Many of you have been personally touched by Tools Are For Women Too! and have possibly wondered what is the story of the man behind the blog. Yes Rory is a man!! This came as a bit of a surprise to me too when I was first invited to the Times are Tough Thursdays-Party, and poured over the site and its mission. The first thing I knew was that I wanted to be involved with the great thing Rory had created. So I contacted the French Maid and asked more about Rory. I thought maybe the French Maid was Rory, because I saw her charming birdhouses on the site and Rory was a woman for women, right? Wrong, Rory is a guy, I was told, which happened to be okay with me, because I am used to being wrong and a few other craftswomen, I won't name names, presumed the same thing. This got me thinking, this man who was so giving, is a bit of a mystery and I wanted to figure out a few things out about him. What makes this altruistic man of mystery tick(okay I am laying it on a little thick maybe)? Well read on and see if you can figure him out any better than the man in your life!
T&G: How did you get involved in crafting and what was your first passion?
R:My family was always pretty short of money when I was a kid. We couldn't afford new furniture in those days. So when I was about 12 my parents started dragging me around to garage sales and auctions. We would buy whatever we thought we needed and could fix up. By the time I was 16, I was refinishing furniture as a part time job for a local antiques dealer. I have worked with my hands ever since and I now restore fine antiques for a living. Along with my restoration business, I find myself building and creating things, as well.
T&G: Do you have a store on Etsy?
R: Hmmm.....not really. I work hand in hand with the French Maid. She is the love of my life and we are pretty much joined at the hip. I sometimes post my handmade items in her store and she sometimes helps me with Tools Are For Women Too!
T&G: How much time do you spend blogging per day?
R: Wow! Tons. Some days more than others, but it's a lot. I am often writing posts after midnight. I would hate to guess the average per day. It's a lot though. But here's the deal, there are around 100,000 new blogs starting up every day. If you expect to stand out amongst the crowd, you need to put in the hours it takes to get noticed. I treat my blog as if it is a business and I work it every single day.
T&G: How much time do you dedicate to crafting and what do you design?
R: Since I make my living with my hands, I am usually either doing something crafty, or thinking about it. I think I mumble projects in my sleep at times. Today I spent some time on my wood lathe making wine and cordial glasses out of some reclaimed pine.
T&G: What inspires you when designing?
R: I have an extensive background working with antiques, so I frequent a lot of flea markets and antique stores looking for that next big project. I am notorious for bringing home a piece of old furniture and putting it next to the TV for a few days until I make up my mind which direction I want to go with it.
T&G: What inspires you in general?
R: The French Maid
T&G: Are you involved in any groups, teams, organizations or do any volunteering?
R: Yes, I belong to a local woodworking guild that does a lot of charitable projects. Our goal this year is to provide 2500 wooden toys to needy kids. The guild has also done things like build wheel chair ramps for people, who otherwise could not get in and out of their homes on their own. It is a pretty wonderful organization.
T&G: What are your favorite materials to work with?
R: It has to be wood, but it is not always about sawdust with me. I also weave rush sheets, hand cane chairs, build stained glass windows and a variety of other things.
T&G: What do you want people to remember you for?
R: I think every craftsperson would like to be remembered for 1 terrific thing they were able to create with their hands. I keep trying to build something like that. Maybe one day I will be satisfied that I have done it. Meanwhile I keep trying.
T&G: Walk us through a typical day in Rory's life...
R: That would make this interview wayyy to dull. Lets just say it starts on the computer at about 7am and ends on the computer around midnight, if it's a short day. In between is some woodworking and a lot of craft stuff. Makes me tired thinking about it.
T&G: Tell us the #1 thing you want to complete before you die?
R: I would like to complete at least 1 ultimate project. At this point I'm not even sure what it will be, but I'm sure it must be something great. Stay tuned.
T&G: What would your friends have to say about you where you are the honoree at a party?
R: Just the idea of having friends who would do something like that is honor enough for me. No words would need be spoken.
T&G: Can you offer us any advice on how to be more successful bloggers?
R: Yes, my blog grew what I considered to be very slowly until I stopped worrying about followers and started worrying about the needs of others. Don't worry about receiving, just give, give, give. The followers will beat a path to your door.
Well there you have it, Rory is a man, and he is in an exclusive relationship with the French Maid! Okay, I am not writing an Etsy version of Us Weekly, so that is totally a joke!! Rory said that he would like to be remembered for one really awesome thing that he created with his hands and I believe he will be. One could remember him for the start he gave them in their business with the efforts he puts in to help others blogging each week. He may be remembered by a child on Christmas morning when they receive one of the toys he crafted for them. Let's face it Rory is an example to all of us to give more than we take out, because in his life he has set an example of giving back to others. Whether he is building ramps for people in wheel chairs to have access in and out of their homes, giving to children in need, or assisting all of the followers of Tools Are For Women Too!, he is looking for ways to help people besides himself. Rory may be remembered for something he has built, but I think his lasting legacy will be his selfless nature and his simple wish. That we all pay it forward!
What a beautiful interview Brooke, I think you are correct, Rory might want to be remembered for something unique he has done with his hands, but what he might not realize is that he has already built many bridges to other people's hearts!
ReplyDeleteIf not for him, I would not have met you :)
Aside from that, since my meeting Rory, I have been reaching out to more people from other blogs and I am considering teaching online which has been a dream of mine. I believe Rory's vision is contagious, he is quite a guy, and you are an amazing artist, I look forward to continue meeting other artists in the blogs...I believe we all have a bit of someone else's puzzle, that in order to get our own puzzle pieces together it is important and at times essential to be open to ask as well as to receive, that we are all linked by some magical thread invisible to the eye, and only by opening our hearts we make the connection tangible. I for one can only say, magical things have happened in the past couple of weeks which would not have occurred if I had not been willing to ask. Paying forward is a great way to open the flow for abundance and creativity to happen.
Thanks to you for giving us a side of Rory and his beloved lady that some of us did not know. (I knew he was a guy...laughs*) And thanks to you for all those emails, and for your humor, you are a true delight.