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

Rudy, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

I’ve learned how to make furniture and fabricate objects from my excellent design professors at Minneapolis College of Art & Designs, the connections I’ve made in Minneapolis whilst making furniture here and my experience working as a fabricator at Street Factory Media, A marketing company specialize in experiential and non traditional marketing. When designing and making a project, I consult with designers, furniture makers and architects to get wide range of advice on how to design/construct an object. This not only strengthens my projects but grows my network.

What I could have done to speed up my learning was to start working as a fabricator earlier in my school career. Working at Street Factory Media I learned dozens of new tools, processes and materials. It also boosted my confidence exponentially. So I think getting my teeth cut in the industry earlier could have helped me. Working at Street Factory Media also grew my network as it attracts many cool and talented people.

I don’t think one specific skill was most essential to my learning and boosted confidence, but rather the diverse range of projects I worked on during my time at Street Factory Media. Exposure to countless new materials, processes and tools provided an invaluable learning experience.

I do have to mention the internet. There are so many places on the internet where people share their successful and unsuccessful projects. I can learn a lot from both. I learn the most from my and others mistakes. When people share their mistakes, everyone learns.

Rudy, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Rudy Sullivan, I am a senior Furniture Design major at Minneapolis College of Art & Design. From a young age I was always interested in how things were constructed and the complex process it required to make such thing. As a kid I was obsessed with Lego, I enjoyed toys that weren’t just ready to use out of the box. I think that’s why I enjoyed Lego so much because you buy Lego to build it. As long as I can remember I have always appreciated architecture, design and art.

After finishing a not so satisfactory year at Marist College studying Business Administration. I read the description of the furniture design major at MCAD which reads “From in-class collaborations and critiques to real-world work experiences, MCAD furniture design majors spend days welding, sandblasting, drilling, sewing, and more.” after reading this I was hooked and sent in my application in less than a week.

I would say my favorite medium is wood but I don’t limit myself to just that. In the last three years I have widened my practice to include metalworking, textiles and digital fabrication. I try to never stay comfortable or complacent in my work as trying new things pushes my capabilities and overall quality of design. I wish to be a master in as many materials and processes as I can. The main product I make is furniture, lighting and accessories. The business name I use is RudySullivanStudio, which is the name of my Instagram page.

One of my goals for clients is to lift their space with a well made, intentionally designed object that not only aesthetically adds to their home but also meets a functional need. I like to think that my attention to detail and care for my clients sets me apart from others in my field. I work 1 on 1 with all of my clients and in person when I can do so.

One of my works that I am most proud of is a chair I made in Copenhagen this past summer which was apart of a study abroad furniture course. This chair is a flatpack product made from German Ash. This product describes my style and shows my attention to detail very well. It is one of best pieces of furniture I have produced. It is not perfect that is why I am considering ideating on it for my senior thesis. I want each piece I make to be better than the last. I use whatever resources, tools and processes to produce the best product possible.

Right now my main project is a plywood furniture startup. I am working with my new business partner Taylor Graupmann. It will be called Tenant Furniture. The focus is flatpack furniture that is heavily relied on user feedback. We hope to launch our first products in November, stay tuned! instagram @TenantFurniture.co

Have you ever had to pivot?

For my freshman and sophomore years, I got away with poor sketches and mostly orally describing my ideas. As my professors told me, in the real world, clients and my future bosses need high quality and legible sketches so they can understand what I am imagining without any confusion. So at the end of my sophomore year I accepted that I would never be an excellent drawer, as I have always appreciated new tools, I decided that I would learn how to 3D model. I started in Trimble’s Sketch up but quickly outgrew its capabilities. I then transitioned to Autodesk’s Fusion 360, It is free for students and personal use and seemed like the best next tool to learn. With Fusion 360 I can create quick three dimensional sketches that illustrate my idea for each project. I make quick sketches/forms and then model it to exact spec and dimensions and use it as a building tool to organize my projects. I can sometimes see issues in my design before I start fabricating which saves me time and stress. This goal to learn CAD has bettered my practice infinitely. In the next year I hope to learn Autodesk’s Autocad too.

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

While in elementary and middle school I was very hesitant to ask for help. I thought it was weak to ask for help and that smart people figured out everything for themselves. As I entered high-school, I learned that no person makes something their own. The best creatives, makers and designers consult with others to expand their knowledge. I would be greatly limiting myself if I never asked for help or consulted with others who know more than me. I understand that I do not know everything and I will be learning in this industry forever. That is something I like about making objects, I will never stop learning.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://rudysullivanportfolio.carbonmade.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rudysullivanstudio/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rudy-sullivan-2b784118b/
• Other: Email: [email protected]

Image Credits

Claire McKevitt