We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Codi Anderson. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Codi below.

Codi, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

I received a starting leather work kit for Christmas of 2020 and from there I jumped full into learning everything I could about leather working. I had always had an interest in it, I just didn’t know where to start. So receiving the kit gave me the push I needed to get started. I starting watching Youtube videos from other leather workers and would then try things on my own. If I could do it over I think it would have helped me to apprentice under another leather worker that had been doing it a lot longer. I think it would have helped me with a good base line to start. There has been a lot of trial and error on my part because of being self taught.

Codi, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Codi Anderson I am a 27 year old Utah native. I grew up with a love of all things animals. I loved being able to help my family out with ranch work and even dabbled in barrel racing for a very short period of time. I have always had an interest in leather working as I feel it goes hand in hand with horse riding and ranching. I received a starting leather working kit for Christmas in 2020 from my In-laws. And with the help of my amazing husband I got started in learning the craft. It started out with a riffle sling that my husband wanted. We used an old one his father had to make a pattern for a new one, after the first riffle sling was completed I felt my first rush of excitement from creating something, from then on I was completely hooked. The next big project I got challenged with was when a friend of mine asked if I could make a saddle cup holder. It is essentially a drink holder that you can attach to a saddle horn on a western style saddle. My husband and I created the pattern for this with trial and error. We had a few different proto types until we got to the finished project. My favorite part of any project is when it is all finished and I get to see my visions come to life. I spend a lot of time daily just fantasying over future projects. It is also the best feeling when clients come to me with their own vision of something and I am able to create it for them.

It has been so much fun being able to look back over this year and a half and see how far I have come, if you would have asked me back when I first started if I thought I would be able to create the things I am creating now I would have laughed. It is amazing what you can accomplish with determination and a love to create.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

I can’t speak for all creative people, but from my experience people who do not create sometime don’t understand the constant struggle going on inside our heads in the middle of a project. I have internal battles during the drawing/ creating process all the way up until it is finished. I have always struggled with second guessing myself and it is even worse when it comes to leather working. I do not know if this is necessarily a struggle, but when I am in the middle of a project, the project is the only thing I can think about. I feel a lot of anxiety if I am not working on that project. I always worry that if I am not physically working on it I am going to forget everything I had planned for the project. It makes it very hard to focus on other things going on in my life. In additional to being a leather worker I am a mom and I work part time. It is very hard not being able to give my project my full attention all the time.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

For me the most rewarding aspect of doing leather work is the completed projects. If I am ever feeling down or depressed I will look back at all of my old projects and it feels me with so much joy and feeling accomplished. It is so exciting when I am able to see the faces of the people I made something for, when they get their first look at what I made for them. It is really what keeps me going and learning more.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/caleatherwork/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CALeatherWorking/
• Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@caleatherwork?lang=en
  Email: [email protected]