Meet Nick Sivak

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

Hi Nick, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking.
I was never a risk taker in my teens or early adulthood. Financial weight was something I’d avoid coming from a household who’d declared multiple bankruptcies. I eventually took a leap of faith and purchased a $17k industrial laser cutter with payments spanned across three credit cards. Stress and financial anxiety will force you to do whatever is takes to see your goals come to fruition. For me, I need a challenge to keep motivated with my business goals.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My art stems from my curiosity of how things work. Growing up, I’d take apart toys or appliances to better understand how they operate. My curiosity led me to the puzzle box community on Youtube. After watching many Chris Ramsay videos I knew I had to develop my own special box. I’m best known for my secret locking Ouija stash box. I’ve crafted more than 300 boxes over the last six years and it continues to be my flagship item. For me an item needs to have practical use and staying power. It’s very easy to fall into artistic trends or “the current thing” to make ends meet financially. I like to aim my focus on items I make well and that resonate with my clientele. I developed my Ouija boxes very early on and never imagined they’d have the reach and popularity today.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Living on the border of Tempe/Mesa I’m spoiled with the amount of great food and entertainment that surrounds me. I’ve recently been obsessed with Worth Takeaway in downtown Mesa. They currently hold my top spot for carefully crafted and unique sandwiches. For entertainment you can’t go wrong with Yucca Taproom. Whether it’s a quick round of pool with friends, a concert or a pinball tournament, they provide it all for entertainment. If I’m looking to make my way outside the city I like to travel up to Flagstaff, Arizona. The High Country Motor Lodge is my shangri la after a good snow.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My wife has been my biggest supporter from the start of Carved With Light. She’d listen to my ideas and critique my work as I attempted to get the business off the ground. She’s by my side at almost all of my market events and isn’t afraid to voice her opinion to keep me grounded or give new perspective.

Website: https://www.etsy.com/shop/CarvedWithLight

Instagram: @carvedwithlight