At the beginning of my professional career, I was a catalog art director before starting an in-house commercial photo studio. I was directing a photo shoot that we couldn’t use models for, as it was a testimonial shoot featuring one of our business clients. If you've ever tried to get a good photograph of a group of family members that looks great (everyone's eyes open, smiling, etc.) you know it's not the easiest thing to accomplish.
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Before the photo shoot started, Michelle, our hair and makeup artist was doing her magic on our soon-to-be "models". Most of the group was enjoying the special treatment, but there was an older gentleman that was making quite a scene as he didn't want his face powdered. I told him it wouldn't look like makeup it would just cut down the shine from his skin, and that we would remove it as soon as we were done. I had Michelle put it on me to show him it would look natural only better. He reluctantly agreed... then as Michelle was doing her magic, he grumbled... "you know this isn't going to help... you can't make chicken soup out of chicken 💩". 20+ years later I still laugh about it... He wasn't wrong 😂
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My point? Gordon Ramsay (a well-known Michelin star chef) wouldn't attempt to prepare a meal with inferior ingredients. He would insist on the best foods he could find.
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Michelangelo wouldn’t settle for just any piece of stone to carve his masterpiece; he would demand the best marble available.
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Rembrandt wouldn’t settle for cheap, inferior paint for his masterpieces, he’d demand the best pigments mixed with the best oils available.
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That's why I source the best ingredients (logs) so I’m able, to produce my work. I'm blessed to live in the middle of the Allegheny national forest. Some of the best hardwoods available on the planet are grown in that forest and surrounding areas. I can source these amazing renewable materials within 30 miles of my workshop. Yes... that does mean that trees do get cut down occasionally (I do salvage quality, storm-damaged trees as material when that is an option). Yes, I know… there’s the fear of deforesting and or harming the planet, but in this case, it's simply not true… more on that subject in tomorrow's post.
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The result is a superior product made with the best ingredients/materials possible.
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A product that's crafted by an expert craftsman to the highest standards.
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A product that’s made to hold up to daily use by you and your family.
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A product that’s designed to not go out of style and be pushed aside for the latest look.
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A product made to share countless meals through your life with your family, friends, and loved ones, then to be handed down to the next generation so they can continue that tradition.
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If you ever need help finding the right pieces for your home, for your family to enjoy and celebrate the time you have together for generations. I’m always here to help
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