We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Erich Riedl a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Erich thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?
I had lost a job as a server at a restaurant in my early twenties and had already started creating upcycled light fixtures. The very next day I started building out some furniture pieces out of reclaimed wood and architectural salvage I had saved. I loaded up my red 1955 F150 a week later with all my goods and was an able to offer them to a new cool furniture boutique in Laguna Beach. They bought it all and sold it to their customers within a few weeks. At that moment I knew this was the lane I was meant to be in. Build all day and jam music all night!
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
After my natural curiosity got me into creating one of a kind pieces of furniture and lighting elements, I started working in a cabinet shop to learn more. This was right around age 26 and was looking to make more money. I was just married and my wife Amy was expecting our first son Auguste. It was just a few months before I took what I learned from the cabinet shop and went back out on my own doing larger woodworking projects. Before too long clients were requesting building projects from me – so I opened up my own cabinet shop and obtained my California State Contractor’s License at age 29. By then customers came to know me and my business Dig My Designs as a source for rustic interior elements and the ability to build out homes in reclaimed materials from Italy and elsewhere.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
In 2008 the sky was falling and the construction industry was about to fall into the Great Deep Recession. At first clients started asking for work deposits back which quickly turned into full job cancellations. Within a few months banks were closing and new construction leads vanished. Having started my business less than 8 years prior – I had not known another economy other than the booming one I was thriving in. I was not prepared for the downturn and was over leveraged as most small business owners are. By October 2008 I cried Uncle and we decided to sell our dream home and move to Santa Barbara from San Juan Capistrano.. Our home sold immediately with the contingency that we had to be out in 2 weeks – quite the operation with 2 young kids and a houseful of antiques – but we pulled it off and now 17 years later still live here. I rented a new space and started a music rehearsal studio business which in turn introduced me to new people that had woodworking projects. Before too long (1 year or so) construction was back and I was busy playing music and building full time once again. Although I didn’t have a solid plan upon arriving in Santa Barbara – I had a personal mantra to build a more sustainable AND creative life here – how you spend your days is how you spend your life!
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
The most rewarding part is the lifestyle and feeling of accomplishment no matter how small the milestone. The feeling of creating something out of thin air with only your thoughts and skills guiding you is extremely for me is extremely addicting. It’s what has kept me self employed still at 52 years old and counting!
Contact Info:
- Website: [email protected]
- Instagram: digmydesigns
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6MnYbkeguIo8X4jrEPDPpo?si=2vI0jSzLSba0dviUGe4fIQ
