We were lucky to catch up with Policarpo Despaigne recently and have shared our conversation below.
Policarpo, we’re so excited for our community to get to know you and learn from your journey and the wisdom you’ve acquired over time. Let’s kick things off with a discussion on self-confidence and self-esteem. How did you develop yours?
I am a positive person. I like to be around other positive people. Growing up, I had many challenges due to Autism Spectrum Disorder and many people didn’t understand me. Because my family, especially my parents, challenged me to move forward through tough situations, I learned that I could accomplish my goals. Sometimes, my goals took longer to accomplish, but I worked hard and kept at them. I found that I could move beyond small challenges and even larger ones if I made a plan and followed it. I have been able to do many things a lot of people are surprised at. But when I make my mind up to achieve something, I usually accomplish it.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I am a wood artisan who happens to be on the Autism Spectrum. I learned woodworking after school at age 13 and have been doing it for the last ten years. I started a small family-run business called Poli’s Woodcraft where people can buy the hand-crafted writing pens I enjoy making. Hand turning pens is a traditional almost lost art of removing bits and pieces of wood on a rotating machine called a lathe that takes time, precision and skill. Turning wood allows an artisan to delicately cut away and refine the wood to shape and customize each piece. Most of the wood I use are imports like Zebrawood, Padauk, Indian Rosewood, and more. Polishing and finishing the wood brings out the rich color and unique beauty of each wood piece. I also use dyed acrylic and resin for dynamic, fun color pens. I enjoy taking time to meticulously work each pen to develop it into functional pieces of art. I enjoy seeing how happy people are with my work. My pens make great gifts for all occasions!
I live in San Diego, California, but anyone can visit my website and purchase pens at https://poliswoodcraft.com/. I have added mini keychain pens and will soon add more crafts, so check back often.
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 you need for success are be goal oriented, determined and have patience.
Tell us what your ideal client would be like?
My ideal client or customer is someone who recognizes the quality and skill that went into the piece that I’ve made. They appreciate beauty in small things and have an eye for detail. People who are positive and enjoy natural beauty tend to see beauty in wood. These are the people who smile when they see my work.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://poliswoodcraft.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/poliswoodcraft/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/poliswoodcraft
