Today we’d like to introduce you to Dakota Meeks.

Hi Dakota, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My 20+ year professional career was rooted in Industrial-Organizational Psychology. After two decades in Operations and Human Resources – primarily at an innovative, forward-leaning, local non-profit – I was ready for a change in lifestyle. This longing to pivot in my early 40’s was born out of a deep knowing; an inherent resolve of self-sufficiency mixed with a craving to step into my own purpose.

During this mid-life transition, my husband taught me to weld – and a whole new world of artistic possibilities opened in front of me. So, I traded in my laptop for a welding helmet and over the last seven years, my creative exploration has expanded into handcrafting custom furniture and statement pieces for the home.

This has been a fascinating self-taught journey, not only as a woman in a male-dominated industry, but more importantly as a beginner among master craftsmen. I am fortunate to be surrounded by incredibly talented local design-build shops with teams that specialize in wood and metal. And, I am grateful to the many craftsmen and industry experts that have graciously shared their knowledge and patiently answered my unending questions.

No matter where we are in life, I have a core belief that we can problem-solve our way to our next right answer. On my artisan journey, this exploration process has unfolded through the physical transformation of raw materials into functional art. But on an even deeper level, I have felt so honored to be able to weave the symbolism of my clients’ intricate stories into custom creations for their personal spaces.

The creative journey is a personal one – intimate, reflective, and deeply meaningful. Inevitably, we all discover new aspects about ourselves. While this creative quest calls for trust and intention, it asks the same of us all – “Are we willing to expose our vulnerabilities to unearth our next layer of strengths?”

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
As with anything worth pursuing, there are always challenges – otherwise, we’re likely not striving to reach our highest potential. While learning the woodworking and metal fabrication trades without formal education and simultaneously juggling the competing priorities of a solopreneur, I’ve found it can be enticing to get caught up in the contortions of the Imposter Syndrome mindset. Yet when we allow ourselves to succumb to the undermining self-doubt of “Who do you think you are to try this new venture?”, we can ironically stay in the safety of confusion and not push beyond our own comfort zones.

Thus, along this creative journey, my biggest challenge has been to diligently peel back the layers of my own mindset. Whether this has manifested through a daily practice of identifying my fears then mustering the courage to face them, or catching myself in scarcity thinking and purposefully transforming that perspective to one of abundance, my overarching goal has been to actively notice when I’m stuck and take action to move forward, even if movement is merely in baby steps.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
As the sole artisan and owner of Core Elements Studio, I combine woodworking and metal fabrication to handcraft custom furniture and statement pieces for the home. I start with reclaimed wood, then incorporate modern metal design and epoxy resin for an artistic twist. My vision is to find unique, yet functional solutions for the difficult areas in our homes – innovative pieces that offer artistic flow, functional purpose, and modern simplicity.

My work is inspired by nature’s core elements – earth, fire, water, wood, metal & air – the literal bedrock our natural world as well as a framework for the intangible flow of energy. And, when we tune in and really listen – these core elements can also help us understand our own physiology and persona at a deeper level in our efforts to wisely navigate our way along life’s journey.

As I’ve been studying the design-build trades over the last several years in an effort to discover my unique voice as an artisan, I’ve been grappling with a fascinating discovery. Understandably, efficiency and productivity are key cornerstones of the manufacturing industry. As such, most successful custom fabrication shops wisely identify their anchor products from which they can produce unique yet repeatable designs, offering customization through an array of variations, and focus on scaling their operations through assembling teams of master craftsmen. As a systems-thinker and operations professional, I strongly believe that these principles are instrumental in running a successful business.

And yet, I have found a beautiful realm when exploring the inefficient yet multifaceted creative journey of storied wood, fascinating people, and the building of functional art.

My creative process starts with intricately storied reclaimed wood. I gravitate toward slabs that are often buried deep at the bottom of the pile. These pieces are typically overlooked by other makers because they can be so labor-intensive to stabilize and preserve. Their forms are twisted and gnarled – boasting scars, cracks, tunnels, and voids from years of exposure by natural elements and prior craftsmanship.

Like our own bodies as we age, reclaimed wood can display complex signs of invasion followed by periods of self-repair – holes burrowed in, knots and burls amassed, “stretch marks” rippling through its grain, and warped shapes formed from years of leaning against the pressure. All of this whispers an elaborate journey of a layered history, beautiful in its depth and story. I can simply get lost in the process of imagining the lived experience of this particular tree – initially sprouting from a seedling, through its decades of navigating exposure and adversity in our natural environment, to its transformation into a solid beam at the apex of a barn that stood braced for the past century against the elements of the wind-swept Plains.

And that’s just the first step in the creative journey. The next crucial element is meeting fascinating people with their own storied histories along life’s journey. Just as I gravitate toward the twisted and skewed piece of wood in the pile, I can also get lost reveling in the stories of so many intriguing people as they share their explorations, hardships, ventures, loves, successes, and tragedies. While we all may stand a little crooked in posture from our years of bracing against the elements, we also carry with us our own wise narratives found through our strength, endurance, resilience, experience and story.

And thus, the pinnacle of my creative journey emerges when I can create an intentional bridge of storied histories connecting nature’s core elements and beautiful souls. A powerful alchemy occurs when I can weave the client’s unique story into my creative process and leave behind a statement piece that is deeply symbolic of them. The piece serves as a touchpoint and daily reminder of their own journey, as they continue strive to do big things in the world.

I often describe myself as a metal fabricator and woodworker that gives people a creative voice in their personal spaces by solving spatial challenges through functional art. I create for people who have a yearning – they care about their space and want something different but don’t quite know what. They are looking for a partner to design a solution and bring forth that missing piece. Those who gravitate toward my designs also typically align with Montana’s culture and priorities of rugged individualism and resourcefulness, connection to story and place, respect for the natural environment, and a desire for sustainable living.

In comparison to master craftsman in this industry that have decades of training and experience, I am just getting started. But, I can’t think of a more intriguing, challenging, yet rewarding path to be exploring. I am so grateful.

If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
I believe the most important aspect of my artisan journey is the combination of my creative perspective, empathetic nature, and discipline approach. While each trait is a blessing in-and-of itself, I find true momentum toward success at the intersection of all three.

When creating a custom piece, my initial inclination is to take the time to get it right – to allow ample time and space to notice the nuances, accentuate the details, and to authentically reflect the intricate story of the client.

In this phase of imagination, I refrain from thinking that there is only one right way to proceed. I try to stay as open as possible and to challenge myself to think beyond the obvious and efficient answer. To continually ask, “What if?” on behalf of the creative idea, the client’s journey, and the physical space in which the piece will eventually reside.

Then, the intricate dance begins. In this phase, I’m able to give both structure and meaning to the concept. It’s not only meticulous movement between the wood, metal and epoxy resin, but it’s also a flow between the wishes, ideas and hopes of the client.

This takes contradictory skills – discipline and openness, exploration and structure, fluidity and form. The key is to balance the consistent strength found in both: steady, forward action + mindful expression. I’m grateful for the cognitive dissonance this offers as it challenges both my left- and right-brain thinking, my personal way of being, and what I creatively offer to the world.

Change is scary, yet it can also propel us forward. This is what the creative journey offers up in invitation. We must have the courage to probe the depths of the unknown, the willingness to try, and the belief that something beautiful will emerge. Oftentimes, the end result is so much greater than our initial expectations. I love that moment of discovery.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.coreelementsstudio.com/
• Instagram: @coreelementsstudio.mt

Image Credits
Studio Photos by Kelsey Frey of Kelsey Frey Creative https://kelseyfreycreative.com @kelseyfreycreative Workpiece Photos by Core Elements Studio