An Artist-Led Collective
Ryan Daniel Dobson
Maker and Storyteller
Bio: Ryan is an artist, writer, and filmmaker. You might find him leading the Wood Spoon Carving Club at Formula Brewing, or repurposing one of the 13 trees that came down on his property in the 2024 bomb cyclone. After studying theology in college, Ryan relocated to Los Angeles where he wrote and directed several award-winning short films and the feature-length film Hosea, a modern adaption of the Old Testament story. In 2021, he moved with his family to 2 acres on Squak Mountain.
On getting unstuck: “I go for a walk in the woods.”
On sourcing for spoons: “It’s all wood diverted from landfills that has been cut down by arborists. Most of what I carve is big leaf maple that PSE cuts down below power lines. Some of it is fruit tree wood (pear, apple, cherry). All from the Issaquah and Sammamish area.”
On storytelling: Ryan won The Moth’s StorySLAM in Seattle last year, and is currently working on his first novel.
On creative community: “That’s why I’m here! For need of one! I was fairly well plugged into the indie film crowd in Southern California, but since making a move away from those endeavors, I’ve been on a bit of an island.”
On local hidden gems: “When you’re driving south on Fourth Ave NW, right before you go under I-90, if you look up, you'll see a concrete ledge under the freeway where a fern is tenaciously growing. That is my favorite spot.”
On first attempts: “I started spoon carving out of boredom during a trip a couple of years back. I grew up in a family where boredom was most effectively treated with creation: drawing, imagined game play, or writing. We were visiting my parents and my dad had some leftover hickory and I decided to whittle something... feasible for a first timer. I never finished that terrible spoon, but it got me started!”
Hometown: Monte Vista, Colorado – population 4,070 / elevation 7,664.
Find Ryan: