S5E15: Human Connection - Art and Mental Health, with Ike Wynter

Find your pallet, because if you gave me a basketball or a microphone, I'm not going to change the world like LeBron or Beyoncé. And if I gave them a pallet, they're not going to change the world. But it takes finding that thing that itches, that part in your soul that makes you come alive and help other people and bring light to the world. - Ike Wynter

If you're feeling stuck in a job that doesn't fulfill you, then you are not alone! The pressure to find your true calling can be overwhelming, but what if I told you there's an opportunity in every curiosity? Imagine turning someone else's trash into a meaningful piece of art and brightening their day. It's not about New Year's resolutions, it's about living with intention and finding your palette in life. Your next stop could be the start of a whole new journey.

In this episode, you will be able to:

• Unleash your potential by turning your passion into a fulfilling career.
• Discover the transformative impact of art on mental well-being.
• Cultivate an entrepreneurial mindset and unleash your creativity for success.
• Explore the possibilities of finding fulfillment beyond the constraints of 9 to 5 jobs.
• Elevate your personal growth by understanding the importance of self-awareness.

My special guest is Ike Wynter.

Ike Wynter is an eco-sustainable wood artist born & raised in Milwaukee, WI. His claim to fame in the wood art world is that he uses 100% reclaimed wood but furthermore has never stained or painted a piece of wood in his life - creating an additional challenge within his work to find all the colors he uses in his pieces. He gathered the attention of numerous celebrities and brands early on with his story, and now has curated a very dedicated fanbase of 300,000 followers on social media who have watched his journey of knowing nothing about the art world to now making pieces of art for people like Mike Tyson, Mrs. Meyers Brands, Kyle Walker, and many others. His relentless passion for his craft and "delusionally optimistic" spirit is seen daily within his content, and he inspires millions around the world to not only pursue the greatest versions of themselves but the simple daily reminders of just waking up with gratitude & optimism everyday. All of his work is made exclusively in Milwaukee and crafted from things that the community throws out, and he also has a huge initiative to build up the awareness of our city globally through his art and live events.

Transcript:

00:00:08
Welcome back to your next stop. This is Juliet Hahn, and I say it every single time. I love bringing you guys people that holl, people that holler, people that do holler, but people that have followed a passion and turned it into something incredible. And, Ike, you are one of those people. And so I cannot wait to share your story with the your next app audience.

00:00:29
How are you? I'm good. I appreciate you having me. Well, we have. We have a little background on that, but I first want to have people where they can follow you.

00:00:37
You're a wood artist, and your ig is really the place to go. And it's Ike, Ike Wynter. And winter spelled a little different. And it's W, Y, N T, E, R. You can also go to your website, Ikewinter.com so do you want to give a little backstory of how we met, or do you want me to take it?

00:01:00
I'll. Yeah, I'll let you take the backstory of it. I want to hear your perspective. Yeah. So I do a lot of work, as my listeners know, with the SOPL foundation for dyslexia, and I will not ever forget.

00:01:11
Brent reached out to me and said, I found this incredible guy on Instagram. LIke, one of the nights that he was. I think he was struggling, and he was up, and so he wasn't sleeping. And he reached out to you and said, hey, we're having this event where we have the Stanley Cup. It's.

00:01:28
We did two events in this in the fall in Chicago. One was a golf outing, and one we got the Stanley cup. And we were doing a dinner, and we were kind of figuring out the details. And one of the things that I love so much about Brent is he loves to do things different. I mean, he.

00:01:42
Everything he does, he really wants to highlight people. He wants to bring people together. He really. He takes things to the next level. And I'll just.

00:01:51
I'll kind of leave it at that. But he said he's lIke, hey, check him out. And I was lIke, oh, my God. I was lIke, brent, this is incredible. LIke, that.

00:01:58
He is so freaking talented. I love this stuff. And Brent knows, lIke, I totally dive in when people, lIke, you know, when people are doing stuff creative. Because my story is that I really never thought I was creative. I was an athlete and all of these different things, as, you know, also dyslexic.

00:02:15
But so I love when people really follow kind of what their purpose is and dive into that. And so when I started looking at your stuff and then Brent Was lIke, oh, my God, he's the nicest guy. Elizabeth, you know, was telling me a little. She's lIke, oh, he's. He's so nice and is going to create something.

00:02:31
And they didn't kind of. I think it was on purpose. We didn't really. We didn't talk about what you were creating. And when that came about and it was the Stanley cup and then I saw it in person, I was lIke, wait a second.

00:02:44
LIke, I need. I need to first of all put my glasses on because is that painted? And then I was lIke, no, I don't think he paints things. Now that I'm lIke, remembering some of his stories on IG and you. I went, you know, right up to you, and you were lIke, you know, no, it's.

00:02:57
It's all wood. So that's my perspective. And then we can kind of go down a little bit more about that as we continue with your story. But yeah, what was. Give us your side?

00:03:09
I mean, it was this, you know, the. The whole summer here was kind of going crazy. And some of the phone calls and emails that were coming through were just life changing. And literally Brent's email was former Stanley cup winner Chicago Blackhawk. And I was lIke, k.

00:03:26
And I opened it and it was just lIke the most straightforward email. And I'm lIke, what kind of spam is this, dude? This is crazy. And then he literally, I think he put his number in there. I put my number in there.

00:03:35
And lIke, within lIke 10 minutes of having the email, we were on the phone and we talked for lIke 30 minutes. And I'm lIke, okay, this is the dude. LIke, this is sick. And he opened my eyes. That first phone call to his charity, his life and his struggles.

00:03:49
You know, you think of these people or athletes or people you look up to and, you know, I opened up about my mental health and my stuff this summer. So I really appreciate when people can just be people and can be real. And hearing Brent's story and why he started the foundation, that first phone call, I was hooked. I was lIke, I didn't know any of these things about dyslexia or, you know, any of that. And if I worked in the nonprofit space, so I know what it's lIke partnering with a local intentional non profit versus, you know, the big guys.

00:04:25
And he. I mean, there's so many sides of my brain working. I was. My heart was connected to him and his mission. And then he mentioned the Stanley cup dinner.

00:04:35
And honestly, my roommate is just the biggest hockey fan in the world. So I Was lIke, this is kind of a good birthday present for my roommate for the next, lIke, five years. LIke, I don't know where this is going to lead to, but if I call him, saying something with the Stanley cup is happening. So, yeah, from that first phone call, it was really cool, and I just knew I wanted to tap in with Brent and what you guys had going on. And then, you know, to.

00:04:59
To be able to replicate that trophy is honestly just a very, very cool honor in my artistic journey so far. And then the, you know, it's all about the people that you're with. So being able to bring my roommate down that day, who's been one of my best friends for, lIke, 15 years, who's just the biggest hockey fan, and, you know, meeting you guys and just, you know, we showed up and everything felt lIke family, and that's when that happens. You can't not take note of that in life. You have to appreciate that and know that these are some of your people now in your life for a long time.

00:05:34
So I just appreciate you guys and the connection. It's just all. It's just so organic and very cool how it came together. So I'm just very appreciative of the whole opportunity in general. Yeah.

00:05:45
And, you know, and it's. What's the thing that. And everything you said, I 100% agree. LIke, you sometimes just meet people and it's just instantly comfortable. And that is really the Sopal foundation for Dyslexia and, you know, and Brent and really.

00:06:00
And that's how I've always lived my life. So when then when you pile it on with something that you're so passionate. Because I live it every day. My child lives it every day, family members. You know, I was doing my work in my own part of my world.

00:06:13
Know, getting my. My son through school and being his advocate, teaching him how to be an advocate, sending him off to college. And Brent was with, lIke, I reconnected. I think I shared. I interviewed him, actually, for a television show on addiction.

00:06:28
Yeah. And that's. Yeah. And that. And I couldn't stop thinking about the foundation.

00:06:32
I was lIke, I just want to be able to help. But I know he gets hit up all the time, right. From people that want to because of. Of him winning the Stanley Cup. And I was lIke, trust me, I really.

00:06:41
Not to say it any rudely, but I don't care. I don't care about that stuff. I think it's, lIke, great. You have talent. That's wonderful.

00:06:48
You followed a passion. You did this But I don't care about any of that. LIke it matters who you are inside and how you show up every day. I don't care what you say, it's also your actions. And I think, you know, after a month, he probably would say a little earlier, he realized, oh yeah, she really doesn't care what I've done in my life.

00:07:06
She just here wants, you know, to help amplify this. And so when he, I mean, called, he was so excited about it. And then seeing that Stanley cup again, you know, coming to that, the event, you know, I had friends, I grew up in Philly, I had, you know, really close friends that were flyers. And so I was at all those games as a kid and it was neat. You know, it's, I'm not lIke saying it in any other way than it was a great experience.

00:07:32
I was a fortunate kid. But it didn't do anything. LIke I wasn't lIke, oh, wowed. So I was lIke, oh, going to see the Stanley cup, it's fine. It's not lIke I don't, trophies don't do anything for me.

00:07:42
But the mission behind it and seeing how excited everyone was is what gets me pumped. And so seeing what you replicated and then hearing your story, I mean, I think I said to you, I was lIke, listen, when the time is right, I would love to share your story on your next stop because it is such a, it's such a beautiful one. And as you talk about the mental health and I think again as the years have gone on, there's a, it's a lot more people talk about it, a lot more men talk about it, talk about it, which I think is so important because for so many years things were just stuffed. And that is one of the biggest things you can't stuff, right. It's going to come out somewhere.

00:08:21
So lIke, yeah, might as well kind of, you know, lock arms and be in it. So if you can give us a little bit of your background, you know, where you grew up, just lIke small. Because then I want to get into how you started this whole incredible journey. Yeah. And I think the most applicable thing to apply here is that I mentioned, yeah, I did open up about my mental health this summer.

00:08:45
But if you didn't know me the first 28 years of my life, lIke I'm still the most, one of the most optimistic people I know and the most lIke just joy filled and just lIke I just wake up grateful and happy every day. And until what happened at 28 years, lIke that was just, that was my Motto. And that was my, my headspace every day. And then kind of everything changed. But yeah, I mean, I am from Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

00:09:13
I, my passion really started with music. I was in a metal band for nine years, which I don't really ever touch base on. But I. Early in high school I started a band and then right when we got out of high school, we toured the country for about five years straight. So I got to travel, see the country.

00:09:32
And I wasn't more so the person in the band who lIke wrote the music and kind of lIke sat in my bedroom playing guitar. I was lIke, I would get on stage and play, but it was all about connecting with people, bringing value to people. I was sitting at the merch table hearing people's stories and my band had kind of a personal touch to it and inspiring lyrics and inviting people to open up about their struggles and you know, trying to live a heartfelt positive life. That was kind of our message as a band. So connecting with kids and people that had mental health issues or anything going on in life, that was my life.

00:10:10
At 18 years old, we were traveling the country and I was meeting people who are fans of ours in the basements of pizza shops in Savannah, Georgia and they were opening up to me about their mental health. And I'm lIke, oh, lIke, you know, my upbringing and my headspace is very, very good and unique compared to a lot of people in this life that struggle. So that's really where that first knot of purpose came in. I was lIke, I'm playing music, but it's more than music, you know, it's about connecting with these people and using your gifts and talents to create a channel to connect. So that was really the first lIke, you know, that night in Savannah, Georgia was my first experience of that.

00:10:50
And again, I was just an 18 year old kid from Milwaukee. I'm lIke, okay, no matter who you are or where you're from, you can make an impact from there. My brother and I actually started a business. We both, you know, I got out of music, he got, he came home from a deployment with the military and then we started a business together. It was a family run business turned into this huge multi million dollar company and I, I loved it and I enjoyed it.

00:11:18
We got to work with our mom for a few years and. But at the end of it I was just kind of lIke, hey, I just need to kind of lIke dive more into my purpose and what I'm doing on this earth. LIke it was cool and, and we're building something. But the, the message behind it wasn't enough for me. The, the, you know, we were helping people every day and I was connecting with people again.

00:11:38
But it wasn't enough. There was still more. Can I want to pause you really quickly. So where do you think it always fascinates me where people kind of get that self awareness, that intuition. Because there's so many people that, you know, you come across that really don't have it, that don't ever sit in their own emotions or allow themselves to kind of dream or feel lIke I'm not in this, you know, correctly and kind of question and then move forward.

00:12:11
Where do you think that came from for you? I mean I think it's inherently in me. I come from a family of purpose filled people and not to say entrepreneurs are people that give purpose but lIke you do think out of the box. When you are raised in an entrepreneurial household versus somebody who, you know, works a 9 to 5 lIke it makes you think of following your dreams and helping people and if you come from a family of that volunteers a lot lIke obviously your life is going to be led with that. So.

00:12:40
So I think with my upbringing of watching my parents give back, create purpose with everything and then coming from an entrepreneurial background and kind of having that be in my blood lIke there. I just don't know any way else to think of lIke not doing something with a purpose. LIke unfortunately there's a reason I have not been able to dedicate myself to a gym membership because when I think of lifting stuff in this world, I think of doing it with a purpose and moving somebody from house to house or helping clean out somebody's basement. LIke I, it's still lIke. It's such a funny analogy but it's lIke real in my life.

00:13:17
LIke lifting up a weight up and down for my personal self satisfaction. My personal health is just. It doesn't correlate in my head because lIke moving a fridge out of somebody's basement to help them sell their house, lIke that makes a thousand percent sense in my head. So, so interesting. That's an interesting way to think about it.

00:13:36
And I don't know that I ever have thought about it because I. So I am lIke a huge, huge I. I work out because what it does for my brain. Correct. And it's self love and it does so much.

00:13:49
I just grew up doing it in. A different fat, lIke in a different fashion. Yeah, totally. So yeah, I don't know. I mean at lIke 18 years old I realized how much self awareness is a huge thing.

00:14:01
I think it's the biggest thing that people can practice and work on and think about in our world. LIke, if you can understand yourself at the core level, you can win in life. And. But when I say win, when I say win, I mean be happy. I don't mean you're gonna make the most money.

00:14:18
I don't mean anything that you're gonna have the best career ever. But, lIke, I truly think that self awareness and understanding yourself leads to the most happiness in your life because you're not doing things for anything else but yourself and knowing what you're good at. So I just dove heavy into that into my late teens, early 20s. I was at, hey, who am I? And I would, you know, when people say things either in front of my face or behind my back or whatever, I take it as data points.

00:14:48
LIke, I don't get upset if somebody says, hey, you did this and it really hurt me, or, oh, yeah, Ike does this. LIke, I don't. My first thought is not getting affected by that emotionally. I actually take it as a data point, be lIke, oh, I think I'm showing up in the world lIke this. But obviously these handful of people see it a different light, Both good or bad.

00:15:11
You know, it's good stuff too. People are lIke, no, you're bringing X, Y and Z to the table. LIke, hone that. So using those as data points to navigate the things that you're good at and the way you show up to the world is lIke, lean into that, you know? Yeah.

00:15:26
And that's. And it's a really interesting. It's a different perspective to think about. Do you feel. Because I 100% agree with you with the self awareness.

00:15:35
And I think everyone comes into it at a different time in their life. But the more that you can be self aware of how you feel triggers, you know, what lights you up, what doesn't light you up. LIke, I used to tell my kids all the time, lIke, I want you guys, whether you have to or not, you know, when they were younger, whether you have to work, I want you to get a job the first time you can. And I want you to figure out what you don't want to do in life. Because that is a really important thing in, in my world.

00:16:05
It's because there's so many times where, you know, you're going through school and people are lIke, well, you would, you know, what you want to be when you grow up. LIke, I mean, I'm 50 and I have had pockets of my life where I was meant to do what I was meant to do in those pockets. And it was because I was self aware of lIke, okay, this is what feels good and this is what I know I can give back and be a better person and a better person. I make everyone else around me a better person. And so I think it's a, a really important thing.

00:16:34
But I am also so much about communicating it. And sometimes that you have to find the people around that want to talk about that. Right. Because not everyone wants at the end. Of the day, what it comes down to in life.

00:16:51
Self awareness, jobs, career, raising kids. LIke, the people that you surround yourself with and the energy you get from them is everything. And I've learned that I never had the people I wanted to be with in Milwaukee. Here I still have yet to find those people. But the second I found kind of that group of people in lIke 2021, it was with a non profit that was based out of California and it brought nine of us together.

00:17:16
And to this day, lIke, those are my best friends. Those are the people I call every single day. We might be separated now and we live in different states and distance, but lIke the energy and the conversations we have is just, it's everything. And the second that I met those people, I was just lIke, okay, my life makes even more sense now. LIke, I knew I had to lean into that version of Ike, but I never had the people to felt lIke that was lIke normal or supported.

00:17:45
So after finding that group of people, it just made all the more sense. And then there's lIke, oh, I don't even the world outside of us, our core group and the way we think, lIke you. That's why I call myself a delusional optimist. LIke I just think very delusionally every day and I have people hold me accountable to be my delusional, optimistic self. So the people that the mindset that you want to be in and the people you want to surround yourself with, they're there in life.

00:18:13
They might not be in your life right now, but those people are there to support you, to encourage you and to be the best person that you can be, how you want to authentically show up. So that was, you know, that's a big lesson I learned in my late 20s. I never found my true people until then. So. Right.

00:18:31
I love that. And right. And it comes, it's really the phase of life that you're in and when it, when it is. So when you and your family went into the business and you, you kind of touched on this, you knew that there wasn't what you wanted to do for the rest of your life. So how did you make a pivot and then where did that pivot take you?

00:18:50
It was, I mean, I loved what we did and I loved my family and I loved starting a family business. Coming from a father who has his own family business for 35 years. And for me and my brother to start the next version of it was. It was kind of lIke a tale to be told and kind of lIke, I don't know, if there was a book written about our family, it would be the next chapter. LIke that's what was supposed to happen, right?

00:19:15
And I loved it. And I'm currently sitting in the building that my brother and I bought together. LIke, it's, it's allowed me a lot of cool opportunities in life. But when it came down to, we scaled the business very large and then had a lot of employees and a lot it got away from lIke me and my brother and my mom running a company. It was, it was put your big boy pants on now and you're running a big company.

00:19:38
And I'm lIke, oh, lIke, okay, I do this every day. And then maybe I buy a lake house someday. And that's life, I guess. I don't know. LIke, things weren't adding, my.

00:19:48
Adding up in my head. And we were giving back to the community and I was connecting with community members and helping people every day, but not in the way I wanted to in my life at that point. So I left the business in 2021. And the day I tried to move to Minneapolis to do my art and to get away from my life here in Milwaukee and my family, I got a dream job offer. Literally, as I was driving to Minneapolis with my stuff, I got a dream job offer to go work for a person who had a non profit in Los Angeles.

00:20:21
And it was something I didn't. It was. That was the first time I experienced anxiety for a month straight. This is when my mental health things developed without me knowing it was due to long Covid. So I had Covid in December.

00:20:38
And then this was April 2, 2021. I remember the day I got this job offer and it was lIke, dream job. And I was lIke, do I move to Los Angeles? I was lIke, I'm driving to Minneapolis right now with my stuff to go move into my buddy's place. And that, that whole month, the decision complex and anxiety that came along with it, it was just, it was ripping me apart.

00:21:03
And I was trying to be an artist because that's what I just quit my family business to go pursue this. And my family didn't really believe in me or have faith in me. They, you know, they thought I made the wrong decision for the first time in my life. So I had that pressure. But I had this dream job offer, but I was lIke, I'm getting into my older 20s now.

00:21:22
Should I just lIke catch a flight and go follow this crazy dream? And so it was a lot. And that's when I first experience anxiety and my mental health struggles. But I didn't know what it was yet. I googled what is anxiety?

00:21:35
Cause I was lIke, I don't feel great. Right, right. Yeah, yeah. And I want to pause you really quick there because I think it's a really important thing that you just touched on because there's so many people. I mean, it is.

00:21:47
Some people are just. And we know with lIke dyslexia, adhd, you know, kind of all of that stuff, you have a built in anxiety that you don't realize. And I, you know, my oldest, I'll be lIke, honey, that's anxiety. And he's lIke, that's an anxiety. And I'm lIke, you have anxiety, it just, you're thinking, it's lIke you're just, you're going over something in your head and just because it's not, you don't think it's affecting you.

00:22:11
There could be a time in your life that it does. So just be aware that you have it. Right? Yeah. My daughter, we talk about it.

00:22:17
I have one son who's lIke, no, I, I don't have any, lIke. And he really does not have any, any anxiety. My husband is the same way. Except when life, you know, you become the breadwinner, you have a family, you're going to have a worry. And so there's all these different levels of it.

00:22:34
And I think that's one of the things that people, you know, in the past would kind of be lIke, oh my God, you're just, you have life worries and now you're, you're putting a label on and all these people are labeling things and now there's, everyone's talking about all these different things and it's soft and it, there's so many things that it's not. And it's when you can be. And as you said, you were in your 20s and this is the first time you're experiencing it. It's lIke, okay, this doesn't feel good. I need to figure it out.

00:22:58
And that's what peop. A lot of people that I know don't do. They stuff that because they don't know what to do with it. And so continue, please. I just wanted to kind of add.

00:23:07
That and I did kind of stuff it, you know, I was trying to have active, healthy conversations with people I trusted. And I was lIke, hey, lIke, do I go to California? Do I, do I stay here? LIke? And I was lIke, I'm struggling right now.

00:23:23
I was trying, but again I didn't, you know, I just didn't know anything. So I ended up taking the job in California. It was, I don't want to say the best decision of my life because it was the decision of my life. LIke, you're never gonna know the alternative. It helped me surround myself with the right humans.

00:23:40
It taught me a lot of physical skills as well as emotional skills and just everything for, you know, the two years I was out in la and then I was kind of doing my art intermittently. The art I just picked up as lIke a hobby when my brother and I started the business because I was lIke, we're running this company every day and it's bringing in lots of money, but also it's just, it's just a lot and stressful. I need lIke a therapeutic outlet at night. So I started the art when my brother and I started the company, carried it through and I was going to do it in Minneapolis. And then when I moved to la, it was lIke, okay.

00:24:14
I would go to LA for six months, come home for six months, do my art, get, get some traction on social media with people being invested in my art. I was lIke, no, I'm going back to the non profit in la. Because that was lIke what I loved. And so many people on social media were upset kind of with me. LIke even though I was helping people, they're just lIke, we, we want Ike making art.

00:24:33
That's what you're, you're kind of giving us a tease of you're making art for six months and selling pieces and we want to buy them and then you're just lIke, you know, you're dipping out. And I was lIke, that's what I gotta do right now, my guy. I was lIke, eventually I'll come back to my art. My art is gonna be there. I'm not worried about it.

00:24:50
So yeah. Then April of 23, I came home and really locked in on my art and focus and I had no other option. I wasn't gonna go back to the family business. My LA stint was over. I was lIke, okay, now I can sit down and actually pursue this art for the first time.

00:25:07
And yes, it is cutting Wood. It is bringing projects to life, but it's. How can we use that talent and tool as a vessel to help people? That's. That's what keeps me up at night.

00:25:20
That's where my head goes. And, you know, I finally got to. I kind of had a dream as an artist of, can I pick something up on the side of the road and turn it into something and give it back to the homeowner without them knowing? And I got to live out that dream three weeks ago. That's amazing.

00:25:40
Yeah. It's lIke, I've been thinking about that concept for five years of, lIke, if I picked up somebody's trash and turned it into a piece of art, and I just show up at their door and give them this piece of art, and they have no idea who I am, and can I capture that moment and bring joy to that family in that moment and give them something to hang on their wall? And I did it, and I was so happy. And, lIke, that is a million times cooler than getting a call from the biggest company in the world offering me $100,000 for a piece. LIke, truly, lIke, I do.

00:26:11
I think, again, human connection is everything. And I just happen to know how to cut wood and make it into cool shapes and stuff, and that's cool, and I enjoy the process. And it can also bring a smile to somebody's face. So, lIke, it's as simple as that. If you know what those two things are in your life, lIke, do it.

00:26:32
LIke, what? Why are we questioning outside of that? LIke, I would say the third thing is find a way to make money off of it so you can turn it into an everyday gig and passion. So. Right.

00:26:43
So sometimes taking those. Those ones that maybe don't feel as good are lIke, you know, and. And so if you can take us through, because, you know, there's so many people that listen to this podcast that will say, lIke, okay, I'm in a job that I'm stuck, right? I'm either the breadwinner, or I have to be there. And I always will say, lIke, you got to do something on the side to find, lIke, what clicks.

00:27:04
And it was really. When I started this podcast, it was out as a creative outlet. We had just moved. I stayed home with our kids as they were growing and they were older and they didn't need me anymore. I shouldn't say that they didn't need me as much because they always need me, but they didn't need me as much.

00:27:20
It wasn't the same thing as when they were little. LIke, they didn't depend on, you know, me keeping them alive. They could keep themselves alive now. And so it was this really interesting time in my life, and I would just have, lIke, a lot of women that were lIke, oh, just come play tennis with us or let's go get lunch. And I was lIke, I can't do this.

00:27:37
LIke this. No, this is not. I want something more. And I really was, you know, trying to figure out. And I would just take walks because I figured out, you know what, when I think best is when I'm moving.

00:27:48
So I always would take my dogs for walks. And I was lIke, I'll just take it and kind of daydream and see where my mind goes and see what I want to do. And I would talk to people and they're lIke, no, I don't do that. That. LIke, I.

00:27:58
I don't want to do that. LIke, what if I can't do? And I'm lIke, what do you mean, what if you can't do? Now I know because of my dyslexia, I'll. I'll try anything and everything.

00:28:06
I don't care how above my head, I. If. If it's meant for me, I will figure it out. And if it's not, I won't figure it out. And, yeah, might.

00:28:12
Might not be the best feeling. But, lIke, so what? Right? I tried. That's a good feeling.

00:28:17
So I think if you can take us through a little bit, because I can hear you put pressure on yourself. We, you know, we all put pressure on ourselves. So you kind of coming back from Los Angeles now, coming back to the family, being lIke, okay, I don't know if this is the right place, but I always have had this idea, and it won't let me go. And in my world, whether you believe in God or you believe in the universe, when something keeps coming to you, you have to do it. You have to give it a try.

00:28:46
Because it's someone telling you, this is what you're meant to do. This is why I put you on this earth. Or, you know, again, if you believe in the universe instead of God, lIke, this is what you are meant to do, and if you don't do it, you're not going to be living. Living the fulfilled life that I, you know, that I want for you. And so you have to do something for it.

00:29:03
So if you can take us through a little bit of the pressure that you put on yourself, because you can hear it, right? You want to make others happy. You want people to feel joy because of your optimism. And how you love the world. But you also had this mental health come in where you were lIke, okay, this doesn't feel great.

00:29:19
How can I kind of navigate this? So if you can kind of take us through a little bit of that part of your journey and as you, you know, continue to create, I'm going. To correct one word that you're using, the word pressure. Okay? Because I never felt pressured.

00:29:36
I have to come back to my art or this is the only way I'm going to bring value to the world. It's opportunity. I love that I have never once said I have to be an artist because of this. I know that the opportunity I have is I enjoy making art. I know it can bring value to the world.

00:29:57
Those two things line up. It's your calling. It's somebody. Whether, again, whether it's God or somebody handing you a silver platter and saying, here's this thing. Just put in the time and the effort and keep that spark alive within you to do it every single day.

00:30:16
And things will happen, good things will happen. So a big word in my family is opportunity. It's the reason I, you know, I made a living now by picking up junk on the side of the road and turning it into stuff. People see a dresser that's crumbled on the side of the road and they. 99% of people will be lIke, that's ugly, that's trash.

00:30:37
Somebody please come pick it up. I say, that's opportunity. LIke, it's. You have to find what you're geared at and fixed at. And in my personal life, you know, growing up in an entrepreneurial household, lIke, there's really never been another option for me to work a job, if you will.

00:30:55
LIke, I. Since I was 14, I was lIke, I'm not gonna go to college. I'm not gonna work a job. That's just not me. Now, for the people on that journey and that may be listening to this, that are more of the traditional route, working a 9 to 5.

00:31:11
But no, have that, you know, that instinct that they do wanna change or chase something. LIke, I'm never gonna tell somebody, hey, quit your job and go follow your passion. I have the least risk aversion of my. Of anyone I know. LIke, I will get on a flight today if there's something cool going on.

00:31:27
You know, I'm not a good role model to take after that. But what I will say is, you're working your 9 to 5. You may be unhappy, unfulfilled. Whatever is calling you to potentially think outside of working that is, what are you doing from your 5 to 9? And is it fulfilling you, or is it just filling the gap of consuming time and a distraction from your day to day, your nights, your weekends?

00:31:54
Our societal norm is turn on Netflix, turn on sports, go out drinking. You know, that's what our. Our life outside of work is kind of surrounded by sometimes. And if it's not making you happy, give it an honest effort to cut that out of your life for a month or two. Dive into hobbies.

00:32:12
You don't have to figure it out day one and see if things spark something in you. And I'm not even saying, lIke, pick up a knitting course or learn how to cut wood. LIke, go volunteer. Go hang out with a different group of people. LIke, just try something out of your norm.

00:32:27
Go to the skate park. I don't care what you do. LIke, try 10 hobbies in 10 weeks. See what things bring you joy or what similarities there are. Okay.

00:32:38
At skate parks, I love the grit and the determination of these skaters, but I'm never going to be a good skateboarder. But when I volunteer, I'm really good at this. And then you kind of collect all those data points, and it'll kind of funnel down into, okay, maybe a hobby or a thing that I'm good at. Is this. Let me just dive into it.

00:32:59
And then as you do that, can it turn into a career? Can I make money off of it? And it's not about making money. I don't make money to spend on things. But it's.

00:33:10
It's an avenue for freedom. It's an avenue to follow your passion and to build a career out of it. And in the digital age that we're living in, truly, anyone, if they put some hard effort into it, can make a career out of something they're passionate about, and they have the talent to back it up. And that's my goal. So I love everything you just said.

00:33:32
Yeah. So, lIke, I don't. Me personally, I don't have another choice. I have to do my own thing in life right now. It's wood art.

00:33:41
I. I don't even know what I'm gonna be doing 10 years from now. LIke, I could be doing something, but I know it's gonna be following my heart and on my own terms. LIke, I will never, probably won't work for somebody again in my life. And I just view life as, lIke, this is my story.

00:33:56
This is my one opportunity to do this life. I have this glimpse and this blip of living right now. LIke, I'm not gonna. The fact that, you know, people wait, hate waking up on Monday mornings, and we hate a whole day of the week when we only get seven. We only get seven of them, and there's 52 Mondays in a year, and people hate that day every single week.

00:34:16
LIke, blows my mind, right? So I refuse to. To give in to the societal norms of that, of just, you know, just lIke, all those things. LIke, I just refuse to do that. I know life is a gift every single day, and I want to extract value out of it as much as I can personally, as well as bring people on the journey and remind them of how beautiful this thing is called life.

00:34:43
And that's the goal of my, you know, what I'm doing every day. I love that. I love that. And I. I want people to really, lIke, fast forward and listen to that again, because what you just said is so true.

00:34:57
And it is what we all should be doing in some aspect. And it's scary. It's lIke, you know, it might sound so easy coming from Ike right now, and you might be sitting there going, yeah, that's, lIke, so unreal, unrealistic, but it actually is not. You just take one thing that he said and do it and watch your life turn. Turn upside down or turn around.

00:35:18
And everyone started from zero. LIke, right? Brent started with zero goals in his hockey career. I started with zero social media followers and zero pieces of art sold. And it is hard to look at people that are doing it and living their dream every day, for sure.

00:35:34
And I'm grateful that I can say that and have that opportunity to say that. But truly, lIke, trust me when I said. When I say I picked up a pallet on the side of the road on a Tuesday night and cut it into a coffee table out of pure curiosity, with zero intentions to ever turn it into a career. LIke, I could not be more trustworthy in the words that I just said. LIke, I did it out of pure curiosity and just fulfillment, and I just wanted to do it.

00:36:04
And I posted it on social media and people said, this is cool. Are you selling these? And in my head, I was lIke, oh, I could do a hobby at night and enjoy it and sell it, and then years later, oh, I can do it and make a decent amount of money a year, and maybe this could potentially be a career then. Now, eight years later, lIke, I'm doing it. LIke, I know what it feels lIke at step one, but trust me, lIke, making a decision and just sticking with it and just seeing things out, lIke, why not?

00:36:37
LIke, you're Just gonna not pursue something that you're curious about. LIke, I don't know, you know, I know it's not the easiest jump in the world to make or that mental shift, but, lIke, I'm encouraging you to try it. And curiosity is my favorite word as how I live everything in life. I am curious about everything. I want my kids to be curious.

00:37:01
I want people, lIke, asking questions. And I say this, and I haven't said this in a while, but you could be one question away from a different life. I'm living it. Right. I cannot agree more.

00:37:15
Yeah, right. And it's. And it is again, it's scary, but it actually can be so exciting. And that's what. The excitement to me overtakes anything else.

00:37:25
LIke, what if I did this? I'm curious about it. That's what I was just about to say. It's not even a question of lIke, oh, meeting somebody and they present you a life opportunity. It's questioning yourself.

00:37:36
It's lIke, oh, what if I did do that? Okay. And lIke, if that's a fleeing thought and it just goes away, lIke, so many, lIke, 99 of people. That's the human psychology is you think a thought, but then you're. You come up with excuses or reasons not to pursue it or even try it.

00:37:54
Unfortunately, that. Fortunately, and unfortunately, that just, lIke, it bothers my head every single day. I was lIke, why haven't I built a piece for so and so? Oh, yeah, I should just do that. LIke, what?

00:38:04
You know, think of all the opportunities that could happen. And most people just say, no, that. And I'm. I have to lean more into that every single day. That was kind of my lesson of the past two weeks of those, lIke, dude, you said you've.

00:38:16
You've had these thoughts, these lingering thoughts. Why don't just build the piece for that person? LIke, why are you. Just do it. Why are you just chilling my guy?

00:38:22
And that's me talking to myself. LIke, so. Yeah. I mean, it's. I love that you know that when you go on walks, your best thoughts come through and you can come up with those questions to pick your brain.

00:38:36
And then hopefully when you come home or whatever, you act on them or write them down or, you know, keep that. Keep yourself accountable to a certain degree. And it's not. This isn't a New Year's resolution. This is life.

00:38:48
This is life. This is life. And that's what's so cool. So I want you to. I want you to take back, because I want to hear about.

00:38:55
Not take back But I want you to take us back to hear that piece about how you always wanted to take someone else's trash and build it and then knock on their door. Can you take us through that experience as we kind of close this out? Yeah. I mean, it's a very simple concept when you think of it. Right.

00:39:13
But my art started off as building or picking stuff up from the side of the road, turning into art, and then selling it on the Internet or shipping it to people or whatever. And I always had this lingering thought of why, you know, would it just be funny and cool just to show back up at somebody's house with their junk turned into something? And, you know, it's been a lingering thought. I probably forgot about it for a year. And then, yeah, sometimes this late fall, I was lIke, oh, lIke, I've always wanted to do that.

00:39:47
Let's. Let's be more aware of it, let's be more mindful. Let's look for an opportunity. And I was on a run lIke a month ago. And I run late into the night, lIke midnight to 4am that's usually my running time.

00:40:00
And this was lIke one in the morning, and I was running my normal route and I passed this swing that would have hanged from lIke a tree in the backyard. And it was. It weighed lIke 20 pounds, maybe 25 pounds. I don't know. I remember seeing this.

00:40:14
Yeah. And dude, I. It was probably the happiest moment of 2024. LIke, I've experienced the craziest life this year with so many accomplishments. But this was lIke, I was so giddy and it was just incredible.

00:40:28
I ran past it and I kept running my route. I'm lIke, oh, I need to. Yeah, we need to go back that way. It was gonna be a change in my route. I stop at the swing, I videotape it, and I'm lIke, we're carrying this back to my studio for sure.

00:40:43
And I was lIke, and I can't ruin my pace. So I fully threw it on my shoulders, kept trying to keep up with my 8 minute mile pace with a swing on my shoulders, but it ruined it. And then ran past the police station. It's just this random dude running at one in the morning with a swing on his shoulders. And I brought it back to my shop.

00:41:03
And honestly, I had an idea of what I was going to build it into for a piece of art to sell. My initial thought was not build it for the homeowner. And it sat in my studio for a few days. I kept looking at it. I actually hung it up as a swing in my studio.

00:41:15
And then it broke and it fell apart. Hence why they threw it out probably. And then, yeah, I was lIke, you know what, I'm in a pretty lIke the neighborhood that my studio's in. I was lIke, these are lIke the most friendly people ever. So I was lIke, I'm just gonna build it into a vision of two people sitting on a bench and show back up to their house and give it to them again.

00:41:35
I don't know who these people are. If it's a 90 year old woman or a 20 year old dude. I have zero idea who this family is. And then I made the piece and I was lIke, okay, I'll gift it to him. And everyone on social media was loving the concept of picking it up and bringing it to my shop.

00:41:50
So I was lIke, I lIke, you know, keeping things moving. And lIke, this was lIke a four day project from when I picked it up to when I delivered it to the homeowner. So lIke, you can do a lot more. You can do more in four days or 24 hours than you think you can. Right?

00:42:05
That's something I learned working for that non profit in Los Angeles. And I drove by their house and I saw this dude walking up his driveway, lIke doing yard work. I'm lIke, okay, he's home, he's a guy. LIke, maybe it's a, lIke he was in his lIke 30s, 40s. I was lIke, there's a good chance this is a family.

00:42:21
Whatever. I called my mom, who is my backup videographer, so she could film from the street of the whole interaction. And yeah, lIke 20 minutes later, my mom showed up. We showed up at their house. And what you see on the video and the, the hesitance of the, the wife, she's lIke, why are you at my front door?

00:42:40
And I kind of had the piece turn and I was lIke, hey, I made this for you. And lIke, yeah, that's a weird thing. But lIke, you never know what's gonna happen. It's lIke going up to the pretty girl at the bar and saying, you know, it's just that, that, yeah, hey, just throw it out there. The worst they can say is get off my property.

00:42:56
That's the worst scenario. So, yeah, and she brought the husband out, showed him the piece. He picked up the bench on the side of the road in Milwaukee 10 years prior, before they had kids, before they were married, while they were dating. And he picked it up, they hung it in their backyard. The kids have swung on it since they were, you know, born.

00:43:17
And it was a cool part of their family, but it just, you know, is falling apart. And they threw it out and they cut the tree down. So they threw it on the side of the road, and that's incredible. I so much lined up. LIke, that piece hopefully means a lot to them now.

00:43:30
And for me personally, lIke, yes, they got a free piece of art and it is hanging on their wall, and it's probably meaningful to them, but, lIke, dude, the amount of joy and meaningfulness that I got out of that project is a hundred times theirs guaranteed, right? I I that is just the most inspiring thing to me is just lIke, so, lIke, I can pick up wood on the side of the road and turn it into somebody's day or month or give them a cool story. LIke, I I there was a phrase I used years ago, and I haven't brought it back in a while, and maybe I should. You give LeBron James a basketball, he can do something amazing with it. You give Beyonce a microphone, she can, you know, make 100,000 people cry lIke that.

00:44:21
When I was 23 years old, I picked up a pallet on the side of the road, and that is my thing. I can do something with a pallet and turn it into something to make people feel. And I used to say, find your palate, because if you gave me a basketball or a microphone, I'm not going to change the world lIke LeBron or Beyonce. And if I gave them a palette, they're not going to change the world. But it takes finding that thing that itches, that part in your soul that makes you come alive and help other people and bring light to the world.

00:44:57
And the whole concept of find your palette is just go out and try and figure out your thing and never stop being curious and discovering things about yourself and looking for opportunities in the world to help. I love that. And I have, lIke, a thousand more questions, but I'm going to leave it with that because that was so profound and so beautiful and so real and so on point. LIke, so on point and everything. I believe that I'm going to leave the listeners with that.

00:45:29
And I just want to thank you so much for taking the time to join your next stop. I Everyone can hear I have a cold. But I was lIke, I am not missing this because I feel it, and I've been so excited for it. We've had to reschedule a couple times, but I was lIke, you know what? I'm not sick anymore.

00:45:44
I sound sick, but I'm not. And I am excited for this because I know this is going to be one of those days after I interview I say this all the time. After I interview someone I get this lIke little kick in my step and I this is one that is just going to make me smile for the rest of the day. So I thank you so much Ike for joining your next stop and and sharing, sharing you and your inspiration with us. I appreciate you.

00:46:09
Thank you for the opportunity to do it. Yes. So you guys, you know what to do lIke rate, review and share share this because you don't know who's sitting there stuck in their life not happy and who needs that kind of extra thing to get them moving and this is definitely one that's going to start your year right. And I don't even do the New Year's resolutions because I live every day with intention. That's what you should be doing.

00:46:32
But take this as your sign to start living life with intention. Thank you again.