“I Forgot to Check My Phone”: What Carving Taught Us About Being Present
“I went in thinking I can’t do this… and came out pleasantly surprised that I CAN.”— Tracy These words reflect more than a finished sculpture—they reflect a moment of internal shift.At USE, we don’t just carve stone. We carve away the noise, the stress, the “I’m not creative” stories we’ve been carrying. And when the […]
Behind the Experience: What You Don’t See
People see the stone and the smile.They feel a calm space. See a table full of beautiful sculptures.They engage in a guided process that feels both grounded and free at the same time.And at the end, they hold something they created with their own hands. It looks effortless.And in a way—it should.That’s part of the […]
It’s Been a Week… And What a Beautiful One It Was.
Last week was packed — and I mean packed. We had some incredible milestones and meaningful moments through Unique Soapstone Experiences, and I wanted to take a minute to share and reflect. First, we found out that we are now officially on the Calgary Board of Education contractor list — a huge step for us, […]
The Sculptor in the Back of the Room
The Sculptor in the Back of the Room When people ask what carving does for me, I often say: It brings me into the present.But the truth is a little more layered than that. Even when I’m carving, the voice in my head doesn’t shut up.It still chatters, still critiques, still runs its commentary on […]
Everything You Strive to Be, You Already Are
As I sit here in my neurodivergent moment, I put on my headphones before I begin. I understand my distractibility. All of the noise of a busy living household is distracting, so I put very loud brown noise into my headphones and disconnect from the world. It just is. I spent a good amount of […]
Stone, Story, and Everything In Between
I started out today trying to write a clean blog post.But instead, this spilled out. It’s messy. Honest. Unfiltered.Just like the way I carve.Just like the way I live. There doesnt seem, through my jaded, experience coloured perspective, to be much consistency in how I do things. From all of our chats I guess this […]
From Chaos to Creation
If there’s one truth I keep coming back to, it’s that chaos always seems to precede something meaningful. I used to see the stress, the financial pressure, the overwhelm — all of it — as signs that I was failing. That I was doing something wrong. But lately, I’ve started to shift how I look […]
Is Soapstone Carving, Finger Weaving, or Orca Depictions Cultural Appropriation? A Thoughtful Response
Cultural respect is important to us. We believe in meaningful discussions, education, and artistic integrity. Recently, concerns have been raised about whether our work—specifically soapstone carving, orca depictions, and finger weaving—constitutes cultural appropriation. We’d like to address these concerns openly and directly. 1. Soapstone Carving is Not Culturally ExclusiveSoapstone has been carved by cultures across […]
Radical Acceptance: How This Mindfulness Principle Can Shift How You Create Art and Live Your Life
You ever stare at a blank canvas, a fresh block of stone, or a pile of fabric and just… freeze? The excitement is there, sure, but so is the anxiety. What if this doesn’t turn out how I pictured it? What if I get stuck? What if it’s just straight-up bad? These thoughts creep in […]
Trade Show Takeaways & What’s Next
Trade shows are a strange mix of chaos and opportunity. Walking into any unfamiliar place packed with vendors, attendees, and the constant hum of conversation can feel overwhelming, but then there’s the energy, a chance to connect—to put our work in front of new people, have real conversations, and plant seeds that may not sprout […]
