Meet Blake Pyatt | Engineer | Machinist | Finish Carpenter

We had the good fortune of connecting with Blake Pyatt and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Blake, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
Being an engineer in my professional job, I don’t always have the freedoms to do what I want and how I want regarding work due to rules. Wood working allows me to have that outlet of freedom and choice to express my visions in reality, which helps overall mental creativity and satisfaction in my life over all. It also makes me a better engineer through carrying out all phases a build or project from start to finish. Wood working also gives me the satisfaction of seeing and appreciating my builds daily which is a far greater return than purchasing anything ever at a store. Nothing against that, but seeing something made by yourself impacting your life and others around you only creates memories on top of more memories each time an interaction is taking place with the build.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Fueled by faith customs is a hobby of mine that is for the most part for individual projects and need, but is occasionally used for the purposes of building for clients that are typically friends or family through word of mouth solely for the most part. What sets me apart from others in this field is that it is not my daily 9-5 professional job, but it is a job that isn’t a job, but a passion. This allows me to use my creative instincts freely and to perfect my craft of engineering thought processes and approaches through actual experiences from the start to the finish of each build. It helps me refresh all faucets of the definition of what an engineer truly entails and not just aspects or segments that we may professionally be limited to or designated to.

The things I am most proud about regarding fueled by faith customs is the message I try to portray and share with my clients and viewers as well as the encouragement of a pursuit of something more when you are truly passionate about it with faith. I would literally not be here today if it weren’t for my faith and belief system in God and the love and confidence that it provides in addition to the love and support from my wife, family, and friends.

The greatest things I can take away from this small business and all that it entails is the satisfaction I get in return of focusing on the creative side of engineering approaches without a ceiling. If I want to be abstract, I can. If I want to spend more on a build, I can and will if I have the funds for myself or a client does and approves. It’s less restriction and more freedom to explore which is a return far beyond any payday that one can experience. It has not always been easy regarding this pursuit. I have failed many times and look back on some of my early projects wondering how I ever felt good about them compared to the level of craftsmanship that I have today versus then. I look at those builds though as bench marks and the foundation that I was laying brick by brick to get to where I am now and to have the skill set and understanding that I do. Every experience in life is another moment of change, whether good or bad. How I see life is as a sculptor. We are either polishing our statue in the good times, or chipping away chunks during the bad. That same mindset is applied toward my professional career and my side business in FBF. Take each segment or outcome for what it is, and apply. We don’t plan to fail, but we fail to plan. If you don’t know your weaknesses or discover them, then how can you ever get better or stronger? You simply can’t. So enjoy it all when pursuing something you desire. It will pay off far beyond one can ever fathom and will continue to amaze you.

I want the world to know that life’s too short to sell yourself short in pursuing the things you want to. If you see someone doing something you are interested in and want to try, by all means, take that first step to see if you enjoy it and keep stepping if you do toward that end goal of the original vision. Remember that the road isn’t always smooth from A to B, and the final destination of a goal never is actually achieved if you are doing it correctly. When approaching a career or a pursuit such as this, take the faith mentality I practice as a Christian. Visualize a glass of water being poured into and filled up. Also imagine that glass of water having a slow leak at the bottom. If you keep allowing life to pour into you with the right flow of that pour and filtration, then you become that goal and continue to raise that bar. Some might say it sounds never ending or unrealistic, but I just call it not being content. Stagnation breeds disease, corrosion, and death when thinking of a plant. Watering a plant, giving it sunlight, and proper nutrients from the soil allows it to grow and prosper extending its reach far beyond that original seed it was in the beginning through its roots. Take that same approach toward life, and soak in all the nutrients you can through experiences, desires, loved ones, both good and bad times, and keep pouring into yourself and that glass. keeping yourself strong and your faith stronger. Life will surprise you for the better.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Being based out of Fort Worth I would have a few places I would for sure recommend that a visitor I am hosting could not pass up. My wife and I are both Texas Tech alumni, so Chimys on West 7th street is our go to spot for some great food, margaritas, with even better people. I would also recommend just touring that area after eating and having some drinks, seeing which stops along the way look like fun or an environment the guest would want to hang out in. You really have the best of everything over there at all times because there is so much variety in social settings. I would take them also to some local Tex-mex restaurants around Fort Worth that I love and frequent as well such as La Pasadita for breakfast burritos, food trucks for lunch time tacos such as taqueria Cuauhtémoc, and Mi Cocina or Gloria’s for dinner. We would also have to head to the Fort Worth zoo to experience all of the animals and the beautiful scenery. Last but not least, on a warmer weathered day, the Fort Worth botanical gardens where I proposed to my wonderful wife, and then head the rodeo at Dickies arena that evening if it is the proper season. Squeezed in If possible also amongst the visit at some point, a concert around town by a texas country artist as well at Lola’s trailer park, or a smaller dive bar venue, or even Billy bobs if they want to be iconic.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would like thank God and accredit Him to all of my achievements and pursuits in life. Secondly, my family and friends. Without God and my faith, hence the name “fueled by faith customs”, I would have an empty tank regarding lively pursuits. God for me is internal and eternal constantly, while family and friends are internal also, external, and somewhat eternal depending on God’s plan for our lives and the window they are in it impacting us. From all the good and bad experiences I have had, I wouldn’t change a thing because it made me who I am today and a lesson is always to be learned or a trait acquired/acknowledged through experiences. Without the loving and endless support of my wife in believing in me in addition to my parents, I truly would not have stepped out of my comfort zone to try to fulfill aspirations through builds for others or myself, or to pursue my creative interests. God has given me more gifts than I could have ever imagined, and the opportunity to use those gifts and enjoy them daily from the ability to produce these builds, and to enjoy the gifts in those individuals around me, I could not be more blessed. He has gotten me through some of the worst possible situations and experiences, and it has helped me establish a different approach toward life that is forever being shaped through all the good and bad we encounter daily. It helps me to maintain my sanity in this unpromising world we live in and hope for myself as well as others when things go wrong or aren’t ideal. I’m not always cheerful and optimistic, but even in times of frustration, my moral compass and faith kicks in reminding me of the overcome trials and tribulations of the past which helps me return to the problem or the problems that today may hold.

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