Finding Joy and Creativity in Welding & Metal Art with Courtney Chard

Many of us fear turning our hobbies into a career will make us hate our hobbies… but today’s guest has figured out how to keep finding joy, creativity, and fulfillment in both. She’s learned how to make money from her passion and share her talents with the world, all while inspiring others to be creative and even join the trades themselves. Tune in to this episode of Learnings and Missteps as I welcome Courtney Chard, a pressure pipe welder by trade and self-taught metal artist based in Toronto, Canada. After Courtney learned how to weld, she combined her new skills with her passion for art and began creating exquisite pieces of art from metal. Now, she works four days per week as a pipe welder and spends her weekends creating metal art on commission. For Courtney, it’s both a business and a hobby. “Once I started creating these pieces, I wanted to have a way of showcasing it or extending the art,” Courtney says. And it was through social media that she began doing that. From there, her creativity expanded into beautiful, one-of-a-kind works of art that she gets to share with the world through social media. If you’re interested in becoming a welder, a metal artist, or learning how to share your talents and gifts with others through social media, you’ll definitely want to tune in to this interview! Courtney has so many words of wisdom and inspiration to share. What You’ll Learn in This Episode:·       Courtney’s path to joining the welding trade & How she started creating metal art.·       How to use social media to market yourself in unique ways.·       Opportunities welders have to grow in their career and share their talents with aspiring tradespeople.·       How to empower kids to learn new skills and be creative through a skilled trade.·       How Courtney finds joy and creativity in welding.·       Where she envisions her welding/art career going in the future.·       What it’s really like being a woman in the trades and experiencing discrimination from employers.·       Remember, you inspire and motivate people every day, even if you don’t realize it. Keep being yourself and you’ll inspire others to do the same.·       To learn Courtney’s Learning and Misstep, tune in on YouTube & SUBSCRIBE: linkThis episode’s show notes were written by Kayla MacEachernTo connect, email her at [email protected] Connect with Courtney: Follow her on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@creativewelding Follow her on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chardcourtney Connect with her on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/courtney.chard.18 Connect with her on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/courtney-chard-b049881b3  Engage with a community of Industry Professionals focused on expanding their leadership skills: https://www.depthbuilder.com/emotional-bungee-jumpers  For all other links and resources, check out my Bio Link:  http://depthbuilder.bio.link Resources Mentioned: KickAss Careers: https://www.kickasscareers.ca Lets leave the Construction Industry Better than We Found It https://www.depthbuilder.com/construction-leadership-lab Download the free PDF copy of Becoming the Promise You are Intended to Be