I’ve been seeing a lot of interviews with Mike Birbiglia lately, and it’s reminded me: I’m such a fan! But it’s the comedian’s recent piece for The New York Times movie section that has cemented it for me. He’s written up a list of “Six Tips For Making It Small in Hollywood. Or Anywhere.” and you can just tell he’s a nice guy on top of being funny and hard-working. When he talks about sharing his work over pizza with his friends, you actually picture real people. It’s a believable scenario.
His advice for doing (or trying to do) anything you want to do? 1. Don’t Wait. 2, Fail. 3, Learn from the failure. 4, Maybe Quit. 5, Be bold enough to make stuff that’s small but great. 6, Cleverness is overrated, and heart is underrated.
Of course the meat is in the telling.
Any fun plans for Labor Day weekend? Here are some links to distract you, if desired. See you Tuesday!
“The Work We Do” is an interview series that asks those with daydream-worthy jobs how they got where they are—and what it’s like to live a day in their shoes. I’m so excited to feature Nick Shigouri of Shigouri Woodworking, who crafts one-of-a-kind custom furniture in Denver and Kansas City.
I first fell in love with Nick’s work when I stumbled upon Stowaway Coffee + Kitchen, for which he built the tables, chairs, booths, and light fixtures. It is still my favorite space in Denver, and one I always am drawn back to when designing my own home. When I reached out to Nick about replicating one of the restaurant’s tables for my home office, I was blown away by his kindness and generosity (he drove all the way from Kansas City to deliver it!). Nick is launching a new line of furniture this fall, and I couldn’t wait to interview him and learn a little more about his process—and the truly beautiful pieces he creates.
First off, your craftmanship is incredible! How did you get into woodworking? Did you study or train formally?
Thank you very much! Woodworking had always been an interest of mine. I began reading books about form and process and making things in my garage while I still worked a desk job. As I progressed, I became increasingly impatient with the speed of my development, so I pursued a formal education in woodworking at The Vermont Woodworking School in Cambridge, VT. The staff and students there are nothing short of wizards in their craft and the school undeniably brought my skills into a professional realm. My level of skill is something that will constantly improve throughout my career, and that fact definitely keeps me engaged in the art.
What inspired you to start your own business?
The initial inspiration came from my parents. I grew up in a small business; my mother owned a title registration business when I was young. My earliest memories are of going to work with her, running deliveries in the morning before the business would open and sitting on the front counter to greet customers as they came in. Owning my own business was something that seemed very natural to me. At the same time, I felt I had a unique vision on what my furniture was going to look like, and that I could best serve that vision working for myself.
One of the things that stood out to me when we were traveling in Scandinavia this summer were the clothes people wore. Or, rather, one of the things that stood out to me was how their clothes did not. Everyone looked beautiful, often because they were complemented rather than upstaged by something they were wearing. The colors were simple, the tailoring was clean. They wore the clothes, rather than the other way around.
It was inspiring.
And as much as any souvenir, I wanted to hold onto that inspiration and carry it home.
