First Class, First Spark

Before I ever taught a leatherworking class, I taught survival skills.

It started when my wife gifted me a wilderness survival course with NorthCamp Survival. I was excited to learn, but I had no idea that weekend would change the trajectory of my life. I’d been a seasoned survivalist for years, so when certain topics came up — firestarting, water purification, shelter building — I found myself helping out some of the newer folks. Not showing off. Just helping.

I didn’t think much of it… until the instructor, Steve, pulled me aside and said, “You want to help me teach the next class?”

That moment hit like lightning. It was the first time I realized: I don’t just enjoy helping people — I love it. That spark never left. Steve saw something in me and helped nurture it. To this day, he’s a dear friend, and I’ll always be grateful that he recognized what I didn’t yet know about myself.

Funny enough, that same class also sparked something else — my love for leather. I was constantly running back to my pack to grab gear, and I thought, “Man, I need a better system.” So I made my first knife sheath. That one tool holder became the start of Legacy Leather.

And here’s the wild part — everything I learned in survival still shapes how I teach leatherworking today.

When you’re in the woods, cold, wet, and scared, perfection doesn’t matter. Nobody cares if your fire lay isn’t pretty. What matters is whether it works.

That’s how I approach my classes now. Most of my students are beginners or intermediates. What’s Important Now (WIN) is that they have fun. That they relax and recharge. That they learn something new, and maybe — just maybe — fall in love with it.

If you mess up your stitching? Who cares. Learn from it. Laugh about it. Keep going.

Because the truth is, once you start feeling comfortable, that’s your cue to push into something new. Screw that up. Then improve again.

Rinse. Repeat. Grow.