My path so far...
About Spectrum Woodwright
Spectrum Woodwright is my attempt to build a career that works with, not against, how my mind is wired. My whole life I felt like the world, especially the workplace wasn't built for me.
After years of trying to fit into roles that dulled my focus or drained my energy, I learnt I was neurodivergent. Getting a late diagnosis of ADHD and Autism in 2022-2024.
After becoming unemployed in winter 2024 from another role that didn't support my neurodivergence, I had to take time to recover and the idea of returning to another role that would risk burning out and damaging my mental health no longer felt like a sane option.
So... I'm taking the leap into being self-employed full time and trying to make my way as a woodworker with the hope to create a studio for other neurodivergent makers in the future.
My Makers Mark
My brand, Spectrum Woodwright, carries a double meaning for me: it celebrates the incredible natural range of colour and character found in my chosen hardwoods, and it also reflects my place on the neurodivergent spectrum.
This is represented through my makers mark/logo a combination of a spectral rainbow & tree ringed log slice.
Phoenix Engravers
My relationship with making began early, rooted in a quiet fascination with detail, material, and how to turn ideas to physical objects.
That interest carried me through D&T studies and into running my first small business, 'Phoenix Engravers' as a teenager.
Trading on markets stalls and eventually being awarded NMTF's under 30s National Market
Trader of the Year 2016 title.​
The Future
The long-term goal is to develop Spectrum Woodwright into a well equiped, supportive workshop & design studio for neurodivergent makers.
I'm hoping to grow to the size where I can use my future workshop space to offer inclusive and accessible modern apprenticeships for other neurodivergent people wanting to explore woodworking.
Each order and opportunity to grow contributes directly to the dream of my own workshop and the dream of hosting a design studio that is build from the ground up for educating and employing other neurodivergent makers.