We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Justin Hossle a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Justin, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. 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 fell into woodworking by chance, and learned my techniques and methods mostly through trial and error. I certainly utilized books and online tutorials from time to time, but much of what I learned was from experimentation. The most fun that I have in my studio is when I get to play and try new things, so early on it was almost constant discovery for me. I’ve use some techniques that are tried-and-true woodworking skills, but other ways that I build are likely not used by many makers and are specific to what I do.

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?

I’m Justin Hossle, owner, craftsperson and founder of Hossle Woodworks. I specialize in making mid-century modern furniture, including case goods, tables and other items, using veneered Baltic birch. My pieces have a distinctly MCM feel, but also aren’t so easily categorized. They have elements of Brutalism, Scandinavian design, and Minimalist design. In addition to the furniture pieces, I create a selection of decor and home items as well. My signature design is to highlight the striped edges of Baltic birch (showing the individual layers of the ply) or to create my own sheets of material where only the striped layers show. I call this “Edge Grain Baltic Birch”.

I found woodworking by accident, after some experimentation with a small table saw we had purchased for a few DIY projects around our house. When I created my first piece of furniture, I fell in love with the process and the sense of satisfaction upon seeing my ideas and creativity realized.

My company is a one-person operation, so clients who purchase from either my signature collection or custom work get to interact with me from the initial consultation all the way to the delivery of the piece. Each piece is hand-crafted specifically for my client – I don’t pull from a stock of end tables when someone orders one. The client gets the satisfaction of knowing that their piece of furniture was made just for them.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

In today’s culture of immediate gratification and foreign made products, it’s easy to think that everything should be cheap and arrive overnight. It’s important to remember that there’s extraordinary value to be found in patience and premium priced goods. My products may take weeks to arrive, but the customer will have the satisfaction of knowing that they’re receiving a high-quality item, made specifically for them, that will last for generations.

The best way for society to support artists is to shop small and consider paying a little more for an item that will last a lifetime.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

Pricing is very difficult as a creative. Putting a value on your own work is hard to do, plus there are a plethora of hidden costs that have to be considered. For example, there’s a certain item I make that runs for around $850. A customer might look at this and think that it’s incredibly overpriced. But the reality is that the take-home for it is much lower. This item has material costs of $300 and costs $250 to ship. While the product can be built in half a day, when you consider the overhead of the business (rent, tools, etc, there’s very little profit in it for me, as the artist. Sure, sometimes it doesn’t have to be shipped, but most people expect shipping to be built into the cost.

In addition, to be able to sell this item at retail locations or to interior designers, I have to account for special pricing (retail expects a 50% discount when it’s sold to them for resale, and designers expect 25%-40% off). So going back to the original number, when materials are factored in, the profit is even lower.

What I hope to convey here is that the price you see on an item isn’t the profit I make. The price has to cover many costs associated with making the item, and as the artist, I take home a very small share of it.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.hosslewoodworks.com
• Instagram: @hosslewoodworks
• Facebook: @hosslewoodworks

Image Credits
Ryan Dyer Photography