We recently connected with Kayden Fitzgerald and have shared our conversation below.

Kayden, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

That’s a tough one because I wouldn’t describe myself as risk-averse by any means. I graduated high school at 17. I had already declared my major at the college I was going to attend the following year prior to graduating, and I’d say the first risk I took in the direction my life was heading was shifting my trajectory and enlisting in the military a few months before graduation. And honestly, each decision I’ve made in my journey was a risk. I changed my mind about college, enlisted, stepped away from, and rejoined the field I got a degree in a handful of times, I came out as a trans man about 7 years ago and try to live my life as authentically as I can, I’ve explored a variety of jobs and industries, and I have been pursuing working for myself full-time with a long-term goal to work with folks in my community and provide access to woodworking to communities who are typically outliers in the trades. Each risk came with a reward in some sense, whether it be affirmation that I’m on the right path, or confirmation that a shift was something I needed to make. And all of those risks got me to where I am at now, and I’m grateful for that.

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

I touched on some of it already but basically, I graduated from a small rural school with a class of 65, went off to the military and college, drove some semi-trucks, designed a lot of things and won some awards, jumped into a handful of jobs in the trade, and now I work part-time at a local library and spend the rest of my time woodworking and freelancing. The question that helped me realize I needed to make a shift to the journey I am on now was at my first design job. We were doing some sort of coworker icebreaker and were asked if there was something we’d always wanted to learn or do. My response was woodworking. At that point, I knew I was very fulfilled by working with my hands so I looked for a position where I could explore my other interests.

I started in my cousin’s flooring production shop in Glens Falls, NY, and quickly fell in love with wood and working in a shop environment. I left there to join a construction company near Hudson, NY where I had the opportunity to work in a custom woodshop. I learned the basics of tool safety, milling, wood movement, cabinetry, and basic joinery. I ended up leaving there and jumping back into a graphic design position with a company that manufactured and customized PPE for trade workers. This is where I learned a lot about preparing artwork for production, which was a huge stepping-off point for me with my own work, developing processes and refining them to better apply to the kind of work I do and aim to make. From there, I joined a local wood counter and tabletop production shop, learning how to prep wood for sealing and finishing in a spray booth with an HVLP sprayer. Now I work part time at a local library and work on custom orders and my products when I vend at a variety of local makers/artisan markets.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

I had to unlearn the ideas that my work would never be good enough, and that there would always be something keeping it from being ready to be seen.

Is there room for improvement? Absolutely. But that does not mean the work is not ready to be seen. I have hesitated a lot to put myself and my work out there in the world, and I still find myself doing that, like when I work hard to develop products and then find myself holding back when it comes to intentionally promoting it, listing it, or putting it out into the world.

I constantly am reminding myself that if iPhones need to be reworked, improved, and adjusted from version to version, whose expectation is it that everything I make has to be absolutely perfect from the get-go? I strive to always do my best, take feedback and learn, which I think is a great way to approach anything.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

Bringing my skills and offerings to the table when collaborating with small businesses and people looking for custom services, and making their vision a reality is a huge piece of the puzzle for me. I like to make beautiful things, and if there’s a function behind it, whether it be to make your business brand more recognizable with an eye-catching sign, or make your living space more functional with some custom hardwood furniture or storage solutions. I love working with people and exploring the different ways to achieve their goals and find ways to do it within any budget constraints. It’s a fun and rewarding challenge to be able to work with customers to develop their vision and see their reactions throughout the process, or hear their feedback once they see the completed work. It’s also an absolute blast to work with people who have seen the kind of work I do and trust my vision, giving me partial or full creative freedom.

Whether it be an outdoor sign for a business, a commemorative plaque, an interior decorative sign, a custom piece of hardwood furniture, custom stand-alone cabinetry, or a small order of custom homewares, I work to solve whatever problem the client is facing using design thinking, which is a process I learned in my experiences as a graphic designer. It is about empathizing with the problem the client faces, challenging assumptions, finding solutions, and working through iterations to resolve that problem in the best possible way. This involves a lot of thinking, iterating, and prototyping, all of which I apply to my custom processes and my own product development.

I am grateful for all the things I’ve experienced and overcome in my journey. I apply the skills I’ve gained over my wide range of experiences within customer service, the food industry, the military, and as a designer to my own work and processes. A lot of my personal experiences as both a Veteran and transgender man impact the way I run my business and communicate with my clients as well, with empathy, and clarity, and it is very process driven. I am proud of what I am able to bring to the table for my clients.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.kaydenfitzgerald.com
• Instagram: @_KaydenFitzgerald
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kayden-fitzgerald/

Image Credits
Coffee And sign photo: provided by Ashley and Gordon of Coffee And. All other photos: Kayden Fitzgerald