We were lucky to catch up with Jorge Izaza recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Jorge , appreciate you sitting with us today to share your wisdom with our readers. So, let’s start with resilience – where do you get your resilience from?
I believe that living in Mexico for 40 years served as a valuable training ground to develop resilience since things are generally more complicated than here in North America. Down there, you have to come up with solutions to navigate through a myriad of challenges such as poverty, low wages, insecurity and lack of support . North America has its own set of issues; However, there are more opportunities to enhance your skills. So, the fact of having lived many years in a third-world country teaches you to adapt to circumstances, be flexible, and always strive to find opportunities in moments of darkness or in challenging situations .
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
My name is Jorge, and I consider myself a sculptor, carver, and artist in wood and mixed techniques. My introduction to woodworking was somewhat unconventional. Over 15 years ago, I owned a clothing brand in Mexico. Although my business was small, it was growing enough to afford me the opportunity to open a store in a small shopping center. I was thrilled with the idea, but after covering the payments for all the permits, upfront rents, and security deposits requested by the shopping center, I found myself without the funds to buy display units, furniture, and all the necessary items to decorate the store. I decided then to buy basic carpentry tools and do it myself. In about a month, I finished and discovered that woodworking was a passion for me. I continued buying more tools until I had my own workshop. Over time, I realized I could not only make cabinets and shelves but also create artistic pieces, which excited me a lot. So, I directed my workshop more towards artistic creation, buying tools specific to that purpose, often modifying or even inventing them for certain tasks.
Soon, I noticed that in Mexico, they rarely wanted to pay me a fair price for the hours I invested in making a piece. I often ended up giving them away or earning very little for them, but I continued doing it for the love of it and to develop my skills. I remember that in Mexico, I used to take a few weeks off during Christmas to make gifts for my loved ones in my workshop. Over time, people got to know me, and they hired me to make common, simple, normal, and boring furniture. However, I always tried to present them with ideas featuring my own original designs, which were usually more complicated to make—hahaha! Since I knew they wouldn’t pay more for a more elaborate design, I offered them the same cost as an Ikea piece with the condition that they allowed me to do it my way, and that’s how I achieved creative freedom, albeit at the expense of my own pocket.
Years later, I had the opportunity to move to British Columbia in Canada, and I can say that my life changed. I had to leave behind artistic creation as I left my entire workshop and tools in Mexico. During the first years in Canada, I worked in whatever I found, doing painting jobs, construction, pet walking, among others. It took me about a year to gather enough money to set up another workshop, a relatively fast time compared to what it would have taken me in Mexico due to the economy and low wages in the country.
At first, I used the workshop again to make furniture and cabinets to survive and pay the bills. I remember that for a whole summer and part of the fall, I had to sleep in my car since I didn’t have enough money to complete the month; I spent everything on more tools—hahaha! However, on weekends, I used it for artistic projects focused on carving and sculpture. I became obsessed with carving abstract figures, and my plan was to exhibit and try to sell them at festivals and markets around British Columbia. However, I felt it would be challenging to sell my sculptures as I wasn’t a recognized artist. Then I came up with the idea of adding a strip of light to my pieces, making them more attractive to the public. So I did, and I discovered that simply adding light to my sculptures made them even more interesting. The light rings transformed them into a kind of dimensional portals, and the wood gave them a soft yet natural touch, so I was delighted with the result. Weeks later, I took my pieces to my first market, and at that moment, everything began. People loved the idea! They started buying them in quantities, and wherever I went, I sold almost all my works. I was fascinated by people’s response and immensely happy that I was finally earning money for those abstract wooden pieces that I enjoyed making so much.
Alongside this commercial success, the community on the island where I live (Salt Spring Island, BC) started supporting and recognizing me as an artist to the point where I stopped making cabinets and am now dedicated 100% to my artistic projects. For me, this entire journey is like a blessing and a gift that life gave me—the achievement, in Canada, of being recognized as an artist and, above all, having the possibility to fully dedicate myself to exploring creativity and living off my artistic projects. It has been one of the greatest joys of my life, as well as a grand adventure.
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?
I consider that the qualities or attitudes that most help are believing in yourself, being passionate, and keep trying.
My advice is that if there’s something you enjoy doing and are passionate about, it’s better to focus on that and forget everything else because you’re likely to be good at it.
“If you enjoy playing soccer, train hard, put your heart into it, and forget about mathematics” lol
To close, maybe we can chat about your parents and what they did that was particularly impactful for you?
My father left us when I was only six years old and my sister was two months old. So, all this time, I’ve seen how my mother never gave up and gave everything to raise us. She always supports me in all my decisions and projects. So, her love, resilience, and perseverance are always in my mind and my heart. Thank you so much, Mom, for all your unconditional love (Laura Izaza Arteaga). I love you.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.jorgeizaza.com
- Instagram: @jorgeizazawood
- Facebook: Jorge Izaza Wood Art & Lamps
- Other: [email protected] Phone Number : 2369796354
Image Credits
Fernando villaseńor
