LABOR OF LOVE

One of the perks about living in NY is the availability of resources. Whatever you're into, NY has it covered and there's probably a week dedicated to that special interest.

My special interest?.........furniture!

NY Design week usually happens in May with the International Contemporary Furniture Fair as its centerpiece. Basically, the global design world comes to NY and all things design are celebrated by the industry and for the most part open to the public. There are parties, conferences, forums dedicated to all the different aspects of design. I missed most of it this year but the one thing I wish I hadn't missed was a talk given by Tyler Hayes' of BDDW.

Tyler Hayes is a regular dude who went to art school but now he is a successful designer/maker of heirloom handcrafted furniture. He struggled for years and years trying to reconcile doing what he loved and also making money while doing it. His talk that he gave in May was about the trials and tribulations of starting his own company as well as its evolution into (this is key) a viable business and you get a real sense of how BDDW is a labor of love. Luckily the American Craft magazine website has a podcast of his talk and you can listen to it here. For anyone who is pursuing any kind of labor of love, I highly recommend giving it a listen. It is incredibly inspiring not to mention entertaining.