Arts & Literature
Local Makers Find Success in Peachtree Corners, Part 2: For the Love of Wood — XOC Designs
Sometimes it takes the unexpected to shake things up and inspire us to pursue our dreams. Whether it’s our children growing up and needing less attention, a sudden job change or a desire to transform grief into growth, there are many reasons why individuals might seek out a career that sparks their passion and gives their life new meaning.
Certainly, the past two years of living through a global pandemic have presented unprecedented challenges and ample opportunities to reconsider the ‘why’ behind our daily lives. So what does it take for an individual to embrace their dreams and not only survive a pandemic, but also to thrive?
I’d like to introduce you to three such makers who have devoted themselves to their crafts, finding joy and meaning through transforming their ideas into products, and hobbies into livelihoods.
For the Love of Wood — XOC Designs
In early 2020, mere weeks before the COVID-19 pandemic ravaged the world, a stroke of bad luck shook things up for Russell Machan-Neathawk and his family when he was abruptly let go from his job working with an HVAC company. Faced with the uncertainty of this deviation from his career and coupled with the onset of lockdowns, Machan-Neathawk found himself in a unique position. At the time, COVID restrictions had essentially shuttered businesses and prevented him from finding new business opportunities. It was at this moment that he took a step back and reevaluated what he was doing with his life.
“It was stressful; it took a lot of prayer and really trusting God that he would take care of us and lead us through all of this. For me it was hard because I went from being the breadwinner to… not,” Machan-Neathawk explained with a laugh. “Especially when I first started the company, I wasn’t getting consistent sales. Now I’m constantly doing 10 or so orders a week, at least.”
Machan-Neathawk has always been creative and good at working with his hands. He took animation design classes in high school, got a degree in Culinary Arts where he met his wife Amanda, and later used skills he learned from his father to complete woodworking projects around the house. Those early projects included designing and building a new mantle above their fireplace, installing a fence and crafting a mug shelf as a gift for his sister-in-law. Once he set up an Etsy shop and began getting orders, it all really started to come together.
The name of the company, XOC Designs, consists of the first letter of their sons’ names — Xavier and Oliver — and the family dog Casper. This connection is fitting as Machan-Neathawk is a devoted family man. His wife has been by his side to support him every step of the way, even though starting something new in the middle of a pandemic carries inherent risk.
“It was scary for sure just because it was such a big shift, but he’s got talent and I’ve known that since we met 17 years ago,” said Amanda. “We had a lot of faith in God and prayed that it would all work out, and it has.”
On top of the challenges facing the family in this crucial moment for Machan-Neathawk’s career, the sudden cancellation of their sons’ preschools meant that their entire home dynamic shifted on a dime. They went from two parents both working full time outside of the house with two kids in school to everyone being at home all the time.
In addition to starting this new business, maintaining Amanda’s increased workload from her now fully remote job, they now had to find ways to keep the kids engaged and happy at home. Luckily, they were able to get some childcare help from their parents who live just down the road.
“So that was interesting as well. I was trying to start a business, trying to work, and entertain and take care of two little ones at the same time,” said Machan-Neathawk. “I had a lot more flexibility with my job because I can do things when they go to sleep.” Those late-night hours have paid off, and today he is consistently busy making pieces for clients from around the country and as far away as Europe.
Machan-Neathawk’s most popular products include mug shelves, cutting boards, serving trays and holiday signs. All of his pieces are custom made, often incorporating beautiful and unique hardwoods such as Purple Heart, African Padauk and curly maple. Self-taught with the help of YouTube research, Machan-Neathawk especially loves learning about the materials, techniques and sourcing unique woods from salvage projects.
Able to craft designs both by hand on paper and in digital renderings, he says he especially loves the problem-solving he faces on a given project. “You’ll either have a knot that’s not really in a great place or you’ll have a split down the middle of it that you need to work around, so there’s more problem-solving than people realize. To me, it is therapeutic and soothing. Even being in the business world, I found out after I started this business just how stressed out I had been. Tapping into my creative side is very relaxing.”
Over the next few years, Machan-Neathawk hopes to expand beyond the confines of his garage studio and into a dedicated workshop. He also hopes to showcase his works in more local shops and festivals and to expand his custom furniture offerings for larger home projects. Not limited to a certain style or aesthetic, he embraces each new challenge with optimism and a can-do attitude.
After all, for Machan-Neathawk, working with wood is living his dream. “It was a dream that I didn’t know I had.”
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