“From Sketch to Sawdust: Lessons from a Life Between Design and Making”

Bridging the gap between drawing and doing.

I was trained to draw.

 I chose to build.

And in the space between those two worlds—design and making—I found something rare:

a deeper understanding of both.

Architects are trained to see what isn’t yet there. To imagine, represent, and resolve. Builders are trained to bring it to life—efficiently, precisely, and without excuses.

I’ve lived both roles. And it’s taught me that each is incomplete without the other.

The designer who doesn’t understand how things go together is drawing dreams that can’t stand up. The builder who doesn’t understand the intent behind the drawing risks missing the mark entirely.

The magic happens in the overlap.

This blog lives in that overlap. I write from the muddy middle—where ideas meet constraints, where creativity is shaped by reality, and where every decision has weight.

If you’re someone who’s ever wanted to build better—on the job, in your business, or in your life—then you’re in the right place.

Field Note:

Don’t just build what’s drawn. Build what was intended.