We were lucky to catch up with Chad Raymond Punchard recently and have shared our conversation below.
Chad Raymond, so excited to have you with us today. So much we can chat about, but one of the questions we are most interested in is how you have managed to keep your creativity alive.
Allowing myself to play with different textures, materials, items, colour pallets.
having frequent “experimental ” periods where i allow myself to be creative in any notes, sketches i have taken. I like to sit in a busy place and people watch, I enjoy fashion, culture, art, furniture, music, food and nature so i get a lot of inspiration from these areas.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
Im a carpenter by trade and over the years I have been playing with different species of wood, textures, colours, materials and ways to make interesting furniture and items as commissioned work or for the studio to show as samples. I have travelled all over Europe following architecture, works of art and cultures. leading me down the rabbit hole of art and design.
My day to day work involves me making bespoke furniture for clients, such as wardrobes, kitchens, tables and storage spaces. Along with other general woodworking projects.
My passion or calling in life is to create truly unique one of a kind items, collaborating all of my ideas and experiences into these items. Mixing functional furniture with art, and design. whilst building a team of artisan makers to join the journey.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Figure out who you are and what you truly want in life. This took me a while and a lot of internal work, but when I found my thing it just took hold of me.
write a plan down 1-2 years 3-5 6-10 etc
Belief, persistence and networking are incredibly important.
once you have figured out what you want to be doing, You have to believe with every single fibre of your soul you can do it, speak kindly to yourself and when things are not going well and stay humble when things are, everything changes quickly.
Persistence – Keep going, find a way, sometimes the direction might change but keep going. if you have to take a part time job to help fund your goals that fine. But keep working on your thing!
Networking- I have always believed that at any point of time are one conversation away from our lives changing. ” That stranger on a bus” has the golden nugget of information or might need your services. The more people that know of you and your skill/talent/service the better.
One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
I believe collaborations are very important for any business as it brings multiple disciplines together that might not normally come to mind.
If a client was looking for say 300 items to be made in bulk order we would probably not be the right fit, But if the client wanted one show stopper piece made, this is something that people would look to having us make.
Fashion Brands- Clothing Stands, Wardrobes, Shoe stands, Wall Art Decor
Interior Designers- Collaborating ideas and bringing visions to life. All handmade furniture/ interior or exterior spaces.
Business owners- might need a renovation or new layout of their spaces
Architects- Having someone who can design a space is good and also having a contact that can make those designs come to life.
Art Galleries- I often sculpt some abstract wall art from left over wood. It would be nice to get involved with a gallery to showcase some of these items.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: StudioPunchard
- Facebook: Chad Punchard
- Linkedin: Chad Punchard
Image Credits
chad punchard
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
