Now that we are coming out on the other side of a worldwide pandemic, where many worked from home and got accustomed to using services like Zoom and Skype, it has become common practice to jump on a Zoom call to go over things. This is great; it has allowed me to connect with my clients and get to know them better than the usual phone conversation.
The only problem is that the wall behind me is pretty embarrassing to look at. It usually gets piles of junk leaning against the wall, and the wall itself has a few scars. So instead of having a great conversation about their project, I was distracted, wondering what they thought of the monstrosity behind me.
So I talked to Elements Wood Imports to see if they had something cool to build some shelves out of to spice up my backdrop, and boy did they. They had several unique pieces of Genuine Mahogany, basically small slabs from the base of the tree. These fit the bill nicely, as I wanted some decorative shelves behind me, but as I started to work on the design details, I realize that this was going to be more than just decorative shelves. It would be a conversation starter, and conversation starters for an introvert like myself are important.
When meeting someone new, there is always this awkward start to the conversation. What do I say after I introduce myself? Well, now I don’t really have to worry about that. Nine times out of ten, the client will comment on the mahogany shelves.
They really did turn out like a piece of art. It is also great that they have a story behind them. Elements wood imports are a small family-owned business that imports exotic species from the Island of Saint Lucia. The owners use to live down the street from me. So it has been a great conversation starter to tell my clients the full story.
If you want to see how I went about building these shelves and the thought process behind how I went about carving them, please check out the video. A special thanks to Elements Wood Imports for Sponsoring the video.
