Meet our Industry Person of the Week, Rachel Charlebois! Rachel is a talented artist specializing in metalwork, hand plasma cutting, and welding.
Q: How did you get started working in your field?
Rachel: After graduation high-school, I didn’t have any plans to go to college because I was unsure what to study. Instead, I got a job at a local welding shop and never looked back. After about 6 years of welding on industrial snowplows, I decided to jump into creating metal art with the plasma cutter at work. I haven’t put it down since and that was 9 years ago.
Q: What do you love the most about your job? What are you most proud of?
Rachel: What I love most about my job is that the possibilities are endless. Especially because I work for myself. I get to decide what I want to work on and when. I’m most proud that I now have my very own shop on my property. Huge props to my multi-talented husband, Justin, for building it for me.
Q: What advice would you give to someone considering this line of work or new to the field?
Rachel: I would say to just start out small and work your way up. Mostly, just start. You can learn so much through trial and error while teaching yourself along the way. Have fun with it!
Q: Can you talk about a project you recently worked on?
Rachel: One of my most recent works is a highland cow wall hanger. Someone reached out to me very close to Christmas and asked if I could create a highland cow – I couldn’t turn it down even though it was a tight deadline. I’m now receiving a lot of emails enquiring about custom order for highland cows.
Q: Anything else you would like to add?
Rachel: Working with my hands, creating one of a kind metal art, has been one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve had in my life. If you have the chance to pick up a plasma torch and makes sparkes fly, I highly recommend going for it!
Connect with Rachel on Instagram or Facebook.
THANK YOU, RACHEL! WE LOOK FORWARD TO KEEPING UP WITH YOU THROUGH THE #PUMPTALK COMMUNITY!
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