Tinker, Maker, Inventor Guy
Born with DIY DNA, my adolescence reads like a “How To Never Get Asked to Prom” instruction manual, with chapters in sewing, knitting, model making, and balsa wood constructing… look out ladies. Legos were the next gateway, but I wasn’t just a kid following instructions. I was building a Lego Survival Pod to safely drop an egg from 50 feet. At age twelve I was already giving myself restrictions, giving myself a problem to solve. By fourteen I was building plywood aircraft carriers with zipline planes, engineering Rube Goldberg contraptions, and deconstructing the living room VCR.
The brightest parachute pants are not gonna solve the problem
As my teens came to a close the adult question of “what to do next” was unavoidable. I applied to study architecture, but was wait-listed. I decided to bide my time in the school of visual arts...and never looked back. I studied to be a painter, but the label felt arbitrary. Whether on a page, a wall, the floor, or stage—or with paint, or tar, or wood and scraps—I constructed tangible things to express an idea. I became an artist, and then a teacher, fabricator, business owner, designer, and leader.
Besides being a husband and a father, I’m still that same inventor energized by limitations and celebrating the beauty in functional things. My approach remains the same: one eye on the minutiae, the other on the big picture. Grounded in exacting efficiency, while challenging convention and taking risks, I have built for fun, for money, for friends and for celebrities. I've taken months to produce one product, and days to produce hundreds. I have staged in front of thousands and performed for just my daughter. I am not discriminating—every project has a challenge worth solving, whether in scale, material, function, or budget.
Trace the ripples back to the initial idea
My diverse career path has provided myriad vocabularies and experiences, allowing me both comfort and confidence in multiple environments. My years as an artist and professor cemented my perceptive faculties, teaching me to instantly read an audience and communicate effectively in a classroom, boardroom, or museum. My fifteen years as founder and CEO of The Proper Carpenter required both manufacturing and business expertise. From closing deals with the decision makers to rolling up my sleeves with the product makers, my success navigating disparate vocations and finding a common language between them remains one of my greatest strengths. My most recent position as Creative Director required leading a large creative team responsible for producing thousands of products yearly. Invoking collaboration, accountability, and deference, I empowered my team by working for them...getting my hands equally dirty and listening for their cues.