By Yoshini White
Nathan Pryor, owner of HahaBird – a local custom fabrication shop, finds inspiration in the smallest details. He wouldn’t classify himself exclusively as a woodworker; rather, he considers himself a “maker;” allowing inspiration to lead him to the next piece. His work is delightful and unique, with a portfolio that spans a wide breadth from metal jewelry to wooden decor to etched glassware.
A three-year resident of Linnton, it’s easy to identify that a variety of pieces are influenced by this region. Local geography and landmarks are consistent motifs throughout his work. A self-taught maker, he has been tinkering his whole life, but only started selling his work within the last 10-15 years. Much of that work came out of a need from individuals who were looking for something specific but couldn’t find it out in the world.
His ideal projects are the ones that allow him to play and tinker with different possibilities. Some of his favorites are where he can play with ideas, like “an 8-foot wide Spirograph for drawing patterns with sidewalk chalk. The projects where [he] pushes [himself] to learn new things and try new techniques.”
Nathan wants to encourage others to start making; and worry less about perfection. In his pursuit of inspiration, he finds that he has “a digital notepad of sorts” filled with ideas and photos that inspire him. He realizes that a great number of them are ridiculous and will never see the light of day, but refuses to filter them too early in the process, or dismiss them out of hand, to avoid accidentally losing what might turn out to be the next great work of art.
If you’re interested in seeing Nathan’s existing work, or collaborating with him on a custom project, check out his website at hahabird.com or his Instagram: instagram.com/ hahabirddesign.
Do you have a small business or side hustle that you would like to share with the Linnton community?
Email us at pdxlinntonna@gmail.com. We would love to feature you in one of our future newsletters!