Meet Ben Hazlerig | 3D Wood Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ben Hazlerig and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ben, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
Starting my own art business was a no brainer for me. I’ve been self employed most of my adult life. My parents raised me with the saying (that’s still embedded in my brain) “find something that you love to do and you’ll never work a day in your life.”

I was a small business owner for 16 years and recently closed those doors in the summer of 2019. I had been soul searching for several years on what I wanted to do next prior to closing. In 2020, when the lockdowns where in full effect, my creative mind went into overdrive from all of the free time. I wanted to make something. I wanted to connect. I wanted to express what the world had me feeling.

My original idea was to turn traditional tattoo style art into framed wood art. I really like tattoo art and how symbolic the imagery is. The bold use of lines and color are what make tattoos really pop off or your skin. I thought that the same elements would look really cool hanging on your wall.

Having never done anything like this before, I did some research and figured out the tools that it would take to get started. A few weeks later, I made a little tattoo rose out of Balsa wood and wood shims. It wasn’t perfect by any means, but it brought my idea to life. I learned so much in making that first piece that I immediately started on project number two. I haven’t stopped creating ever since.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Getting to make art for a living is very special to me. My father was an artist. He was a professor at a 4 year art school my whole life. Every family vacation during my childhood, we had at least one trip planned to a museum. At 8 years old, its not that cool but now that I’m an adult, I look back and think how fortunate I was to grow up with an artist.

My dad did a bunch of his art at our house. Whether he was grading assignments or working on his own projects, there was always some kind of art around my house. As a curious kid, I would ask a ton of questions. For the most part, my dad would answer and explain the process or thinking behind whatever he was working on. I guess this is where I learned the problem solving mentality that I still use today.

My dad passed away 6 years ago. It wasn’t until his funeral that I really looked back on his life and fully realized his passion and dedication to art. Just a few days before he passed away, my dad was out shopping for blocks of wood for the next project he was going to tackle. He was an artist at his very core.

My art is very much a product of the creative process my dad explained to me over the years. I’ve been making art for a year and a half now, but I feel like I’ve been learning how to do it since I was a child.

As I work in the shop, I often think of my dad. He helps me still to this day.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I’d like to dedicate my shoutout to the practice of meditation. I became an avid reader when I turned 40. I read many books on entrepreneurship, mindset, consciousness, spirituality, and changing habits. Through this personal development journey, I decided to add meditation to my daily routine.

Meditation has been the single biggest contributing factor to my art career. Finding peace and clear thinking through life’s obstacles has really helped me focus on what is important in life. Putting personal issues to rest after years of struggle is life changing. If anyone is feeling stuck in life or unsure of what they should do next, I highly recommend taking up a practice of meditation.

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