Meet Kevin Rippeto

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Kevin Rippeto. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Kevin, we’re so appreciative of you taking the time to share your nuggets of wisdom with our community. One of the topics we think is most important for folks looking to level up their lives is building up their self-confidence and self-esteem. Can you share how you developed your confidence?

It certainly didn’t happen overnight and I still struggle with self esteem in certain situations, but I would say a life time of trials and tribulations have taught me and shown me that if I put my mind to it, there is almost nothing I can’t accomplish. I don’t think many people really know everything I have dealt with throughout my life as I’m typically pretty quiet and keep most things to myself.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

I have always enjoyed working with my hands. Even as a kid I was often tinkering or working on something. Lots of popsicle stick projects, and Legos among other toys. As I grew older I got into gaming and found myself drawn to games that had a crafting aspect to them. I have always enjoyed the outdoors as well, and at some point in my research on Bushcraft I came across another maker who was working with a bushcrafter to make a knife. I started watching the maker as well and eventually decided I wanted to be able to make my own equipment as well. So I started researching blacksmithing as well. Having a background in auto mechanics and carpentry, I was able to incorporate those skills and knowledge and combine them to expand my knowledge and abilities even further. I was already planning on moving out of my current home to be able to move somewhere I can build a more adequate workshop, but in June of this year, my youngest son was run over and killed less than 100ft from my front door. Now I am desperate to get out of here as soon as possible so that I can work on all of the things that the loss of my five year old son have inspired in me to show and express how much I love him and how much he meant to me. I have had dreams for a couple of years now of building a recreational therapy center for my local community, but specifically targeted at veterans and at risk youth. My idea is a maker space to teach new skills and give a means of creative outlet, as well as a self help mechanic shop. In addition I want to have a separate piece of property where I can setup a ranch and a farm and a tiny house community where local homeless vets can live and as long as they help with the land or animals they have free food, as well as free access to the maker space.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

I would say my love of being creative and making things with my own hands, my mechanical training and many many different skills learned through carpentry. They have given me an understanding and appreciation for how things go together. Folks who are early in their career be patient and steadfast. You’re not going to learn everything overnight. In fact if you ever feel like you aren’t learning anything new, it’s time to move on.

How can folks who want to work with you connect?

I would love to find a partner who would be as passionate about helping our veterans as I am but is more financially minded and could handle the administrative side of the business. I am open to ideas and refining thoughts. You can find me on Instagram under dueldors_creations as well as on Facebook as Kevin Rippeto. My maker email is dueldors.creations@gmail.com.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dueldors_creations?igsh=aTBsdWs5emlsbGoy
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/9FvuUVtvSuHxNYin/?mibextid=qi2Omg