Hello from Texas

My name is James Hoskins and I live in Hewitt, Texas. Hewitt is a suburb of the the famous/infamous town of Waco, Texas. I'm sure you've heard of Chip and Joanna Gains and their show Fixer Upper. Yeah, they're around here and I live a few miles from their "Silos". If you're a little older, you might also be familiar with David Koresh and his "Branch Davidians". Their stand-off with the Feds put Waco on the map, although they weren't actually in Waco but were about 20 miles or so out in the country. Some of you might also be familiar with Maker's Leather Supply, which is a leather supply store in Elm Mott, just north of Waco.

Anyway, I have been doing leather work for a few years and my business name is Hog Creek Leatherwork. You can see the kind of stuff I've made on my instagram, which has the same name, if you're interested. I started out working on the kitchen table, then in a dirty laundry room, and now I've upgraded to an air conditioned bedroom that I converted into my workroom. I have enjoyed doing leather work and have sold some things since but have never been completely happy with my work. I've also struggled to find my style. In Texas, the western tooled cowboy style is what everyone seems to like but that's just not really "me". I've been working on my "style" of leather work but have come up short. As I learn the intricacies of making luxury goods through these course, perhaps it will come to me.

During my day job, I work as an Education Diagnostician. For those of you who are unfamiliar with what that is, it is a person who evaluates students to see if they qualify for special education.

So, that's me. I'm excited to be a part of this community and to be taking these courses. If I make something truly masterful, I'll post some pictures of it.