Editorial Note: A Little Encouragement
Andrew reflects on the importance of having someone share tools and resources during his learning process.
It’s amazing how good timing can change the course of someone’s life. When I graduated from college, it was the beginning of a recession, which felt like terrible timing. With a freshly minted journalism degree and very few job prospects, I did the same as many before me: I got a job at a pizza place. Eventually, I found a publication that needed an entry-level person, and it just so happened that publication was American Woodworker. I knew about tools—we always had a shop in the basement growing up—but I wouldn’t have called myself a woodworker. Nevertheless, they hired me part-time.
The money was good, or at least better than pizza money, but the real benefit was being shown a shop full of more tools than I’d ever seen before. After some quick training (I’m thankful the shop also had a SawStop as the main tablesaw), I was given a key and free rein to try things on my own. I was encouraged make some mistakes and ask questions. There were a lot of terrible projects that ultimately saw the fire pit or were recycled into shop fixtures, but I also made some things I am proud of—mostly functional furniture and cabinets for a recording studio. In short order, I was hooked, reading and learning everything I could about tools and making things when I didn’t actively have a tool in my hand.
Since then, I’ve tried to pay that goodwill forward. Whenever I meet someone who wants to learn more about tools or houses, I share magazines, videos, and books, as well as people to follow online. And I say that if they ever want to try something or borrow some tools, I’m happy to help. I’ve found that if the timing allows someone to take that first step, the rest of the pieces often fall into place. In that spirit, if you know someone in your life who could use a little encouragement, offer help. Lend that tool or book and point that person in the right direction. Not everyone will dive in with the same enthusiasm you might have, but for some the offer will be perfectly timed.
—Andrew Zoellner, editorial director
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