We’re looking forward to introducing you to Chris Giffrow. Check out our conversation below.
Chris, we’re thrilled to have you with us today. Before we jump into your intro and the heart of the interview, let’s start with a bit of an ice breaker: What battle are you avoiding?
I’m on the tail end of my personal kitchen renovation right now. I’ve always said, the last 2% of a job is the hardest to finish. No matter if it’s a single piece of furniture or the construction of a whole building, it’s always the final pieces that are the hardest to get motivated to do. Anyhow, my shop is a disaster as it is after any project, and I can’t clean it until I finish this last 2%… so I’ve been playing a lot of golf instead.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m Chris Giffrow, the craftsman behind Cow Dog Craft Works. I’m a part time furniture maker, carpenter, and woodworking instructor with a focus on Japanese inspired work using traditional Japanese woodworking tools. My mother is from Singapore and my father lived in southeast Asia for a substantial chunk of his life. As such, the furniture I grew up around was Asian: Tansu cabinets, rosewood Chinese nesting tables, urushi lacquered cabinets, etc. When I got into woodworking as a hobby, I didn’t feel a connection to popular western trends like farmhouse. I found myself trying to imitate Asian lines and styles and ultimately as I got into the traditional tools, I began doing my best impression of them.
Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. Who were you before the world told you who you had to be?
I’ve always been someone with a big imagination and big dreams, often times so big that it goes well beyond my ability. However, there’s a bit of freedom in that ignorance. If you’re doing something because you love it and not paying attention to how good you can get, or any of the other trappings and thoughts that can get in the way, simply just because of the feeling you have when you’re doing it, I’ve found that you can stumble across some greatness accidentally. So, to answer that question, I was a child full of curiosity and wonder before the world told me who I had to be, and today, I’m constantly looking to find ways to recapture that curiosity and wonder.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
I’d say that right now is the closest I’ve come to folding it all in. Life has been different. My wife and I had a daughter in 2023, and she has been my absolute world. I’m 1000% in love and probably my happiest with my small family. I’ve never had to build and make to eat, so I’ve found myself in a situation where I love something more than the craft I’m passionate about. For years after my dad passed away, I was trying to feel… something. Woodwork gave me that something. Now, I have to find that love in my work again. Getting started on a new project, or a new commission is the hardest bit for me these days, but once I do, I feel that creativity and that flow again, and I’m reminded why I do this kind of work.
I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. What would your closest friends say really matters to you?
The chase of excellence… in whatever I do. A few similarly brained friends and I joke about hyper fixation when it comes to whatever endeavors we tackle. My whole life I’ve wanted to be the best at whatever it is I’ve taken on, no matter my ability or inherent capacity to do it. Whether it’s cooking, playing music, playing golf, surfing, or woodwork, I love the chase and challenge of getting better at something. That feeling of growth and learning is a dopamine hit unlike anything else. It does make enjoying things for the pure sake of enjoyment a bit harder, that’s something I’ve been working on at a personal level for some time as I’ve gotten older, but I love to get good at stuff.
Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. What do you think people will most misunderstand about your legacy?
I often worry that I haven’t been clear with my story, especially when it comes to woodworking and making. The concept of sharing a journey without being an expert is a bit of a foreign one. There was a time in our life where if you wanted to write a book, you would need to produce to a publisher something that would give you authority to write on it. And perhaps I’m just ignorant, but I don’t feel that there’s a lot of publication out there about someone’s journey from novice to… wherever they end up, that provides accidental education along the way. In this age of self-publication ala social media, anyone can put themselves out there for any purpose. To get to the point, I didn’t start Cow Dog Craft Works to be an expert woodworker that provides expert education. I started Cow Dog Craft Works because I wanted to make things, and I started sharing across platforms to share my journey as an everyman. If I can do this, if I can struggle and sweat and grow and learn, there’s no reason why my viewer can’t too. That’s what I want my legacy to be, to inspire people to want to be better.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.cowdogcraftworks.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/cowdogcraftworks
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cowdogcraftworks
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/cowdogcraftworks
Image Credits
Personal Photo: Photographer Max Riehn, Maxson Media
