"THE MAKERS" Biography featuring Salt Spring Islands, Andy Barnes
Andy Barnes our local wood-smith from Salt Spring Island.
Tell us about your path to what you’re doing now. How did you start Salt Spring Artisans and what are your backgrounds?
Andy did remodeling work and learned to reuse materials to complete projects while tight on cash. When deciding to start a church in 2014, with eight people, he needed to make an income. He started doing handyman work, got some more interesting jobs, and eventually started Salt Spring Artisans.
Sean met Brandon Gore while working at odd jobs and going to school. He apprenticed under Brandon and learned the art of fine concrete work (Sean always says he was like Danielson and Brandon was his Mr. Miyagi). When he moved back to Salt Spring, Sean did some concrete and wood jobs while working at Cartell Coffee when Andy—a regular patron—asked him to help build a pergola. They ended up doing a few projects together. Salt Spring Artisans grew out of that friendship. Sean and Andy even became neighbors when Sean and his family moved across the street from Andy and his family.
Josh is a longtime friend with an array of skills and the coolest, most collected guy you’ll come across. He’s currently an electrician with his wife Kayley & two shepherds. Josh enjoys woodworking and will be joining us in July.
How has your style developed as you’ve grown?
At first we were in survival mode (which may always be a reality to a degree). We would take anything we could get to keep the money rolling in. We’ve always had an eye for fine craft and take as many opportunities to work in those circles as possible. This year we will be putting a high emphasis on “making things that last,” utilizing the highest quality materials and thoughtful design. This value is important. It's better for the consumer to have something that lasts a lifetime and to learn how to appreciate it as it ages gracefully with the addition of wear and natural patina. Creating items that last is also better for the environment; we don’t execute poorly-designed and constructed pieces that contribute to landfills and cost more in the grand scheme.
“These feel like huge risks, but we also know that we can’t do some of the work coming our way without taking them.”
When did the idea of starting your business feel like something you could achieve? Was there an “aha!” moment?
I think the “aha!” moment was when we made an incredible mesquite slab bar for a coffee shop in the Okanagan. Andy had priced out getting the bar made and realized: we can do this! We not only pulled it off but we also feel we found the best slabs of mesquite we could and put more heart into it. This was before Andy had started his handyman gig, but it was a step towards what would become Salt Spring Artisans.
If you weren’t running Salt Spring Artisans, what would you be doing?
Andy would be a pastor and would just be doing hands-on projects as a hobby. Sean would be doing concrete work solo, but that’s not ideal for him. Sean is also a legit barista, so there’s a chance you’d still find him pulling shifts at an espresso bar.
Now that you’re leading your own projects, does your process come pretty naturally or do you find yourself fighting against creative block at times?
Creative block happens, but we also deal with the struggle between being efficient and being creative. We’ve gotten ourselves into some big projects with timelines that make things difficult. Some of the most tense times have come when we’ve had to decide between completing a project within a reasonable timeframe versus taking the project to the next level.
We’ve found that over-thinking things isn’t always our best path forward, and that productivity often inspires creativity. For instance, when preparing for markets, we’ve often had some of our favorite ideas as we were working on projects for the market. That’s often meant working late nights in order to make the new idea happen.
Have you taken big risks to move forward? Do you see a connection between risk and creativity?
The whole thing has been a risk for us! This year we decided to move into a larger shop and take on a new partner who will join us this summer. These feel like huge risks, but we also know that we can’t do some of the work coming our way without taking them. We also feel like we need to get more solidified in order to really hone in on the projects that highlight our skills and creative desires.
“We feel the tide is turning toward a desire to work with local people you trust.”
Have you had any memorable collaborations? Why do you think it’s important for creatives and makers to come together and collaborate?
Oh yeah! First off, we should say that we love collaborating with gifted architects and designers, as well as other talented craftsman. We really shine when someone brings us detailed plans and we get to interact with those in order to take everything to the next level. We’re also humbled by interacting with other people who are able to showcase their refined craft. Sean’s first major memorable collaboration was helping build and design Peters coffee roasting space. It was a blank slate with so much potential and endless options. Tons of ideas were thrown around with friends.
What advice would you give to someone who is starting out?
Really count the cost and expect to do a lot of hard work without being compensated the way you might deserve to be compensated for a little while. We feel that the reason our company has taken root so far is because we’ve built relationships and have been willing to start small. One of our first big projects happened in our driveway while we renovated a carport into being our first shop. We did a lot of “free work” at first, and worked with what we had. Eventually, we were able to upgrade. If we’d waited to look legitimate and get the big high paying jobs we probably never would have made it this far.
Outline the 3 greatest attributes you need to be a maker / creative / small business owner:
01. Personality. We feel the tide is turning toward a desire to work with local people you trust. People who don’t want that will just continue to shop at big box stores. If you are hard to get ahold of or don’t interact with your clients on a personal level, you probably won’t retain them. But if you become someone they like to interact with, they will probably come back and recommend you to others.
02. Flexibility. We are learning this one, but it is key to remember that you are not a creative god. You also have customers who have real and meaningful ideas. Also, they have practical needs. You need to know what you’re good at and be selective, but can’t take the know-it-all position as an artist. It’s repulsive and will limit your influence.
03. Increasing Skill. In this, we mean that you need to combine the skill you have with a willingness to be a life-long learner. Our hope is that Salt Spring Artisans is bringing a quality product to the table now, but that our work in a few years will be very different because we’ve learned more, picked up new tools of the trade, learned from the work of others, and have engaged in the new styles and ideas that cutting edge craftsmen are tinkering with.
“Our hope is that salt spring Artisans is bringing a quality product to the table now, but that our work in a few years will be very different because we’ve learned more, picked up new tools of the trade, learned from the work of others, and have engaged in the new styles and ideas that cutting edge craftsmen are tinkering with.”
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