Hey Maker! 

My friend, Beth Ireland shows us what it means to be a resilient maker. On this week’s episode we hear about some cautious tales from Beth. One of her stories results in the loss of a critical sense due to her years in woodworking. Can you guess which sense she lost access to? 

Beth is a woodturner/sculptor. She graduated from the State University College of Buffalo and after graduation began working jobs illustrating in Boston. In order to find a job that fit into her diverse schedule, she ventured into becoming a carpenter. Now, most of her profession revolves around woodturning and sculpting. 

 She tells incredulous stories about her early years as a carpenter when she broke her back and how in 1996 she was developing a body of work for 2 years that would ultimately result in her loss of smell senses. Beth was working with a dangerous product that unbeknownst to her would alter her life forever. We can all agree that your sense of...

Hey Maker! 

Let’s get real. As artists we can tend to let our love for creating take over and thus results in our bodies being neglected. Typically, we think about this neglect in terms of our bodies anatomical structure: aches, pains and strains. But, have you ever considered neurological and nervous system affects? 

Abby Mechanic thankfully reached out about collaborating with Wellness for Makers in order to share her personal story. We met over smoothies to talk about how wood making has shaped her life. She began wood-making as a freshman in High School and went on to receive her BFA from the Maine College of Art with a concentration in Woodworking and Furniture Design. She now acts as the Manager of the Making Center at Parsons School of Design. In this role, she works closely with leadership to implement administrative support to align the Making Center objectives across all shops, labs and facilities. Outside of Parsons, Abby currently leads spoon carving...