A (5:27)

Yes, sir. And so before we continue, I would like the new co host, Mr. Quinn Hartley, to introduce himself as well and then lead off with his question.

D (5:36)

You bet.

C (5:38)

So I'm Quinn Hartley. I'm a senior. I show sheep and goats all over the state of Texas, all over the nation. Had a fair share of success. Cade, you judged at the junior college level for South Plains out in leveling. What led you out there and what, what made you want to go to school there, man?

D (5:58)

So my cousin Stock Martin, he. They raised show calves, show cattle out there in Hereford, Texas. And every summer I'd go up there and spend a few weeks with them and just loved every second of it. You know, every time it'd be time to come home, you know, the day, the night before, I'd call my mom, just beg or let me say, let me stay for a few more days. And that didn't work a whole lot of times. But he went and judged at South Plains and really loved it. And I remember one, I was actually, I was at work and he called me and said, hey, you really ought to come tour and give this thing a shot. And so me and my mom, we flew up there. My, I guess is November, my senior year, we flew up there, up here to Lubbock, and he came and picked us up and, you know, gave us a tour, drag us around and everything. And, man, I fell in love with it. There was once I just, you know, got to meet everybody and everything. I just, There was no question. And at that point too, my now fiance, Courtney Shude, toured asu, toured Texas Tech. And I think she was kind of leaning towards Tech and, you know, that was probably played a little bit of a role and kind of, you know, knowing I'd only be 30 minutes from her. So probably a culmination of things, but that's ultimately what kind of made me land on it. But man, it was a great time.

A (7:16)

Yes.

C (7:16)

And I know you've already mentioned it a couple times, but Texas Tech and obviously your girlfriend at the time was there. What were the other reasons you decided to end up there?

D (7:28)

Oh, so I think there's a big misconception. I don't actually go to Tech I feel like I do. All my friends do my hell. My roommate Tracy goes to tech here. She goes to tech. But it was kind of a bit. After South Plains, it was kind of a big question, you know, whether what I was going to do. I got asked to judge at tech, and flight school was the other option. But as we'll get into later, that was right about the time the sculpture deal really exploded. That and ultimately I just kind of decided, you know, I think I had gone from doing a couple to. I think I must have had probably gotten 30 or 40 on the list. And then I was like, man, I can do this all summer, and I can work for my garage and work for myself. And I just ended up kind of rolling into it, and now it hadn't really stopped, but I was going to go to either flight school or tech and judge, but I was just so busy and ultimately just land on doing my own thing.

C (8:27)

That's awesome.

D (8:29)

Yes.

A (8:29)

Being able to go from juco school to considering judging at a prestigious school, but end up working for yourself, I think is probably one of the ultimate goals in life. And so for you, being able to incorporate that and do that is just awesome. And going into the next question, I'd like, what advice would you give to the younger generation to become successful within the reasons room and on the floor? From your experience at South Plains, you bet.

D (8:59)

That's an awesome question. You know, I'd say, oh, I was very, very blessed to have two great coaches. My freshman year there at South Plains, we had Connor Newsom, and then my sophomore year, Connor Brew kind of took that thing over and just did a really good job. It was just. It was his first year as a coach, and we were all kind of just figuring out together, but definitely had a great time. I would say, you know, the most important thing, you know, and the reasons rem. I'll tell you, because I grew up judging junior. I'm sorry, in junior high and high school. But, you know, I never. I never gave sets. So, you know, you'll hear a lot of coaches tell you they don't mind that. They don't mind you coming in, you know, with a fresh, fresh mind, a clean slate, and just kind of letting them mold you into how they want you to give the set. And that worked really good for me because I never struggled on the floor at all. That was probably my strong suit. But in the reasons room, it definitely took me a little more time to kind of get that squared away. And Brew did a great job of really kind of helping Tailor each of our sets to our strong suits. And, you know, for me, it ultimately ended up being a shorter set. I mean, I was only probably given a minute 10, a minute 15 set. But I like to be very creative. The introduction and how I. How I describe those things. And he just did a great job of letting. Kind of letting me loose and then just dialing in the things that need to be fixed and tweaked on. As far as on the floor, I'd say do the big thing. I think a lot of guys try to. We try to get too cute with it sometimes or, you know, just have too much fun with it in a way, almost. But, you know, just do the big thing, man. If there's one that needs to be last, put them last. There's one that needs a win. Go ahead and make the thing win, because, you know, when you start trying to reinvent the wheel, without a doubt, I think, is when you kind of run into, you know, maybe just taking a pair to busting the whole deal up and getting yourself in a real bind. So I would say get in there, be smart. Just do the big thing in the class. And you're never really going to be in that much trouble if you just kind of stick to the script and make smart decisions and just don't try to get too cute with it. Ultimately.

C (11:19)

I loved how you talked about creativity in your sets, and that kind of leads us to our next question. You started CD sculptures during the pandemic. What led you to grab a block of wood and to shape it and to create this business?

D (11:34)

Man. Oh, that's. That's another good one. I. You know, like, everyone. Everyone's heard the story, like you said, that that was during the pandemic. That was really right after Houston. And so my. So Courtney, she reserved Houston, and then, you know, literally that day that we were in the barn, so we got to show, but no one else did get to show at Houston that year. When whatever was in the barn got to. I remember there were heifers in the line, and they didn't even let them come in. They had to turn around and go home. But anyways, she ended up reserving the show, and that was really big for their family. They had her and her brother. They've always done real well. They Reagan won some doe shows, and they both, you know, gotten in pieces of divisions a number of times, and they, you know, to finally win the big banner was really great for them. And I guess we'd only been dating probably less than six months at that point. So it was probably a little bit me wanting to, you know, impress the family, say, on their good side a little bit and all that. But I've been artistic, you know, my whole life. Always loved to draw and things like that, and I guess just kind of a sense of just wanting to see what could be, what could happen and wanting to be creative with something. I had some tools, and I just started doing a little bit of research and figure out what wood was good for carving. And so, yeah, I just ordered a couple blocks and didn't have anything to do because school. School was out, shows were done, and, you know, there's nothing else to do. So I started playing around with that. And, you know, now looking back, that first sculpture, it's not something I would be proud of today, per se, but, you know, like, anything, you gotta start somewhere, and it's. They still have it there in their house, and every time I go there, I love to look at that thing and just kind of see where I started. It's pretty cool to see that and remember where I was then and, you know, what something can turn into, I guess.

B (13:38)

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A (14:06)

Yes, sir. And so just talking about that, I'd like to. For you to explain the process and the time that goes into each sculpture, because not only have you talked about, you know, you put in all these hours and all this time, this money, I would like to know the process of it, of you designing and bringing the life out of these sculptures.

D (14:28)

Well, sure. You know, it starts off, you know, so obviously, people message me, do whatever, say, you know, they want one, whatever it is. And we still kind of start that whole process. And I tell everybody, send me as many pictures as possible. You know, whether it's 2 or 10, I definitely prefer the 10. Just especially on some of them animals that, you know, they're marked up a little bit different or something like that. You want to be able to see each angle on every side and all that. But ultimately, I'll pick out my favorite picture of the ones they send me, blow it up on my computer, and then I'll sketch that out on the block of wood. And once I do that move to the bandsaw where you have the block and cut it. You basically cut out the silhouette of it. Then what I do after that, this is. This is the whole beginning process, isn't near as fun to me because it's just all the kind of the boring, monotonous stuff that you got to get out of the way to get to the end product. But anyways, then I'll find the perfect center. All my blocks are supposed to be sheep and goats are supposed to be three inches wide. Cattle and hogs are supposed to be four. They're always within about a quarter an inch of three or four. They're never perfect. So I gotta find exactly. I'll get the tape measure and get exactly the center of it. Then do a line all around the entire thing so I know exactly what the center of it is. Because it's, you know, real important to keep everything square and symmetrical. After that cut, you gotta cut in between the front legs and the back legs. Just get. I'll get the jigsaw and kind of start carving that out. And then that's kind of the boring part done. After I've done that, then it's when I can really start. I'll get the pencil out and kind of draw my lines. You know, where his rib needs to tie in and get his shoulder. Just get all those angles and everything how I want them. Then I. After that, it's just hours and hours and hours on the Dremel, man, just peeling off all that extra wood and start getting that thing to take shape. And that. The first. The first part I talked about probably only takes an hour. The part, you know, the next part of just starting, getting. Carving that thing to get it like I want. And, man, that takes anywhere from 12 to 15 or even 20 hours, depending on the animal. You know, once I finally. And it's just a lot of changing bits and this and that and getting everything right ultimately, then I try and get the thing. I'll get the hand sander. I'm sorry, the sander, and get that thing as smooth as I can. But, you know, you can't get in between the legs and everything like you want to with that deal. So a lot of it's just sanding by hand and getting everything good and smooth. And especially on slick steers and things like that that need to be smooth. You know, haired calves and hogs that are kind of hairy, things like that. As long as I get it smooth enough, I'm going to Carve hair in anyway, so it doesn't really matter as much. But then the last part, once all that's kind of taken care of is the details part, you know, putting in their. Their hooves and their feet and their. You know, this one's got an ear notch and doing their eyes and their nose and just all the fun stuff that really makes one just come to life, man, that's the part that, you know, definitely is more intricate and. But it's. For me, it's so much more rewarding because, you know, it's. When you kind of get to see a block of wood that looks like an animal, you get to see that thing really have some personality. And no doubt that's. That's probably one of my favorite parts, because it's. Then it's kind of like after all these hours, it's finally starting to pay off and starting to look like you want it to.

B (18:12)

Yeah.

C (18:13)

And so kind of the next step, right into sculptures is the painting of it. Can you kind of describe that and talk about that process?

D (18:21)

Sure. You bet that what I would have to say is my favorite part, because kind of to piggyback off of that first, you know, what I was just talking about, that's when you really see that thing start to look like an animal. And, I mean, I love. It was a lot of trial and error at first, kind of playing with colors. You know, you think white's white, but which white looks the best for this goat? You know, just getting the shade of the color right for, you know, this sheep or, you know, a hog that's kind of chromed up, getting all these things to just lay in, right. And not, you know, where these colors tie in look. Making that look appropriate has been so cool for me. It's been 100% trial and error and just a ton of figuring it out, honestly. But, man, I love it because that's when you really see. I put that. Once I put that thing up on its base, and it's totally painted. I like to say I hope that that deal looks like it could just walk right off that base because it's so lifelike and so real that I'd say I'd have to. That had to be my favorite part. I'll shut the shop down, turn the lights up, and just play some music and just kind of bug out whenever it comes to that. It's. That's my favorite part about all of it.

A (19:38)

Yes, sir. And, like, you're talking about the painting. When did you just. When did you start deciding to do that and what brought the idea to paint, because for a while, it was essentially just the block of wood. Correct.

D (19:55)

For the couple of the first ones I was just playing around with. I think ultimately, you know, whenever I decided I want. I want it to be. I want it to, you know, really look like the animal, I think there was kind of no doubt it needed. They needed to be painted, you know, and they needed to look like that animal, you know, block. A carving of a goat doesn't look like the real goat itself if it's not painted like it. You know what I mean?

C (20:21)

Right.

D (20:21)

So definitely, you kind of realizing, all right, you got the carving part down pretty good. Now it's time to make these things look legit. So it didn't. And it really wasn't that long. I think, like I've said, you know, the first, I don't know, six, six to a dozen that I did, I certainly wouldn't be, you know, as proud of today. But, you know, I think it was definitely moving in the right direction where I felt that, you know, it was time to start making these things look. Look lifelike, without a doubt.

A (20:51)

And so, like, I was going through Facebook, which I kind of always do on everybody that we usually do podcasts with. You had recently just done an interview with magazine company and on the front slogan, it was hobby turned into business. I would like you to elaborate that for me. And so how it became something you enjoyed but still can do and can make a living off of it.

D (21:17)

Sure, that's another good question. I, you know, I got it. I kind of got to think back to when exactly it all took off and because for the long, I guess whenever I started, I was still in high school and, you know, obviously didn't have. Between show and goatskull, everything I did, there wasn't a whole lot of time. So I just did. I did a couple for Courtney that shows she had won. And then I think I did one, you know, for her brother that his favorite sheep he ever showed and stuff like that, and did. The first one, I guess I did for Monty would have been for Glen Hutto of his Buck Wingman, one of one of his bucks that really kind of did a whole, whole bunch of really neat things for them and their. That family, their program and everything. And I guess I started kind of posting. I made a little Instagram page and a Facebook page or whatever and started posting the ones I did. And at that point I got, you know, a few more to do. But like I said, I was still in high school Wasn't, you know, it was kind of a neat thing I could play around with, and it was definitely cool. Then I went to, you know, South Plains, kind of started my judging career and did a couple more stuff like that. And then it would have been really, at the end of my freshman year that that deal started picking up pretty heavily. And that whole summer, my freshman year at South Plains, to then going into my sophomore year, I pretty much. I didn't have a, you know, summer job or anything like that. Just went home and really cranked out sculptures. And then I gotta say, you know, at that point, I don't think it was necessarily in my mind where I thought, hey, this could be a business. It was just, you know, at the point. At that time, it was, all right, this is cool. I get to work for myself. This is really neat. You know that. But it had been last summer that I remember we met. Courtney made a Facebook post for me, and it was kind of saying, I think we did a deal. It was, like, called Christmas in July. And it was just trying to get everyone to put in their Christmas orders because I, at that point, it had picked up a little bit more. And, man, I don't know what it was, but I bet in about a week span, I had have gotten 40 or 50 messages, maybe more, about people wanting sculptures and holy smokes. Oh, man, it was insane. You know, And I'd probably bet, you know, at that point, I probably had 20 or 30 on the list. And that was pretty good for me at that point. But that was just total explosion, unlike anything I could ever imagined. And that's when I kind of had to step back and say, hey, you know, is it. Is this a. Is this real? Can this, you know, really turn into something like that? And, man, it has not slowed down a bit since then. I've been. Since that. Since we made that post, I've been just booked up. I think there's a hundred, and I got to go count again. But there must be 220 plus on the list. There might be more. So, you know, and I guess to get back to the question, no, you know, having to figure out that, yes, there's a market for it, this is something that people do want. And, you know, I think when you provide a good product and you're constantly getting better, which is ultimately my goal with every single sculpture, you know, I feel bad because I tell, you know, almost everybody, hey, that's my best one I've done yet. But I truly feel that way with pretty much every single One I do, because I just want to keep continuing to get better and kind of master the craft. And I just think, you know, if you do good work, if you're very. If you work with people, I try to be in terms of the customer service department, try and work with people, you know, on timelines of things, if they've got a birthday or this or that. I try to be as accommodating as I can, you know, given the circumstances. But I think, you know, being just a kind, friendly person to people that are trying to give you their business, I think that goes a long way and kind of can kind of transcend whatever business you're in. You know, whether it's making sculptures or pressure washing something or selling something, whatever it is, in any aspect of business, how you treat people, they're going to go say good things about you, they're going to go kind of recommend you. Whatever it is, you're going to be all right.

C (25:38)

So with the business, Kate, are you running it by yourself? Because like social media, you are on top of. Do you have someone like taking invoice or is it you all by yourself?

D (25:50)

Man, I'm the owner, operator, accountant, the media person, all of it, including the janitor. Yeah, well, and I'll tell you, I need to hire one because I'm doing a real piss poor job of that. If y'all come look at the shop, you'd be disgusted. I, I'm kind of like whenever I get on one, man, I'm kind of like a tornado. I just going, going, going 100 miles an hour. And finally, hey, it'll get so bad to where I can't really move around in the shop because we got a mountain of blocks piled up, just sawdust. I'm drowning in it. And a janitor would be great. No, Courtney, she helps me quite a bit with. She. We do a bunch of clipping and picturing and stuff like that for people. So she's very good with the camera. So on some of them deals, some of those favorite ones, like I just did a big four piece deal from Mock of all his bucks, from Guns N Roses to on the Way, all of them. And like, that's one of them deals, you know, I'm not gonna do a whole lot of them. And I wanted her to take some incredible pictures with a good camera. So she's very good about stuff like that. She does a great job. She'll. I haven't. I'm not very technologically advanced at all. And she, she really helps me out in that Department. She'll. Whenever I kind of want to make a new graphic or something to kind of promote something, she'll help me out with that. But as far as, man, everything else, it's all me. And I should probably get a little more advanced, because every time I pull out my list, I've got just old cinnopads with hundreds of sculptures ordered, and I've got them, you know, from about a year's plus. And I just pull out my binder and say, okay, scratch this one off. I need to get spreadsheet. Actually, she's made me one before, and I just don't. I feel like that'd be more difficult than just writing it down on a piece of paper. But, no, I do it all, and it gets a little overwhelming. But, I don't know, it's. It's hard to complain, you know, whenever you get to do something you truly love. So I'm not gonna get on a high horse about how bad I got it.

C (28:00)

So the first person that you made a sculpture for, like you said, was your girlfriend at the time. How important is it to have a connection to that person? And what are some things, you know, that you ask them, that you talk to them about so you can make that sculpture unique and special to that person that it's going to.

D (28:17)

Hey, for sure. Well, you know, as far as the connection part of that deal, I'll just say the. Maybe the most rewarding part about all of it is the connections I have made. You know, like we kind of previously established. I grew up showing sheep or. I'm sorry, goats. And, you know, my. I knew some people in that world, knew some people in the cattle world, but now getting to make just every species, man, cattle, hogs, sheep, goats, you name it. Horses and dogs even. To kind of just get to meet so many new people and get to make this animal of theirs that is so special to them. That's been awesome. Just the connections and people that I've met through that really has, I think, been the most rewarding part about all of it. But I'll tell you, when people can. I can talk to someone, and they'll call me and say, hey, you know, this. This thing's hip was massive. He was goofy looking up front. Or just tell me these, you know, things you can kind of tell on a picture, but maybe not so much as, you know, they. They had this animal for a year. Whatever it is, they know him like the back of their hand. You know, I'll tell you, I told, like, back to that Sculpture I was just talking about a minute ago, like Mark, he, he, he gave me a, kind of just wrote a little paragraph about each one of those bucks. And I gotta say it was so helpful to kind of have his take on, you know, this one's a little steeper out of his hip. This thing's jet level. This one was a wide. It's just whenever, you know, because you can, you can, like I said, you can tell these things in the pictures, but you just get that confirmation and it's just kind of nice to hear what they, the qualities they want to see kind of pronounced whenever they get the sculpture. That's, that's very helpful. So I try and tell the people, you know, I'll talk calm or have them kind of just write something up and just kind of hit the big bullet points of that animal.

C (30:21)

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A (31:15)

Yes, sir. Well, and something else I want to tack on is earlier you mentioned like you and Courtney fit and clip and picture some and so did the art of clipping and fitting and the photography side of things influence you to start this business or was it something else?

D (31:36)

You know, I guess we, I was, we hadn't been doing it before like I guess I really started doing the sculptures before we got as much into that as we are now. But I can tell you without question, both of them make me better in both of them, if that makes sense. You know, the more I gotta carve in, you know, the south end of a northbound doe kid. In real life, whenever it comes to doing that in wood form, it definitely, I just. The similarities transcend, without a doubt, you know, and it, you know, after clipping so many of them, you just get to notice these things that, you know, whenever I started I just wasn't as familiar with and I think it's really made every. All my sculptures have certainly benefited from, you know, us doing That a lot more because I think, you know, I like to think all livestock, all good livestock, are still the same type and kind. You know, whether it's a sheep or a calf, we still want the same things. And so I think when it comes to clipping on those things and trying to get, you know, desired angler, whatever it is desired. Look, it's been very beneficial to me to get to do it, you know, on wood in a smaller scale, but you still want that hind leg to look the same way, you know, and still got to keep it, you know, looking accurate to the animal I'm replicating. But without question, I think it's. It definitely helps me getting to do just both of it. Both of them help each other, I guess, in a way.

C (33:20)

Yeah. We all know you're talented with shaping blocks of wood, but also with sets of blades. Myself and many others have seen it in person and all over Facebook. What advice could you give to a young person trying to become. Become successful in the fitting world, man.

D (33:39)

You know, without a doubt, because I'll tell you, at one point, I definitely wasn't, bar none. I think the best thing you can do for yourself is watch guys that are better than you. You know, I. I can name. I can rattle off a few, especially in the goat world, man. I don't know how many goats I've watched Reagan leg, Reagan Thurman pull eggs on or clip, whatever it is. He taught me a whole bunch. Jake Richardson, Tate Bittner. Just being at some of the same shows of them and watching how those guys go about it and how they do it and, you know, the cattle deal, like, I had to watch stock Martin clip, I don't know, a hundred plus sale caps and just seeing how they go about that and, you know, ask questions and, you know, when you really take it all in. And that's what I do, man, because at one point I didn't have a clue and. But I was just hungry to know and I wanted to be good like those guys were. And, you know, and you got it other than that, too. I think you just got to do it. You got to do it a bunch, too. After clipping just a ton and fitting a whole lot more than I once did, it almost becomes second nature after you've done it so many times. You know, the first couple times, a little nervous trying to. You just real antsy and, you know, by the time you get pretty seasoned at it, you feel really comfortable doing it. So I think the biggest things I'd say is just, man, watch guys that are better than you and ask questions, and you got to do it a bunch, and then before long, it'll just be second nature. It'll be like you're doing anything else. Riding a bike or anything.

C (35:21)

Okay, next question. Are you ever gonna get your pilot license.

D (35:27)

Man? Yes. Because.

C (35:30)

Because if you would, I would love it.

D (35:33)

Hey, I would too. So my father, he was a crop duster, and that's. That's where I got probably the. I don't know. Just ate up with it. I'm telling you what, my kid. The kids on the judging team would make fun of me because I kid you, every time a plane would fly over, I can tell you what plane that is. I've just. From a time I was probably three or four, my mom would buy us books of airplanes and stuff like that, and I would just memorize those things or I'd get on YouTube and I wanted to be a fighter pilot for a while, and I would just. I can. I can just. I'm obsessed with airplanes for some reason. Like, I am goats and sculptures or whatever. But it's something I'd like to do, and I truly did. After South Plains, that was a plan for the longest time to just roll right into flight school. But, man, it just got like I said that the whole sculpture thing exploded at that point, and I was like, man, I hate save, but I think I can make more money in my garage. You know, I can. I can walk 25 steps from my room to the garage and make as much money doing that as, you know, I could a whole lot of other things. And I'm my own boss and all that. Ultimately, I definitely still want to get it if I can ever get time, you know, maybe if it's not in the next 10 years, maybe when I'm an old man and things have slowed down a little bit, I can circle back and try to get on that. But it's definitely something I still want to do. And when I get it, you'll be my first call.

C (36:59)

It's awesome. What is your favorite quote or Bible verse?

D (37:06)

Okay, my favorite Bible verse. I'll do that one. I've got one of each. My favorite Bible verse is funny. I actually heard it on yalls podcast. One you did with horn and man. It's that John one. One in the beginning was a word, and the word was with God, and the word was God and man. Whenever I just remember I was in the shop working, whenever I heard that deal, and it just hit me like a ton of bricks. And even so, I Don't know that I could just articulate precisely what it means to a T. But whenever I heard it, I just felt it impacted me in a huge way. And I'll tell you a crazy thing. My fiance, she went to church tonight, and we were talking about this morning because, you know, I knew y'all had asked me this question, and she said, what Bible verse are you gonna tell them? And I was telling John 1:1. And she just. She got to church about 30 minutes ago and she sent me a picture. They. Every. Every before the service, they put up a Bible verse, and it was John 1:1. So I just. It was kind of one of them God things. I just text her, I said it God obvious sometimes. So, man, I think that one really just hits home to me. It's pretty awesome. And then as far as a quote here, I wrote it down the other day. Let's see here. Okay. This is one I've tried to implement in my life just a little bit more because I think it's pretty powerful. You are how you act, not how you feel. And I think when you really kind of step back and think about that a little bit more, to me, and it's very. It applies in my life in a lot of ways because, you know, a lot of times I'll. Maybe I'm stressed out or overwhelmed about, you know, all these things piling up so much I gotta do be at this place, and it just feels like too much and. But I've noticed, you know, whenever I choose to wake up early and say, hey, we're gonna have a good day, whenever I. My pillow, my head. I'm sorry, my head hits a pillow that night, I'm. And I had a good attitude about it. My day is a lot better. Those are my best days, you know, and when I go about it and don't have a great attitude throughout the day, it's not so much the case. But I think if everybody would just kind of, you know, have that mindset and say, you know, if I choose. How I choose to act is how I'm going to feel, I really think that would make the world a better place. I truly do.

A (39:37)

Just crazy how God can work in so many ways. And the fact that that worked in that way is just. It blows my mind and glad that we can be able to influence people in that way.

D (39:51)

No doubt, man.

A (39:52)

The next, I think, big question that usually I ask that brings a lot of influence to me and hearing the stories is, who were some of your mentors growing up? What did you learn or benefit from them. But tack on what do you think makes a good mentor?

D (40:10)

Man, I kind of touched on it there in the beginning, but I truly can't say enough things about Dwight Callous. That man did so much for me and my family but. And you know, I don't think there's a person in the world that's got a bad thing to say about him because I think if they did, they're certainly they're the problem. I think what makes a good mentor without question is someone who leads you to the Lord. I don't think that's up for debate and he did a great job of that with me. You know, he A lot of things that guy got me in the right frame of mind. You know, whether it was a girlfriend breakup or whatever it was, he's actually the one that got me with Courtney. It's kind of funny but you know, someone that leads you to the Lord, someone that just kind of empowers you to be a better person and have the right outlook on life, I think without question that's the kind of people you want to surround yourself with. I got incredible parents that instilled a phenomenal work ethic in me and I can't thank them enough for that because they're truly two of the hardest working people that I know and I think I try and have this outlook on life. You know, if you're the hardest working person in the room, whatever it is, whatever you're doing, you're going to be alright and you're going to be successful. And I think especially in this industry, I think there are a lot of great people. But you know, if you show up to a job, you're working for some family, whatever it is, man, if you try and impress them and be an asset to them, they're just going to have good things to say about you and you're going to really be successful. I know I'm kind of getting off on a tangent, but I just think the impact you have on people and how you carry yourself, it just really can kind of benefit you in a big way.

A (42:11)

Yes sir. Yes sir. And with that said, I mean you had mentioned just empowers you to be a better person. It goes along with my last question. And because you're a often listener, you probably know what I'm about to ask you and I know you're probably shaking in your boots, but what empowers you as a person, caretaker, operator or customer to be better than who you were before?

D (42:36)

Without a question, I'd say My faith in God, you know, that his will be done. I think, you know, a lot of times, like I said, I just get a little overwhelmed, but at the end of the day, I kind of got to remind myself that I can't control it. You know, I can do my best, but the outcome is already determined. It's going to be what it's going to be. And then I think a desire to kind of want to be the best person I can, you know, to try and treat the customers in a good way, to try and give them this piece that they can cherish for the rest of their life. You know, that's pretty important to me, being able to do that. And I think just kind of just. I've had so many great interactions with people, you know, when they get that sculpture, and it's just very. Whether, you know, one that died or whatever it was. How it's very important to them. And to see that has been probably more empowering than anything. But, yeah, I think that's probably it.

C (43:36)

All right, this might be the toughest question you have tonight. Rank your top five sculpture sculptures of all time.

D (43:45)

Oh, man. No, that is the toughest question. That wasn't on the list, guys. That ain't fair. Okay.

A (43:52)

Blunt, honest reaction. That was the best. This is the best thing.

D (43:56)

Okay, fair enough.

A (43:57)

All right.

D (43:59)

Okay, give me two seconds. All right, so I will say this is cliche and stupid or whatever, but the first one I ever did, because that was, you know, the first one I ever did, that one just. Cuz is it a good today when we all look back at it and laugh? Probably, but it's just. It's special to me, I guess, after that, man. So I've gotten to do. I am legend for Jamie Smith and then the Miller family. I've gotten to do him twice in both times. I just have way too much fun with that deal. That. That one. I'm gonna give you my top five, and then, y'all, someone else can decide the order. Those. Those two are up there. This deal I just did for Mock was really cool because it was. If you haven't seen it or if folks haven't seen it, it's a progression of all of his bucks kind of, you know, from the. Their first one that did big things for him to now their latest and greatest one to see kind of just the transformation of the shogoat industry and all those bucks and how they just keep getting better one generation to the next. That was. That was awesome to do. And I've always wanted to do something like that. That one. Oh, let's see here, guys. Oh, I did one for Bailey Amstutz. She had. Let's see. Oh, my gosh. Four sheep. Is four sheep on one base. That. That. That was pretty awesome. And let's see. It must have been. She had the grand champion market lamb at Louisville, then the champion. You. I want to say champion market lamb at Ohio State Fair, and then the reserve at Denver. All those four. One, one. And just. That thing was massive. And to kind of get to capture all those big wins for her and their family. That was really neat. One more. That was pretty okay. Yeah. So Luke Altman. I did one for the Altman family up here in Little Field, and he. Mark. It was at the show, the brand sale one year. And I went up to and talked to him. This was kind of first when I was getting started. And I was like, hey, I'd love to make a sculpture of that calf that won San Antonio. And he's like, oh, that's great. Show me. Show me some pictures and everything. But then he's like, well, how big can you make them? And I said, well, I mean, I guess as big as you want. I mean, they're about a, you know, a foot tall, foot wide. That's how big they are. He's like, well, I'd like it this big. So, yeah, I was like. And, you know, just me being impulsive. I was like, yeah, sure, we can do that. So I kind of got myself in a bond there, and I. And I just told him I could, but I had no clue I was gonna do that. So I went home that summer, and I had found the two biggest blocks of what I could find.

A (46:42)

It was.

D (46:43)

I think there was three feet each. One of them was maybe two and a half or three feet long by eight or 10 inches tall. And it was two of them. So that block. I'll have to send you guys a picture of it because it's crazy of me holding it. And I mean, that whole deal, man, it was. Must have been a foot and a half thick and three feet long almost. And I had to. My bandsaw couldn't cut through that deal, it was so thick. So I had to go up to my old wood shop classroom, use their bandsaw, and I ended up breaking it. Luckily, I got it done, and then it. The whole thing came apart. So I broke that bandsaw, getting that thing cut out. But long story short, that deal was huge. And it. I kid you not, guys, it took me two and a half months to make that Sculpture just because it was so guys was unreal. But that one will always be special to me just because it's the only one I've ever done that big and I hope it probably is the only one I ever do that big again because that was quite the project. But it was, it was pretty neat. I'd say. Those are my favorites.

A (47:46)

That's awesome. And to be able to do as many champions and legendary stock that you've been able to do is just a blessing in itself.

D (47:56)

Oh, no doubt. I had. It's funny, I added up man, and I think between, I think I've done 30, I think it was 35 or 36 Texas major grand champions, then a dozen or plus reserve champions and then between national shows and stuff like that, just you know, state fairs, whatever it is, there was another 35 or 40 major winners. So yeah, it's. It's been the biggest blessing of my life. And you know, I kind of like I said earlier, man, it was all self taught, all just figuring it out as I go. But it's been, it's been just an honor and a privilege. It's been pretty cool.

A (48:41)

Ranch House Designs is America's rural marketing hub. They're a proud sponsor of Empower you's new and improved website. We couldn't be more grateful for their efforts in helping us build a brand. But with that said, they can do the same for you. Creating and backing some of the biggest brands and websites in the industry. Trust the process and visit them at ranch house designs dot com. Yes, sir. Well, just there's not to throw you off. Just one question that popped up in my head that happened while you were talking. If there's one thing you could have done differently when you started, what would it have been, man?

D (49:18)

Oh, what would I have done differently? Figure out a better bandsaw. At first, man, I went through four bandsaw. I'll tell you what, buying crappy bandsaw is costing me a couple grand because I should have just bought a good one in the first place. Man, if I would have known in the beginning, I would have spot a good one. But I've. Hell, I've spent two grand on not just decent ones. And then, you know, I get six months out of them and they just come apart and just break. So yeah, I think if I would have bought a good one in the first place, I'd be a lot more money ahead.

C (49:56)

He's honest about it at least.

A (49:58)

At least he's honest.

D (50:00)

No, that would have been a better business decision. But you know, as an 18 year old broke kid. You know, a lot that it probably wasn't in the cards at that point, but I think looking back, I probably should ask for a loan or something that might have been.

A (50:13)

That might have been a little better.

D (50:15)

No doubt.

A (50:16)

To wrap up the episode, Kate, it's been phenomenal. We usually try to share the gospel as much as we can. And so with a verse at the end of the episode, it comes from us. Philippians 1, 9, 10. And it says, and this is my prayer that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth in sight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ. And with everything that you've talked about throughout this episode, the amount of knowledge that you're trying to consume and be able to go in depth on your career, I am. It's. It's not no secret that blessings have been abundant in your life. And so I pray that more of that comes to you, and I'm sure it will, with the hard work ethic that you have, and you're doing phenomenal things in this industry.

D (51:10)

Hey, amen, brother. I couldn't agree more. And I just gotta kind of brag on you guys, y'all, you know, being young, kind of kids like me, I understand, you know, what it's like to kind of build something out of nothing, and I want to commend y'all what you're doing. I think you do a great job. And it's like I said earlier, man, it's something I look forward to whenever you put them out. The people y'all have had on is flat out impressive, and it's just awesome to see, and I'm a big fan. I hope you guys keep it up because it's. It's awesome stuff.

A (51:42)

Yes, sir. Well, we're sure trying. And, you know, I'm starting my first year of college and Quinn's finishing out his high school career. It's a challenge and. But I. I honestly can't quit. It's something that I love. And that's.

D (51:58)

Right, man. That's. You're 100% right. And I think that's, you know, when it's. Like you said, when it's something you love, you just got to figure it out, and you got to figure out a way to stick with it. And I promise you, in the end, you. You'll be glad you did with that question.

A (52:10)

Yeah, it's just, it's. It's been a blessing. And the fact that I get to keep doing this is just awesome. And so, Kade, what I'd like to say is thank you for hopping on here with us. I know that your days are consumed with the block of wood. It's just, it's been an honor, and I'm glad that we were able to get you on, not only because of the person that you are, but the influence you have on the industry. So with all that said, we give you the best blessings and condolences in life.

D (52:39)

Hey, thank you, boys. I appreciate it. And it's been a real honor of mine to share the evening with you boys.

A (52:46)

I'm going to say his last name right this time, but this is empowering. You're good.

D (52:53)

You're good.

A (52:54)

Well, then, this is empowering you with Kate, Dan House. Thank you.

D (52:58)

Got it? Yes, sir.

C (53:03)

Make sure to follow us on Facebook and Instagram @empowerupod for episode sneak peeks and merchandise updates.

B (53:13)

But also go take a look at our new website, empowerupod.com where you'll find our team's story, sponsor updates and much more. Once again, we just want to thank you all for tuning in. And please follow, follow us on Spotify or Apple podcast and leave a five star rating. If you like what you hear, have a blessed day.