cavernous home shop. A serious shop. And he did it all, it seemed to me as a kid growing up in San Antonio. He did metal work, woodwork, he was a gunsmith, a general contractor and an all-around great carpenter. Not much of a conversationalist. But he’d let me hang out with him and he kept me in scraps, a hammer, nails… and I became fascinated with making and fixing and creating things with my hands. I started to get handy.

I studied screenwriting and made a living designing and creating motion graphics but I’ve continued my interest in woodworking throughout my life. Once I attended the summer sessions here at Krenov in 2018 though, I switched gears, focusing full-time on woodworking and related fields. I worked at two reclaimed lumber mills and a high-end custom furniture shop in Los Angeles and built my first dedicated home woodshop, picking up the essential tools second-hand and learning to restore and tune them myself. I started doing commission work. And I applied to attend the full-time program here at Krenov and I’m thrilled and grateful to be here. The staff’s knowledge, patience and kindness are a wonder every day and with their help, I hope to not only improve my woodworking skills but also my connection to the mindset that comes from immersion in the materials and the process of the craft.