At only 12 years old Diesel Vaughan-Carlile, also known as The Woodmason, has started his own business selling a range of products made from wood, stone and repurposed materials.
Diesel came up with the idea to start his business after the Youth Forge artisan markets were established, featuring the work of some of the region's home schooled students, with the aim of teaching children how to earn money and run a successful business.
Having learnt some woodworking skills from his dad, Diesel liked being able to make things that weren’t bad for the environment but were new and different.
And that is where the idea for The Woodmason began.
“When I need to learn new skills and how to use different tools, I work with my dad because he has many years of experience in woodworking,” Diesel said.
“Even though I learn from Dad, I also spend a lot of time prototyping different products and there is often a lot of trial and error before I get a product I’m happy with.
“I look at the best materials for the job, different finishes I might use, the tools and skills I might need to complete the job to a high standard and options for packaging.”
With a creative mind, he looks forward to working through different product elements and ensuring the products are of a high quality and remain unique to his brand.
“I like having the creative license to do what I like with my products such as changing the colour or changing different elements of the product and making a product that I think that my customers would enjoy,” he said.
“I'm always happy when all my handmade products have a consistent finish as I like spending the time to make sure that everyone is getting a high-quality handcrafted product because that’s what I would want.”
The Woodmason products range from games for kids through to home décor, with something available for everyone.
“Currently I have quite a number of products from beautiful home décor that my mum and other ladies would love, to toys, games and crafts for kids,” he said.
“All of the products are made sustainably, using local natural fall timbers, seed pods, stones and other natural or repurposed materials.”
Diesel’s products can be purchased at the Bundaberg Regional Art Gallery shop, as well as at markets throughout the Bundaberg Region.
“I loved getting the invitation from Bundaberg Regional Art Gallery to showcase and sell my work in their shop,” he said.
“I think that having other opportunities like this are fabulous because my creative products are in the right places for the people who are interested in them.
“I also regularly attend the bi-monthly Youth Forge Artisan Market at HSG at the Gardens and I will be at the Moore Park Beach Festival on Saturday, 21 August as well as other local markets.”
With The Woodmason being such a success, Diesel hopes that he can work with other young people who may want to start their own business.
“I have had lots of fun learning and growing my business; I think it would be great to be able to mentor other young people like me and help them get started with their own ideas,” he said.
“I also just wanted everyone to know that even if you’re young, you can do big things.”
You can find out more about The Woodmason and order products on Facebook.
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