So this week I’m joined by Jodie who is the owner/designer at Crookedtreestudio where beautiful art pieces are created with scrap pieces of wood. I hope you are as excited about this as I was. Let’s get started.
Hey Jodie, first let me say thank you for your interest in being a part of Savvy Business Saturday. Can u tell us a bit about yourself and your business?
J: Well my name is Jodie, I am a wife to my best friend Lynton who works with me to run this business when he isnt doing his full time job as a firefighter and I am a mom to 2 grown kids as well!(Landon, 22 and Arika, 20) I am a dreamer and a bit of an “ideas person”. I love good music, good food and finding joy in ordinary things. I have always loved hunting for treasures at garage sales and thrift stores. Bringing life back into things that would otherwise be thrown away gives me joy and I found a way to do this with salvaged wood. By creating art, which is what my business Crooked Tree Studio is mostly about I’m giving new life to old wood that would have headed to a burn pile otherwise.
2. How did Crooked Tree Studio get started? Was it always an interest of yours?
J: Thinking about how Crooked Tree Studio started is hard for me to explain when people ask because I never really planned on running a business or making wood art. I have never really been a planner, I really like to take things a day at a time so it all evolved naturally. I believe I was created to make things the way some people are created to write books or be teachers. Looking back on things I can see more clearly how things went, much easier then seeing forward. So instead of telling you what I planned, I will tell you what ended up happening. For as long as I can remember I have loved the thrill of the hunt heading off to garage sales and finding treasures at thrift stores. When I was young I constantly found ways to rearrange my bedroom or make things for whatever space I found myself in whether it was pillows for my bedroom or bunting for my college dorm room I had to be creative. Thinking back to those pillows I made in grade 9 that spelled my name in black and white music note fabric, to the peach and mint water color wallpaper I picked out for my bedroom, I cringe a bit at some of my choices. But I also believe it was all part of the process of realizing what I was designed to do which is create things. I got married when I was 19 to Lynton who was 21, it may seem young but we’ve never really been concerned with societal norms. We didn’t have much money or a life plan for that matter but we made it work by filling our little basement apartment with treasures I found at thrift stores and garage sales. I remember painting a little thrift store wooden couch I had found for 20 bucks a terracotta color and our walls all sage green which oddly enough I’d pick those colors again even all these years later. We had two kids whom we chose to homeschool (best years ever) Homeschooling may not be for everyone but it worked for us. Quick disclaimer and side note my Dad was a public school teacher so before anyone thinks I’m against all other education forms I’m not. Every family is different do what’s best for you and your family. I commend teachers for all their hard work.Anyhow when my kids were grown which happens way to quickly if you ask me, they dont need you as much anymore I found I had all this time on my hands. I continued on thrifting and upcycling things only now had become a “business” as several people has asked me to make furniture or decor for their home. The big turn of events happened when I was making flower boxes for a spring market out of salvaged wood and I had all these pretty scraps of wood needing to be picked up. I set them on the work table and thought to myself these would make really cool abstract art with. I made 2 pieces that day and took them to a market out of curiosity, they sold right away with requests to make more. Six years later I’m still here making art from scraps of wood
3. What does being a small business owner mean to you?
J: Being a small business owner means that my business can grow and change with our lives as needed. My husband is first responder, a fire fighter with the City of Calgary and works shift work. Having my business allows me to set my schedule to accommodate his and allows us time together to decompress after a hard shift. He is a journeyman carpenter and has taught me a lot of things along the way. I truly enjoy the time we spend working together in the shop. This has been a truly great gift for our family.
4. I know you created a line of pieces dedicated to your dog Marbles which were absolutely stunning by the way, but do all your pieces hold meaning to you? What inspires your art and fuels your heart the most?
J: Yes I did create a wood art series called “Memories of Marbles” when my best bud passed away this fall. It was very cathartic and a great way for me to think about how animals impact our lives. It is one of my most favorite collections ever made. Every piece I create I find joy in and a lot of thought goes into each and every piece as I try to puzzle everything together. The outdoors, the colors in nature and obviously the mountains inspire me. I find I am always observing shapes and color in nature and then thinking of ways to translate that into art. I also like to take an idea for example fireworks ( which is a series I am currently building) and make pieces with that thought in mind. Spoiler alert*** I will be releasing that series January 1st, 2021.
5. What is something you know now that you wish to have known when starting out?
J: Lol that I wasn’t created to be a bookkeeper and i should’ve found a good one sooner.
6. What is the worst piece of advice you’ve ever been given regarding business?
J: I don’t know if I have been given bad advice because I love when people share ideas with me but I have heard a lot of people mention to me about five year plans and a lot of business talk that goes over my head. I think it works for a lot of people but I dont think any of that would have worked for me. I see a business plan as stifling creativity and becoming more about a monetary goal than a way of life. I want my business to be my way of life with money being secondary. I also dont know what tomorrow brings let alone five years from now and so far it has worked out for me in my life to surrender my moments and each day to a Creater larger then myself. My business planning is one day at a time. I do believe we were all wired a bit different so that might not make sense to a lot of people, that’s ok. I can appreciate most want to see the whole picture even if they end up having to adjust it along the way.
7. This year has been tough to put it mildly, what do you do to stay positive and do you have any advice for those struggling right now?
J: This year has been a wild ride for sure. And honestly I have had days this year I haven’t wanted to get out of bed but I believe the key to getting up and moving forward on any hard day is thankfulness. In that little moment even if it is for a second when you are being thankful it is impossible to be depressed. So moment by moment looking through a lens of gratefulness instead of focusing on what to be unthankful for has helped me move from a place of dread and depression to hope. Another thing I personally did was remove my personal account from facebook, I needed that break from the fake news and negativity and bad vibes this year has brought for my own mental well being and I can honestly say it has been a relief and freeing. It all is a bit overwhelming and i would rather focus on the things that don’t change like beautiful sunrises, sunsets, the fact the river is still flowing, squirrels are still chirping in the trees, morning coffee is always there etc etc etc. There is always, always something to be thankful for and we get to choose what we focus on.
8. Would u be interested in doing a collaboration?
J: I am a yes girl…. so most often,in the past my answer to collaborations has been yes. But another thing I am learning about collaborations is to consider the motivation behind it. Is it for monetary gain, is it to help someone else grow their business, is it solely for creativity and working with another creative?? Once I figure out all those things then I can be more mindful which ones I choose to do and which I say no to. It also depends what else I have going on and if it would interfere with my families needs at that time.
9. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
J: I have no idea lol hopefully where I am now and enjoying the process of dreaming and creating. I have a whole bunch of dreams and creative ideas, I am excited to see which ones unfold and which doors close as we go. Some of these include: Fixing up an RV we recently purchased for eachother for our 25th wedding anniversary (excited for this process together) Opening an air B&B somewhere ( maybe even our own home) Buying land and building a little cabin on it ( we have built a few homes over the years as that is what Lynton did before firefighting) and we would like to do it again. Continuing to work away at Crooked Tree Studio and maybe even bring on other woodworkers into the process if that happens happens and the right people and place to do so comes along.
10. If there is one thing you would like your customers to know about you what would it be?
J: I would want my customers to know how thankful I am for them, for their nice words when they write to me and tell me ” it is even nicer in person then in the photo” and for enjoying what I make for them. I hope that when they look at our art piece it brings them joy in their day and when they do find themselves at a place where they are having the worst day they would be able to look at their life and know that there were more joyful things than that one bad day, and that my wood art might even be a little speck of that joy. as well.
11. In closing, is there anything you’d like to add?
J: Thank you Sarah for taking the time to ask me these questions and to show interest in me and what I am doing with my time here.
Well that’s a wrap on this weeks Savvy Business Saturday and I just gotta say Jodie I’m 100 percent loving the dreams you have so if you need help I’m there lol. This girl can wield a hammer,cut some wood have a dance party to keep the mojo going whatever you need. This interview has given me enlightenment, inspiration and helped reaffirm dreams I have put on the back burner for too long so thank you Jodie. If anyone wants to check out wait let me rephrase needs to check out her work please go too Instagram @crookedtreestudio or her website at http://www.crookedtreestudio.ca
Love, a very joyful and enlightened Magnolia xx
Rustic Magnolia 