We recently connected with Wesley Hutchinson and have shared our conversation below.
Wesley, we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?
I would say I get my resilience from all the years in the Marine Corps. It was always work, work ,and more work. It would be implied “you can sleep when your dead”. But that was the life we chose to live. Being able to serve your Country and to ultimately give your life for that, is the ultimate sacrifice. We remember our brothers and sisters everyday that paid that price. Not a day goes by we don’t miss them.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I came from a small three red light town in Camden, Alabama. It was that small town Mayberry style place where everyone knows everyone. I played football (really good), basketball (good), baseball (ok), and track (Star). My world revolved around sports. Once I graduated, I tried my hand a college, but without the sports school was not my thing anymore. So I headed South to Mobile, Alabama and I started working construction. After about five years of grueling work, I had enough. I knew I was ment for something more. I decided my next change in life would be the Marine Corps. Why the Marine Corps you ask? It was the branch that all the badasses join. So for the next 17years 8 months and 3 days I served this country as one of these badasses and loved every minute. Unfortunately, I had a career ending injury that stopped me dead in my tracks. All of a sudden, I had to take everything the Marine Corps had taught me and transfer it over to a civilian life. If you know anything about the military you know that transition is not easy.
I took a whole two weeks off and straight into a job in Wilmington, NC. I went to work for a railroad car manufacturing company. I worked for this company for exactly one year. I was laid off due to issues in the company and eventually the closing of the company. Things happen for a reason. I am a strong believer in this. Two months after being laid off I had to have my third surgery from the injury I sustained in the Marine Corps. I had the surgery in Dec and my doctor had noticed some things while he was inside my neck. Four months later I am at Duke here in NC for my fourth neck surgery in four years. This surgery would be the most indepth surgery of them all. Once all the smoke had cleared I had knew hardware in the back of my neck consisting of two rods and eleven pins. This went along with the plate and four screws already existing in the front of my neck. At this time in my life my wife said “you will work from home now”.
I had dabbled in the wood turning of pens and razors. Nothing on a large scale. I wanted to continue turning pens,but add something else. So started doing research on this process called fractal burning. It was the process of using electricity to electrocute the wood creating a pattern that looks like lightning. I built my machine, installed safety measures to avoid electrocuting myself and got to work. I had been fractal burning charcuterie boards, coasters, and lazy susans. The burned looked great, but something was missing. Color, that was the one thing I needed to add. So I started cleaning out the burned wood from the fractal burn and replacing it with colored resin. Now I have created something amazing, one-of-a-kind pieces, and works of art. I started mass production on these charcuterie boards and all sizes of lazy susans.
I needed a name for my business and so the brain storming commenced. I came up with a ton of name,but the internet said someone had already used it. So I was sad and mopping about when I went into my shop. I opened one of my Military foot lockers and there it was. A street sign from my small home town of Camden. I had taken this sign when I was a senior in high school. The sign read Whiskey Run Rd. This would become my business name Whiskey Run Customs. Now I have a piece of my hometown everywhere I go. Whiskey Run Customs brings to you custom charcuterie boards, hand turned ink pens, lazy susans, and military 3D art. All this can be found on Facebook, Instagram, and Etsy.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Looking back I would say failure, failure, and failure have gotten me to where I am now. If I had not failed so many times I would have never learned so much about myself and my artistic eye.
My advice to anyone in life would be: its ok to fail no matter how many times. I refused to give up on myself and who I was. I found out just how strong I am and proved everyone wrong. All the haters ate that crow.
Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?
I would love to collaborate with other artists. I would like to work with someone who is completely open. They love to express themselves with vivid colors and resin. I can be found via email at whiskeyrun14@outlook.com.
