We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Shawn Ellis. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Shawn below.
Shawn, looking forward to learning from your journey. You’ve got an amazing story and before we dive into that, let’s start with an important building block. Where do you get your work ethic from?
I grew up outside of Chicago, Illinois. My family taught me the “Midwestern values” of hardwork, doing the right thing, never giving up, and treating everyone with respect. These values were the basis of my worth ethic as an adult.
My parents also taught me that you have to work hard for what you want in life…nothing is free or without effort.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
It was on Law Enforcement Appreciation Day (1/9/19) that we stopped off at the Cave Creek Sheriff’s station to bring some goodies as our way of saying thank you for their service. Little did I know that would be the beginnings of a woodworking hobby that then turned into a business in 2020.
Over the course of 2019, we got to know several of the sheriffs, whom were woodworking hobbyists. Seeing their work inspired me to want to experiment with wood myself. Since then, I’ve fallen in love with creating with my hands one-of-a-kind wood creations, seeing ‘Nature Transformed’. It’s amazing how one day can change the course of events in one’s life!
Cutting/Charcuterie boards were the first creations offered and continue to be highly sought after…after all they make great gifts and kitchen art, in addition to being functional! Thereafter natural live edge tables and shelf creations were introduced. The goal has always been to use as much of the tree as possible which brought to life other creations such bottle openers, wine/bourbon stoppers, bar boards, stands, dice, magnets, etc.
The wood used is sourced locally, partnering with local arborists who are taking trees down (i.e., tree is too close to fence, pool is being built, tree is in fire break area, etc.). The recovered wood is then sliced and dried. This provides us our wood supply to work with for our creations and then the extra wood slabs are sold. Ultimately, all this wood would be destined for the landfill. This is where the phrase/tagline “Nature Transformed” stemmed from.
Customers appreciate the quality, artistic flare and uniqueness of our creations. These are the most important factors behind the Živel Natural Creations brand. For example, anyone can make a charcuterie/cutting board but by highlighting the natural voids and unique grain patterns of the wood and incorporating stone, resin and other natural elements, a unique and one-of-a-kind creation is made. Each creation is made with the highest quality and attention to detail.
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?
Three qualities that have served me well are: 1) Passion, 2) Push, and 3) Persistence.
Being passionate can be energizing and can help push one through more difficult experiences in life. With a sense of passion, one will work harder, push themselves farther and they will persist.
Pushing oneself through shyness, doubt and fear, along with pushing boundaries, limits and expectations allows discovery of what one is really capable of. The push to success involves exercising self-discipline and fostering a healthy competitive spirit.
Everyone has or will experience failure in life. Successful people don’t fail less, they persist more. Persistency is about pushing forward when faced with a setback or obstacle.
Following my departure from Corporate America in July 2022, these qualities have been paramount to where Živel Natural Creations is today. My passion for woodworking and creating with my hands gave me the motivation I needed to pursue woodworking fulltime. In order to grow the business, I pushed past my comfort zone on many occasions to create local partnerships and ask for opportunities to showcase our woodworking creations. As part of the growth strategy, this included participation in larger events and establishing a store-front presence. I’m pleased to report that being persistent paid off!
In December 2022, I partnered with a local shop in Cave Creek called Stickhorse Gallery and have a sampling of our woodworking creations available for purchase in their store. Later in 2023, plans are in the works for debuting a mobile showroom and participating in larger art events. In the meantime, stop by Stickhorse Gallery in Stagecoach Village to see our rotating display and say “Hi” to me Wednesdays thru Saturdays.
As we end our chat, is there a book you can leave people with that’s been meaningful to you and your development?
While not a book, I was recently reading the August 2023 edition of Costco Connection. The feature story was about ‘Second Chapters’, members who created new life chapters based on their mindset of being open to opportunity.
The first person featured was a corporate executive turned woodworker…which sounded so ironically familiar to my story! It was a year ago (July 2022), when I left Corporate America after a successful career spanning two decades. I found myself burnt out and I didn’t like the person I was becoming. I realized that happiness was more important than any sum of money or fancy title. It was at this point I decided to focus on woodworking full time and growing Živel Natural Creations, a woodworking side business of mine since 2020.
I kept reading the other six featured members and felt like aspects of their story were present in my story. The thoughts, feelings and advice they were sharing mirrored my beliefs. The quotes that resonated most with me where:
– “If you have a hobby or anything that has sustained you in body and spirit up to now, go for it!”
– “In my former career, I had so many deadlines and fires to put out, with hardly time to take a breath.”
– “Second chapters are a great gift, not to be squandered.”
– “My advice for others considering a career shift would be to learn all you can about your new venture and take baby steps to ensure you like the direction you are going.”
– “For anyone considering making a change, life is too short to wait.”
– “I have always believed that if you have a passion for something, you can make it happen.”
– “I realize that new chapters can be written at any age.”
Contact Info:
- Website: www.zivelnaturalcreations.com
- Instagram: @zivelnaturalcreations
- Facebook: @zivelnaturalcreations
