I didn’t realise until my mid-30s, but it turns out I am that person who can spend hundreds of hours meticulously crafting a guitar, not knowing until the very last moment whether it will be the instrument it was hoped to be.

~

My life has always been a little bit off-the-beaten-track, beginning with a home-schooled upbringing in rural South Africa and Kenya - strongly encouraged to develop independence and creativity, and fortunate to have the freedom to develop skills and knowledge at my own pace. I was immersed in music through my parents and the vibrant East-African community we lived in.

I was a very particular child, generally content doing my own thing. I loved science and maths, cross stitch and playing with Lego; I would choose my toys for the following day and lay them out the night before. Life involved a lot of time outside, mostly barefoot, and when the rains came twice a year, we would all run outside to play in the refreshing downpour.

Needless to say, adjusting to state school education in the UK was a bit of a shock.

I was fortunate to finish school with good grades and an abundance of ambition, so I decided to follow in my parents’ footsteps and train as a Doctor.

But over the years, that childhood sense of being a misfit never left me. One way or another, life ended up taking some unexpected turns…

…ultimately stepping away from medicine and feeling very lost. At the same time, my parents had some unexpected health issues. Being keen to spend some time closer to them through this period, I asked my dad to introduce me to the craft of lutherie - something he had enjoyed as a hobby over the years.

Within just a few weeks, I was totally obsessed.

Even before the first guitar was finished, I already knew exactly what I wanted to do differently next time.

So I simply had to start another…

…and then another…

I was totally hooked.

~

For me, lutherie brings together science, musicality, craftsmanship and creativity in such a wonderful way.

There are detailed scientific considerations in creating a good structure, defining the acoustics, and calculating the geometry of a well functioning instrument.

There is musicality in imagining how an instrument should sound; understanding what aspects of tone are required to make that a reality; and hearing when the instrument has been tuned correctly.

There is carefully time-honed craftsmanship in working with all of the tools and materials, building with accuracy and precision, and finishing surfaces to perfection.

There is almost endless scope to interpret what it means to create a beautiful instrument, and making that a reality for all of the senses.

Striving to find the perfect intersection of all these aspects is undoubtedly a lifelong journey, but one that I thoroughly enjoy.

In addition, there is the joy of working alongside talented musicians and drawing them into the creative process - identifying the specific needs of an instrument to suit their playing style and ambitions.

The result is inevitably something beautiful that neither musician nor luthier could create alone.

~

My personal music taste is broad, finding something captivating in almost every genre - but when I pick up a guitar, my hands always seem to end up playing Davy Graham, Don Ross, John Martyn, James Taylor and Joni Mitchell.