What would you tell your younger self starting out on your artistic journey?
I've changed careers lots of times, from playing professional rugby to working in recruitment in the UK and Middle East, to then moving to Dubai and setting up my own fitness company, and now I'm working as a sculptor. I feel that I landed on the art thing precisely at the right time and had to learn certain lessons in the other jobs I performed first. My previous careers have shaped my values and philosophies, and I'm not sure if I hadn't had the marketing and sales experience gained from doing other roles that I would have been able to sustain myself financially as a full-time artist. If I were to do it all over again, I'd probably do things very similarly. My advice to other young artists, however, would be to follow your heart, find your niche, and study at least an online course in marketing.
What is your favorite Arbortech tool and why?
My favorite tool from Arbortech is a toss-up between the TURBO Plane and the Contour Sander. The TURBO Plane is the boss for taking out loads of stock quickly but is so versatile. I can smash a hole in a piece of wood with it or use it lightly to create a sanded-looking finish. The contour sander, however, is a really good tool for getting into the nooks and crannies in a piece and always surprises me at just how good a finish it creates. Again, it can be used with a low grit to efficiently sand an area that looks way too big for it to handle but also on a high grit for finer parts of the project.
If you were a type of wood, what would you be and why?
If I were a piece of wood, I'd probably be a Macrocarpa, aka Monterey Cypress. They grow large like me but are fairly soft in the middle (and on the outside after Christmas), ha ha. It's also my favorite to carve and smells amazing.