We were lucky to catch up with Blake Vaden recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Blake thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?

Being handy and creative has been a part of my life as long as I can remember. Creating has always put me at ease and was more or less encouraged by my family and friends. As I entered the stage of my life that found me looking for jobs, it was only natural that I ended up in the construction world. My first introduction to construction was working for a temporary staffing service in Colorado. Eventually, a man appreciated my work ethic and took me under his wing learning remodel and small amounts of wood work. Over the next many years of working for him and other contractors, I learned more and more and built a collection of tools. This path eventually opened the door for me to build custom furniture for clients.
Now I have a full wood shop and have made pieces for local business, local clients, as well as clients from across the US.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

As a furniture maker, I build mostly high end dining tables, coffee tables, bar tops, built-ins and other custom woodworking needs. Living in Asheville, NC also allows me the opportunity to salvage local trees and turn them in to the rough lumber for my projects. My wood shop is solar powered and uses nontoxic finishes to provide environmentally friendly and quality pieces for my clients. To date, I think I have build over 15 bar tops in Asheville as well as another 10 or so for out of state restaurants and bars. Having a large collection of slabs as well as access to more local lumber gives me the opportunity to tailor each job to the clients artistic vision. Each custom project begins with a design stage including drawings and wood samples. This ensures that the clients and I are on the same page prior to turning on any tools.
One of the more emotional parts of my job is when I finally give the furniture to the client. On one hand, I will miss seeing the piece in my shop and on the other I am thrilled to send it to its new home.

How did you build your audience on social media?

My best advice for building an audience on social media is to do what makes you happy and dont sweat the little stuff. Early on I would spend tons of time editing videos only to have them land flat and me be disappointed. Now I try to get a good shot or two of something I am proud of and if it hits, great; if it doesn’t, I still have the work itself to be happy with.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

As I found success with my business, I did what everyone tells you to do. I grew! I took on more business and more employees. It landed me in my office more than in my shop. Since then I have stepped back and gotten back to my roots. Creating is what I enjoy and thats how I would prefer to spend my time.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.vadencustom.com
• Instagram: @vadencustom
• Facebook: @vadencustom