What it takes and am I a fraud?

I am sure that everyone goes through this but every time I get into something, especially something I am good at, I wonder if I should be doing it. I have heard a lot of comedians say that they go through this, especially the really good ones. So what is this about? I do not claim (nor would I ever) to be the best wand maker around, nor are my oddities better then others, I am just a wand maker. I get excited when people choose my wands, and I get super excited to see them used as cosplay items or just the smiles on people’s faces. Even though all this is true, I really do all this for me.

When I got out of the US Army in 2010, medically retired from injuries I had sustained, I went into a very deep and dark depression. I put on almost 200 lbs, (that’s extra not total) I never wanted to leave the house let alone do anything in it, and I was on the verge of agoraphobia. Woodworking really changed all that for me. I took on to new things really fast, and I was already good at others. When you have a love for geometry and math, woodworking really comes naturally. Recently I wanted to expand my love of woodworking and I got a lathe.

It was at Emerald City Comic Con 2019 that I saw some people selling their “homemade” wands for an actually very expensive amount of money (way more then my prices without the custom boxes). So I started turning wands and found out they were pretty good (at least from what I had seen).

So then I started sharing my work and with the responses I received I started to think I had made a mistake. It became harder to work but I started this to give me something to do with my hands and head, besides it is art, and I love art. There are still times that I think I should just throw in the towel, but then someone compliments my work, I then remember why I do this, just to use my hands and stay out of depression.

So moral of the story, just do things. You want to start a podcast, start the podcast. You want to draw, draw. Even if you are bad at it at the beginning you will get better and find a way to make yourself happy.

Keep It Nerdy and Live Your Dreams! - Doc