The Bespoke Craftsman

My Name is Carl Diaz. I was born and raised in San Diego, California. I am a middle school Math teacher by day and a woodworker by... well, whenever, I find the time. When I really think about it, I suppose I always had a passion for wood working. When I was in middle school, I had a wood shop class as an elective. I remember always staying after school to work on this wooden elephant bank- so much that I think my teacher once frustratingly kicked me out because he wanted to go home. Unfortunately, my passion for creating and wood working ended when that semester ended too. I didn't pick up wood working again until my late 20's (close to 15 years later!) when I simply wanted to renovate my bedroom. I created a headboard (picture in my portfolio) that took me almost all summer. I didn't know what I was doing but I courageously dove in. I made a lot of mistakes. Learned a lot from those same mistakes. And created something that I was proud of in the end. The whole creative journey, from start to finish, got me hooked. That headboard then led to a sliding barn door, that led to a geometrical wood art, to corn hole boards, to credenzas, to benches, to coffee tables, to accent walls. Before I knew it, people were asking me to make things for them! I suppose, what I love about wood working are the journeys it takes me on. The customer/audience only sees the end result. To me, when I look at my products I see a journey from beginning to end . I see the hours labored, the frustrating mistakes, the knowledge learned from those mistakes and the victorious moments when things finally come together. Just like the raw materials I started with, when I have completed a project, I too feel transformed and made into something new. That's probably why I usually don't keep the passion projects I create- its not the final destination, its the journey.