Regularly folks will ask me, "Hop, what got you into carving?" I usually respond with the story of how when I first got my Totin' Chip knife safety card at a Boy Scout meeting I remember asking my dad that night "Dad, I know what I want to be when I grow up. A professional wood carver? How do I do that?" He quickly said he didn't know what to tell me other than to go buy a pocketknife and head to the woods to work it out. Shortly after that he took me to the hardware store so I could empty my piggy bank and buy my first knife. I kept learning over the years through trial and error, as is often the best path for creative endeavors.