What is your name, your leather craft business, and where are you located?

Bryan Warner – Low Tide Leather – Corvallis, Oregon

What types of leather goods do you make, or what is your role in the leather craft business?

Minimalist wallets, bags and leather accessories.

What purchase of $100 or less has most positively impacted your leather crafting in the last six months (or in recent memory)?

Vergez Blanchard L’indespensible knife with Chartermade blade (interview with Chartermade).

How has a setback, or seeming setback, set you up for later success in leather craft? Do you have a “favorite failure”?

Comparing myself with other makers. I became incredibly discouraged after the first year or so when I started comparing my success to other leather workers. It was easy to see how detrimental this was to my own business and personal growth and quickly rewired my mindset. Once I let go of comparing myself to others (which took some time and effort), It allowed me to set more personal, realistic goals and feel way more confident in my own progress.

If you could collaborate with another leather crafter to make an item, which leather crafter would it be and what would you make?

Westward Leather, the world’s raddest roll-top backpack.

What is one of the best or most worthwhile investments you’ve ever made? (Could be an investment of money, time, energy, etc.)

A 4-ton clicker press with dies. These investments paid themselves off in a matter of weeks and probably prolong the inevitable wrist arthritis by a few years.

What’s an unusual or odd technique in your process that you’re pretty sure most people don’t do?

Use a leather rougher tool to create better traction for glue.

In the last five years, what new mindset, behavior, or habit has most improved your leather craft?

As a beginner craftsman I had a fellow maker reach out to me to show me how some of my designs were unintentionally starting to replicate his. His approach was tactful and helped me to realize that the inspiration from his work started to distract me from my own creativity. This realization allowed me to dig back into my creative roots and capitalize on my own style and create a brand that stands out. I believe the easiest part of becoming successful is through authenticity and being what people haven’t seen before.

What advice would you give a smart, driven person about to get into leather craft? What advice should they ignore?

Do not compare yourself or your success with anyone.

What are bad recommendations you hear in your profession or area of expertise?

Limited room for growth and sustainability. Leather working and handmade products in general are far more difficult businesses to grow based on the nature of extensive production times, experience, material costs, etc. However, it has been successfully done before, and can be done again.

When you feel overwhelmed or unfocused, or have lost your focus temporarily, what do you do? (If helpful: What questions do you ask yourself?)

Step away. This business is my passion, but still requires balance. Take time away to recharge. It may seem counter productive but I think even passion can burn out if healthy limits aren’t set.

Where can people find you (links to online store, blog, twitter, Instagram, etc.)

lowtideleather.com

IG: @lowtideleather