Craft Piper: Tell us a little about yourself…
Bogdan: I am an ordinary guy from a small town on the shores of the Sea ofAzov. I live in Ukraine, Berdyasnk city. Not married, no children. From childhood, he loved to draw and sculpt a lot. I haven’t specially studied this anywhere. For a long time I could not find myself in life, I worked at various jobs, I was engaged in airbrushing on cars, on walls, I worked in a newspaper. But I was always haunted by the feeling that this was not my calling. And a couple of years ago a nuisance happened, I was fired right away from two jobs, I fell into a deep depression, I thought I won’t get out. But one day I accidentally took a dremmel from a friend and decided to try it. The first day I made a small engraving. I did not have the necessary tools and equipment, but the result surprised me, as if I had already been involved in this business and I know how to do it. Then I took a couple of small wooden boxes and made a skull out of them. So I started carving chests and boxes. I sold my first carved box at Etsy for $ 10 and was very happy lol. You know, it seems to me that what is happening in our life is not just randomness and coincidence, It seems to me that the God helped me find myself in life and gave me this chance.
Q: What got you interested in the pipe making hobby?
A: I always loved to draw faces, and when I began to engage in carving, I was looking for where to use the carving of the heads of different characters and monsters. At first I made boxes in the form of heads, but then he saw the work of one guy, he made carved pipes. And I thought wow this is much cooler than what I’m doing, I want to do the same 🙂 Besides, there is a composition there, I can make a small character on a tamper and connect it to the main pipe. That’s cool. And when I bought the first piece of briar and tried to make carvings, I was really happy, this wood is much nicer than the rest, because it does not have coarse fibers and I can make many fine details. Moreover, it is not just a sculpture, it is a functional thing, a person can smoke it and not just admire it.
Q: How long have you been making pipes?
A: I started making pipes in the spring of 2018.
Q: Do you have a favorite shape or “style” that you really enjoy making?
A: I like different monsters and charismatic characters. I love when there are a lot of small details. Also, when it turns out to make a recognizable face, it is also very cool.
Q: Where did you learn to make pipes? Did you have a mentor? Youtube, Google, etc.?
A: Since I drew a lot and never studied carving professionally. I thought that the thread should be like drawing only three-dimensional. I watched the works of various masters and took from each of them what I thought was necessary, yes, I reviewed many videos on YouTube. Memorized and analyzed a lot of information. Tried to figure out what works best for me.
Q: Favorite type of briar/cobb to use? Why?
A: I tried different briar, but when I started carving, I found defects inside the wood, it was critical for me. Then I found a great seller Domenico Romeo MIMMO
from Italy. Now I only make pipes from his brirar
Q: What is your view on the current state of the pipe “hobby”? Is it expanding or shrinking..in your experience?
A: It would be nice to make money on this, but while it’s probably more of a hobby than work, it’s not a constant or stable income. But I see that more and more people are interested in my work. I just think that a loved job and a loved one are nearby – this is happiness for a person.
Q: What investment(s), if any, have you made in equipment, materials, etc.
A: To be honest, I don’t keep track of money, I always buy new tools and equipment. I think it is much more difficult to find good helpers, I have a couple of friends who help me in creating my pipes. I don’t have a website. I tried to advertise, but Facebook forbids the promotion of smoking products.
Q: What’s the most frustrating thing about making a pipe?
A: I do not even know. Probably when I are not happy with my work. And this often happens to me. I tell myself, I could have done better. It affects me a lot.
Q: Has there been another pipe maker that influenced you? Who, why?
A: Yes, of course, there are a lot of great masters, but the guy who influenced me the most was his nickname, svpipedesing. He has damn cool pipes and I like his style.
Q: Do you have any particular ritual when you’re working? Music, bourbon..TV??
A: It seems to me that it is important to concentrate fully on work and not be distracted. Yes, I listen to music when I work, it must be something meditative and atmospheric, like ambient or chillout. But sometimes I want something heavy and brutal lol!
Q: How do you market your pipes? Social media, pipe shows, friends, etc.?
A: I sell through instagram, facebook, etsy. People just see my portfolio and say what they want. As I said, I’m not a very famous master, but I hope to become one someday :
Q: What are your future plans for the pipe making hobby? Get big? Just a hobby?
A: The goal is probably to make good money to fully engage in pipes. And the dream is to make some unique style of my own, so that my pipes are exhibited in famous museums in the world 🙂
Q: What do you want us to know that we haven’t asked?
A: I just wanted to say that people would not lose hope and look for themselves in life, not be afraid to take risks and try something new. Even if at first it doesn’t come out. Many have told me that I am a terrible carver, and I should not do this. Especially make pipes. My first works were not very beautiful. And if I listened to them, I don’t even know what would be with me now. But I said that God’s will is at all, and I just do something he says to me. Yes, I did not become a millionaire, but I do what I love and I am happy. Just think about it.
