We were lucky to catch up with Julie Jackson recently and have shared our conversation below.

Julie, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

Growing up, I always wanted to be an artist but I had trouble conceptualizing that into a professional path. I started college with a major in general art and ended up switching to what I thought would be a more practical major in Environmental Science. I quickly realized that although I was passionate about the environment, I wanted to work with my hands, to create. In 2014 I got the opportunity to apprentice with an LA woodworker who specialized in building furniture out of reclaimed wood. While honing my skills I was introduced to the lathe by another woodworker in the community and found the art form I didn’t know I was searching for.

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

My woodworking journey began with a yearlong apprenticeship with a furniture maker in Los Angeles. Upon completing my apprenticeship, I took the skills I learned, bought some basic woodworking machinery, and started a small shop in my garage. During this time, I waited tables, did a lot of art fairs, took on custom projects, and joined my local American Association of Woodturners club where I learned so much about wood turning. My skills and client base grew gradually until, at the start of 2020, I was able to quit my other jobs to pursue woodworking full-time. My products include table lamps and bud vases that I sell online as well as a furniture collection. Since most of my work is on a lathe, I am drawn to round, sculptural forms. Our design aesthetic is simple and refined, drawing on a diverse set of influences from past and current furniture designers as well as the beauty of structures and processes within our natural environment. From the very beginning sustainability was central to my business and the products I created. Growing up in West Michigan, I saw first hand the devastating effects the lumber industry has had historically on our landscape. For example the beloved dunes near Saugatuck, MI once sustained a dense forest teeming with diverse life until overharvesting by the logging industry at the turn of the century led to rapid deforestation, devastating wildfires, and the subsequent erosion and shifting of the unprotected dunes. While the lumber industry has come a long way since then in adopting a more sustainable relationship to our natural resources I am still wary and produce my products with only wood from alternative sources such as wood reclaimed from building deconstruction or urban wood recycling operations such as Street Tree Revival in Anaheim, CA, a lumber mill that turns downed trees from around Southern California into beautiful, high quality lumber. Using sustainable lumber has other unique benefits as well, opening us up to a wider range of lumber species than what is available through traditional lumber yards.
Being that a large portion of my business is conducted through ecommerce, shipping is something we do a lot and I wanted to ensure we were using packaging that aligned with our sustainability goals. As such the packaging we use is made from 100% recycled materials and is fully compostable.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

In 2019, I had a traumatic woodworking accident involving one of my machines that resulted in me losing the tips of my index finger and middle finger on my right hand. Nothing I have ever experienced has been more painful and I will never forget the sight of my injured fingers. I had reconstructive surgery, and long months of healing and recovery from the physical injury as well as the effects the accident had on my mental health. I learned a lot from the accident about pacing myself and prioritizing safety in the wood shop. Thankfully, though a little shorter, my fingers function mostly just as they did and I feel at home in the woodshop again.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

I find a lot of joy in seeing my pieces become a part of my client’s environments. I enjoy the design process, the problem-solving, and the physicality of working with wood, but it doesn’t quite feel complete until the object is in context in its final home, being enjoyed and utilized.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.surclewood.com
• Instagram: @surclewood
• Other: https://surclewood.etsy.com/listing/1138625545/moonwake-lamp-walnut-table-lamp-globe

Image Credits
Anna Powell Denton, Meg Aghamyan, Ryan Haack, and Aaron Shintaku