The Graduates
It can take guts to take a year out to start a new career. Investing in yourself is not cheap either, but then again how expensive is it to be miserable or feel lost within your own life?
It was unusual in 2017 that the seven full-time students at the Centre for Fine Woodworking were all men. Not so unusual that their ages and life experiences varied widely.
If you want to pick a place on Earth that resembles woodworking heaven, head to Nelson, New Zealand. Flying in, you’ll see from above a sandy coastline curling around from Golden Beach to Nelson’s deep turquoise harbour. Known for its thriving artisan culture (and also the hop plantations which fuel the Kiwi craft beer industry), Nelson is also a popular holiday destination.
A short drive out of town, nestling behind the magnificent gardens of a heritage-listed home, the Centre for Fine Woodworking is housed in what was once a commercial cabinet shop. It’s a large timber building with delineated areas for bench and machine work. For the full-time students however, the serenity of its pastoral setting is left at the door, as for those who crave it,
