Today we’d like to introduce you to Andrew Lundquist.
Hi Andrew, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I’ve always been artistically inclined, when I was young I was known to make sculptures out of any random scrap of cardboard or pipe cleaner I could get my hand on. I was highly influenced by my parents, my mother was a painter and my father was a DIY-er so ending up as a very hands on artist felt predestined. In my 20’s I tried my hands at many different artforms: short film, web comics, game design, podcasting and none of them stuck for very long. It wasn’t until the pandemic that I took on my biggest project. While everyone else was baking sourdough, I was building a tiny home on wheels. Fully self taught and self funded I spent most weekends for the next 4 years building out what I call my plan-b home. It not my first choice of living situation, but will be there if the current housing market remains out of reach.
After the tiny home was mostly finished, I had a wealth of knowledge and an arsenal of tools that I really had no outlet for. I had always been interested in woodworking but it felt inaccessible. So I took a swing that Christmas to make cutting boards for my family. In exploring a wood shop for the first time I came across diverse colors and patterns of wood that I could have never imagined. Woodworking in my mind was colored only in shades of brown, but in reality that simply isn’t the case. To my delight every color of the rainbow occurs naturally in some species of wood. From that point I had a convergence of many different thoughts.
I had always been someone who skirted around the edges of nerd culture. I enjoyed my fair share of science-fiction and fantasy, but rarely owned a graphic t-shirt, a poster on my wall or attended any conventions. It was around the time that TikTok had started the Tiktok Shop and I was exposed to both a good and bad side of the broader fandom space. I saw tons of independent artists share their fanart in stained glass, painting, crochet and much more, but I also saw people churning out mass produced plastic and 3D printed slop to make a quick buck. I wanted to be a part of the former group. So with my new knowledge of the color palette that wood had to offer, and having not come across a woodworker in the fan art space I knew this would be a niche that I could fill.
I wanted to create something that felt elevated, as a man in his 30’s unframed posters and plastic figurines were not how I wanted to show my love for these stories, I wanted to create something for the adult nerd. So I began with a bowl designed to look like a devil fruit from the anime One Piece. I was new to the fandom and its Netflix adaptation had just come out so I felt called to ride that wave. I wanted my work to be useful on top of its pop culture reference, I felt like it added a little je ne sais quoi to the piece. Since then I’ve made Pokeball Ring Boxes, Studio Ghibli Desk Pets and Dragon Egg incense holders, amongst many other things, usually following my own passions but always looking for what other fans would like to see represented in wood.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I would say it has been fairly smooth. I think my bumps in the road came well before I found this art form. I have thankfully found a ton of support from the other artists I meet, and have a great support system in my friends and family that has provided a living situation where I am able to pursue this craft.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
As an artist I go by Lundi, and sell my work under the name “lundimakes” where I create bespoke woodcraft inspired by pop culture. Most of my work is wood sculpture with smaller offerings such as keychains, magnets, bookmarks and jewelry pieces all crafted out of wood that take inspiration from science-fiction, fantasy, anime and video games.
I’m most proud that my work is created with a renewable resource. I love that I can highlight the natural beauty of our world while simultaneously celebrating the stories that we all know and love. On top of that none of my products use any paint or stain, it is very important to me that my art is crafted in celebration of the natural wood.
I feel set apart in two spaces. As a woodworker, for me color is king. Looking out at the broader woodworking world, I feel like the array of colors and patterns that are available are often under represented. As a pop culture artist I feel like my woodwork brings permanence and an elegance that most other materials don’t. I think much of the art in the fandom space is unfortunately treated as disposable and I like to think when my work finds a new home it will remain a lasting piece in their space.
Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
My best advice for networking is to always approach with kindness and ask questions. Most of my networking is done at vending opportunities where other vendors can be locked in on doing the work and interacting with customers. But if you have a moment where you aren’t interrupting a sale, ask them about their work, what inspires them or what is their method. And don’t shy away from buying something even if its just a small item, it shows that you appreciate their work if you are also willing to pay for it. And then, of course always have a contact card on you — you should be giving them out to everyone.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://lundimakes.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lundimakes/
- Other: https://lundimakes.myportfolio.com/
