>> AS A KID, I WAS ALWAYS INTO BUILDING WITH LEGOS, AND I COULD LOOK AT A MAGAZINE AND BUILD THE MODEL IN THE MAGAZINE, BECAUSE I COULDN'T AFFORD, YOU KNOW, THE LEGO SET, BUT I HAD A TON OF HAND-ME-DOWN, AND SO I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN A BUILDER.

AND THEN WHEN I GOT INTO SCHOOL, I STRUGGLED A LOT WITH LIKE YOUR EVERYDAY CLASSES.

AND WE HAD A WOODSHOP IN HIGH SCHOOL.

IT IS LIKE THE ONE CLASS THAT I WAS LINE, YES!

THIS IS SO AWESOME.

SO I'M FINALLY CONNECTING TO SOMETHING.

BUT YOU KNOW, I STRUGGLED WITH MATH AND READING AND WRITING, AND SO I THOUGHT THAT THERE HAS TO BE SOMETHING THAT I CAN DO THAT'S LIKE AS A LIVING.

TYPICALLY, WHEN A HUMAN COMES TO ME WITH A PROBLEM USUALLY, IT IS A PROBLEM.

IT IS LIKE, I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH THIS SPACE.

IT IS NOT UTILIZED PROPERLY.

HELP ME TO MAKE IT A FUNCTIONAL SPACE.

I THINK THAT IS FOR ME WHERE I CAN COME IN AND TAKE SOME OF MY KNOWLEDGE OF BUILDING AND BE LIKE, HEY, YOU KNOW, WE COULD THROW IN SOME DRAWERS HERE, OR YOU KNOW, WE COULD THROW IN SOME LIGHTS WITH CABINETRY OR READING NOOKS, AND A LOT OF THOSE COME FROM LISTENING TO THE CLIENT AND SOLVING THEIR PROBLEMS, AND THIS IS WHERE I GET A LOT OF MY CREATIVITY.

SO IT IS LIKE TAKING LEGOS TO A WHOLE NEW LEVEL, AND NOW YOU ARE BUILDING MY-SIZED LEGOS.

THERE'S A JOY THAT COMES WITH MAKING SOMETHING FROM YOUR HANDS.

I MEAN, YOU CAN STEP BACK AND AS STRESSFUL AS IT STARTS, BECAUSE KNOW IF THIS IS REALLY GOING TO WORK.

YOU ARE CONSTANTLY JUST THINKING, AM I GOING TO BE ABLE TO PULL THIS OFF, AND THEN IN THE END, WHEN YOU CREATE WHAT IT IS THAT YOUR CLIENT HAD IN THEIR MIND AND WHAT YOU HAD IN YOUR MIND AND YOU HAVE MADE IT WHOLE, IT IS JUST PRETTY AWESOME TO LOOK BACK AND SAY, YEAH, I MADE THAT.

WHY WOOD?

I THINK THAT FOR ME, IT WAS HONESTLY SOMETHING THAT MADE SENSE TO ME.

I MEAN, I COULD SEE THE BEAUTY IN THE WOOD EVERY TIME I'M LOOKING AT A PIECE OR, YOU KNOW, FOR ME I THINK WOOD IS SO MAGICAL.

LIKE, THERE'S TRUE BEAUTY IN IT, AND IT COMES FROM THE EARTH AND WE ARE ABLE TO MAKE IT INTO SOMETHING THAT WE CAN SHOWCASE IN OUR HOMES.

FOR ME, I WANT TO MAKE A PIECE THAT SOMEBODY'S GRANDKID IS GOING TO LOOK AT AND SAY THAT'S AWESOME.

THE ART OF MILLING, THAT ALONE COULD MAKE SOMEBODY WANT TO WORK WITH WOOD FOR THE REST OF THEIR LIFE.

I KNOW THAT EVERY SINGLE WOODWORKER HAS THIS PIECE OF WOOD THAT THEY ARE HOLDING ON TO, AND THEY ARE WAITING FOR THE SPECIAL WOOD, AND WHEN YOU ARE MILLING IT, AND YOU HAVE THE ROUGHED ON LOOK, BUT AS SOON AS YOU CLEAN ONE EDGE ON THE JOINER, AND YOU ARE LOOKING AT IT, YOU ARE LIKE, OKAY.

SO THE PROCESS OF TAKING IT FROM A ROUGH SAWN PIECE OF WOOD AND MAYBE TURNING IT INTO A KITCHEN TABLE.

ONE OF MY FIRST PIECES THAT I MADE WAS A DINING ROOM TABLE AND A BUILT-IN BENCH NOOK THAT WENT ALL OF THE WAY AROUND THE TABLE.

THIS WOMAN HAD SAVED THESE PIECES FROM A TREE THEY HAD CUT DOWN IN THEIR FRONT YARD.

WHEN THEY HAD FIRST MOVED INTO THE HOUSE, SHE LET HER SON NAME THE TREE.

SO, BOB WAS HIS NAME, AND HE UNFORTUNATELY WASN'T GOING TO MAKE IT.

SO THEY SAVED THIS LUMBER AND THEY GAVE ME ALL OF THIS MATERIAL AND IT WAS DRYING IN THEIR GARAGE FOR YEARS, AND I WAS ABLE TO MILL IT AND BUILD THEIR DINING ROOM TABLE AND BENCH.

FOR ME, THAT WAS MAGICAL.

I MEAN, FOR THEM TO BE ABLE TO TAKE SOMETHING THAT THEY LOVED SO MUCH THAT WAS A PHYSICAL PRESENCE TO THEN TURNING IT INTO SOMETHING THAT THEY AS A FAMILY COULD SIT AROUND FOR GENERATIONS AND TALK ABOUT THE TREE THAT USED TO BE OUT FRONT.

BELIEVE IT OR NOT, EACH PIECE OF WOOD HAS A DISTINCT SMELL TO IT.

YOU WILL CUT INTO A PIECE OF RED OAK, AND YOU WILL KNOW IT IS RED OAK.

FOR ME, I DON'T LIKE THE SMELL OF RED OAK, AND IT IS MY LEAST FAVORITE.

BUT IF YOU ARE CUTTING INTO A PIECE OF WALNUT, CHEF'S KISS.

IT IS AMAZING HOW ALL OF THE SENSES COME INTO PLAY -- SIGHT, SOUND, SMELL -- EVERYTHING.

WHEN YOU ARE IDENTIFYING LUMBER, AND THIS IS TO ME WHAT IS SO AMAZING TO BE BY THE END OF IT TO BE ABLE TO JOINT INTO A PIECE OF BOARD AND TURN IT OVER AND BE LIKE, YEP, THAT IS BEECH.

THERE IS BEAUTY IN EVERY SINGLE PIECE, AND SO TO MAKE THAT INTO SOMETHING THAT YOU ARE GOING TO SIT AT AND EAT AND HAVE A COMMUNITY TABLE AND JUST ENJOY IT.

EVERYTHING THAT GOES INTO BUILDING A CABINET OR A TABLE OR A SHELF, I'M TOUCHING EVERY PIECE OF THAT.

I'M HANDLING IT ALL DAY AND EVERY DAY.

I'M SANDING IT AND FINISHING IT.

SO TO SEE WHERE IT STARTS, AND MAYBE IT IS A BIG SHEET OF PLYWOOD, AND YOU ARE TAKING THAT AND THEN LOOKING AT THE WOOD AND THINKING, OKAY, WHAT DOOR DO I WANT TO LAY OUT IN THIS PIECE.

OR IF I AM BUILDING SOMETHING FROM SCRATCH, AND MILLING IT UP, WHAT PIECE DO I WANT WHERE AND HOW IS THAT MESH HOLE GOING TO LOOK OR THE LAYOUT GOING TO LOOK AFTER THIS?

IT IS PRETTY INSANE TO JUST HAVE THAT ABILITY TO CREATE SOMETHING WITH YOUR HANDS.