Today we’d like to introduce you to Leslie Drennan.
Leslie, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I’ve always had an interest in art and I started exploring the woodshop in college during sculpture classes. As intrigued as I was, I never thought that art was something I could make a living out of – whether because of self-doubt or just wanting to go down a better traveled path. After I graduated from the University of Georgia, I already had a job working for a production company. Because it was fast-paced and I worked with really engaging people, I stayed on with them to see where that position would lead me. It didn’t take much time to realize my heart was in Atlanta. I wanted to be closer to my family and to kind of blow my life up – take a big risk. So I moved to the city and started reaching out to sculptors, painters, galleries, anyone I thought might need an assistant or apprentice. Finally, I landed on Kendrick Anderson, a furniture maker here in Atlanta.
Basically, I told him that I knew very little about woodworking, but I was willing to work hard and always clean up after myself, so he agreed to take me under his wing. He gave me the opportunity to learn everything I could from him while he worked on his projects, meticulously showing me every step of the process. After six months of apprenticing under him, I went on to work for a few other shops that work on larger commercial projects. I learned so much so quickly, but the high volume production work wasn’t for me. I reached back out to Kendrick to see if I could come back and work in his shop, but on my own projects this time, and he said yes! I began taking furniture commissions on my own then and started working on a little line of creative home goods that turned into Drennan Studio. It’s ever-evolving, which I love, and always so gratifying to know my work is apart of someone’s home.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
This has definitely not been a smooth path. I’m not very savvy when it comes to business practices or finances, so I’ve taken a ton of advice from all kinds of people on how to price my products and manage my time/money. In addition to that, there is so much pressure when you are creating something from scratch and trying to get people to buy it. Commission pieces are a bit easier on me because I already know what my client wants, but with my home goods, I really struggle with wearing my heart on my sleeve. If I think a certain serving board is really beautiful and should be immediately picked up by someone who will cherish it, I’m all the more crushed to take it home with me at the end of a market. Other times, though, I’ve been so surprised by people falling in love with my items and buying multiples of things to give their friends. It really is beautiful to see your work speak to someone – even if it’s just a wooden spoon!
We’d love to hear more about your business.
So Drennan Studio is a line of wooden home goods created and designed by me. I source my wood from all kinds of places, a lumber yard, a sidewalk, a backyard. Sometimes I let the wood dictate what I make. I focus most of my time on serving boards, candlesticks, and vases, but I’m always exploring other ideas. My pride and joy comes from others’ interest in my work, because oftentimes they don’t know my whole story and that I’ve only been doing this for two years – and only on my own for right at a year. It just reminds me of all the times I’ve pushed through hours of turning, sanding, and oiling while I pour over every detail of a piece. It brings back all the feelings of shooting myself with a nail gun or a piece of bark flying off the lathe and hitting me in the stomach. It makes every little frustration that any art can and will throw at you totally worth it.
What were you like growing up?
Oh, I was totally obsessed with all kinds of art. My parents were very encouraging when it came to whatever I wanted to explore and wanted me to see art in all kinds of things – rocks, flowers, you name it. I was very curious and outspoken and seemed to always know what activity I wanted to do. As a little kid, it was oven-baked clay and glitter paint and as a teenager, it was hours and hours in my room painting and drawing and destroying my parents’ carpet. Thankfully they were understanding. I played sports and really enjoyed nature, but it was always going to be about art for me.
Contact Info:
- Website: drennanstudio.com
- Instagram: @_drennan
Image Credit:
Andrew Thomas Lee, Marina Martin, Grayson Holt
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