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

Isela, appreciate you joining us today. Do you have any thoughts about how to create a more inclusive workplace?

Being a women in a male dominated field has its challenges and every day is a new opportunity for someone to say women don’t belong in woodworking. With my social media platforms I want to teach and show others that woodworking is for everyone.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

Hello my name is Isela Torres A scroll saw artist located in San Antonio Texas.
Up until last year I wouldn’t even dare touch a power tool because well quite frankly they highly intimidated me. I have however always been a crafter. I dabbled in many forms of crafts from baking to t-shirt making yet nothing seemed to actually touch my heart. I was wanting a more hands on activity where I can truly say I made this! I purchased a scroll saw late 2020 yet couldn’t bare to actually try it out. It took months before I actually managed up my courage to turn it on and actually cut something on it but boy am I glad I did. Fast forwarding to early 2021 I was working my full time job and coming home to work some more. Soon I was able to take my side hustle and turn it into a full time job.
Through the year of much learning and practice I am able to create one of a kind pieces for your home. Each piece of work takes between one to three weeks to complete. The process to create these pieces involves a lot of time and patience. I hand-cut each individual piece on a scroll saw once every piece is cut I then sand and shape each individual piece. I can then prime and seal it once it’s dry then I will sand one last time before I can finally paint it. I strive to achieve a flawless finish to give you an exquisite art piece that will proudly be displayed in your home or office.

We’d love to hear the story of how you turned a side-hustle into a something much bigger.

Ever since I can remember I’ve always been a crafter at heart. Back in 2017 I was a full time pre-k teacher one day after work I bought my first silhouette machine. That silhouette machine sat in its box for almost a whole year before I managed up the courage to open it up and make my first cut. I would sell different things during the holidays to justify all the money I spent on a room full of craft supplies. I liked my silhouette machine and all but I felt something was missing. I wanted a more hands on craft so I started painting on wood signs that my dad would cut for me. I remember the first time I turned on a table saw I actually jumped back because of how loud it was. Fast forward to 2020 I saw someone on Facebook selling something called a scroll saw and being the little nosey person I am I googled what a scroll saw was and thought oh my gosh I can totally use that to create 3D words for my signs. I messaged the guy and upon pick up he asked if I was buying the scroll saw for a lucky guy I said no it’s for me and he chuckled and said good luck. I took it home and let it sit in the garage for a while before I even touched it because I was scared to cut my fingers off. With all the time we got to spend at home with the pandemic and all I was able to make my first cut around February of 2021. I remember putting my first cut on Facebook and someone messaging me to make them a wedding sign and I panicked because it was the first time I was taking money for something I had just learned to do. You know the saying fake it till you make it…. Well I messaged the lady back and told her how much I was willing to do it for and the turn around time she agreed and I sold my first sign. After that the rest is history every time I get a new order it’s a new learning experience as well as a new challenge since no two signs are ever the same. A year later the same lady that ordered the wedding sign now bought a sign for her babies nursery. I love the fact that people like my work and want to come back to me for their future projects as well. It makes you feel some type of way knowing that people trust you enough to have you create something for their life events. Thought the year I was basically working two full jobs. I would work in the morning as a pre-k teacher and right after work I would go home to work some more. Soon I was having to turn people away because I couldn’t keep up with my orders. I realized that I loved woodworking more than I did teaching. After the school year needed I decided to try to do this full time and so far I am loving it.

Do you sell on your site, or do you use a platform like Amazon, Etsy, Cratejoy, etc?

At the moment I am using Shopify along with social media such as Instagram and Facebook to sell. I personally prefer to use Instagram and Facebook because I can actually talk to my clients and go back and forth to ensure they will be getting a piece they like. I use Shopify mostly for checkout.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.Torresitacreations.com
• Instagram: @torresitacreations
• Facebook: Torresitacreations
• Other: Tiktok @torresitacreations