Woodchuck 30th Anniversary Artist Spotlight – Ian Compton
September 8, 2021
Bio:
Name: Ian Compton
Age: 32
Location: Burlington, VT
Profession or specified field: Woodworking
How long have you been participating in your specified field: 7 years
Welcome to our Woodchuck 30th Anniversary blog series where we will be highlighting hand-selected creatives every week through the Fall. This year marks our 30th Anniversary and we have asked 25 creatives from across the country to help celebrate 30 years of creativity and innovation by sharing with us what creativity means to them. We sat down with each creative to hear more about how they use creativity on a daily basis and what influences their work. See below for our conversation with Ian!
W- Whether it be photography, videography, digital design or some sort of craft, how did you get your start in your field?
I- I sustained a very intense injury as a professional skier when I was 27. I then moved into the woods of Greensboro, VT and started apprenticing for many older woodworkers in the area and eventually turned it into my whole life.
W- Wow, sorry to hear about your injury. With that said, it’s pretty cool to see how you took your passion for skiing and refocused it toward woodworking. What tends to influence your creativity and the work you put out? Is it more-so derived intrinsically, or are you more heavily influenced by external factors?
I- I am mostly influenced by trees. Their patience, beauty and formation of growth have taught me a lot. Nothing is more important to my creative process than a walk in the woods.
W- It’s not too often that an artist’s inspiration comes directly from the medium used to create their work. In your case, the source of the raw materials you’re working with inspires your creativity. I guess you could say the same thing about us and the fruit we use in the different styles of cider we make. With that said, What does creativity mean to you?
I- Creativity, to me, is the ability to channel a range of emotions into a physical object while remaining in the absolute present moment.
W- Emotions have the ability to influence creativity in a way that’s hard to explain, and when you can get people who view your work to feel those same emotions, that is often times the highest praise you could ask for!
W- Prior to your involvement in our 30th Anniversary Celebration, what was your connection relationship with Woodchuck Cider, if any at all? Through your involvement with Woodchuck, was there anything you learned about us that resonated with you or that you can connect with personally?
I- What resonates the most with me about Woodchuck is their roots in Vermont. I have not been involved with the brand before, but they have always had my respect for creating wonderful products in the most amazing place on earth….Vermont! Also, the term “woodchuck” is very honorable here in the state. It refers to being a 5th generation Vermonter and is highly regarded.
W- Thanks for the kind words, Ian! We love to see people enjoying our cider in so many different places, but Vermont definitely holds a special place in our hearts. We’ve been here for 30 years with no intention of leaving any time soon! Shout out to all the “Woodchucks” out there!
Ian ever so kindly provided us with a couple of wooden six-pack holders as part of his spotlight in our 30th Anniversary Celebration. You can check them out over on our Instagram feed
If you decide to pay us a visit over on Instagram, don’t forget to check out the contest we’re running! You could be one of five lucky winners who will be featured amongst 25 hand-selected creatives like Ian to showcase your talent and help us celebrate our 30th anniversary. Oh yeah, you could win a pretty awesome Woodchuck-branded cooler out if it as well! Check out the contest page on our website for more info on how to enter.
Cheers, and happy cider sippin’!
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