We make handcrafted things, and share adventures

Welcome to Honey Creek Originals

Hello everyone,

Today, I will introduce myself and tell you how HCO began.

First of all, my name is Charlie Naebeck. I am a husband, photographer, teacher, writer, web developer, graphic designer, content creator, and artist. Oh, and I love adventures.

A photo of me by my beautiful wife. All Rights Reserved.

Welcome to Honey Creek Originals

I am not new to the world of creating handcrafted things, yet today I am proud to share this new page where I finally have a home to organize and sell my creations.

As a photographer, I have traveled around the world. The camera has taken me to places that I never dreamed existed.

I worked for places like Conde Nast, Live Nation, and more in New York City for many years, teaching photography at Universities and other venues.

I still photograph and teach, yet my woodworking, metal smithing, and handcrafted creations need a home outside of what I do in photography.

How did I get into making handmade things, you ask?

A handcrafted walnut ring made from wood that I cut and dried by hand. All Rights Reserved.

Welcome to Honey Creek Originals

Exactly four months before the Covid pandemic struck, I found myself exiled from New York City. Times were tough, and I was looking for a change of scenery.

My family has always supported my creative endeavors, so I was invited to visit back in Detroit for a while.

I packed my possessions in a U-Haul and put New York City behind me, not knowing when I would head back or if I would head back.

Life happened, and Covid struck, which extended my stay in Michigan for a couple of years. During that time, I helped my family a lot on the family farm, including cleaning out my Grandpa’s old shop.

I discovered some of his old tools one day when I was cleaning off the bench and thought to myself, how cool would it be if I could make a drawing table for the front porch to relax and practice my art?

I built my first table from scratch, and the rest was history. I taught myself as much as I could off books that my Dad had given me and Youtube, and I cut my teeth on refurbishing a lot of wooden furniture I could get locally that people did not want anymore.

This led me to the next idea that I could create my work in wood and metal.

Designing and creating my first cedar lamp late into the night. All Rights Reserved.

One day, my Uncle dropped by to help cut down some limbs on a tree that needed trimming, and I smelled the fresh cedar as we hauled the branches away from the tree.

Wow, this would be fantastic wood to make lamps from! And my first lamp series was born. I will not lie that the first lamp was a lot of trial and error to learn how to wire and get the components and pieces to work correctly, yet now I am a pro.

I needed additional tools like a draw knife, a fro, and other hand tools that I intended to create, so I taught myself how to work with metal off of Youtube.

I forged my first knives and all the tools I use in the shop to make my creations from old rusty metal that I found around the farm sitting to rot.

My original lamp design out of cedar wood. I can see the light! – All Rights Reserved.

A year and some odd months later, I met my wife through photography, and we planned to spend some time in Colombia to get married and visit her family.

Life happened, and we did not understand how long the visa processes take and the hefty costs, so we have been here for over a year trying to make our way back to Michigan after we raise $4000 for visas.

One day we were walking on our way to run errands, and I spotted a lumber yard. We stopped and asked them what they had in stock to work with, and they were very kind to show us around. It was some of the most beautiful wood I have seen, and I was hooked!

I started making small handmade things like fidget spinners for those with anxiety, cutting boards, and more with simple hand tools.

A recent cutting board that I made out of Colombian Oak. All Rights Reserved.

A recent fidget spinner that I finished out of Colombian Oak. These are great for stress and anxiety reduction and double as an EDC for self-defense or pocket jewelry.

One thing led to the next, and locals started to take notice of my creations.

So here I am, in the heart of Colombia, making handcrafted things in addition to what I do with photography and other endeavors.

One day, my family and I will raise the funding needed to finish the visa process and move back to Michigan.

Yet in the meantime, if you would like to support our cause, you can pick up any of my handcrafted items here in the store or email me about building something custom for you.

Thank you for dropping by, and I will share more stories soon!

Charlie Naebeck – Owner
Honey Creek Originals
https://honeycreekoriginals.com
Medellin, Colombia | Detroit, MI, USA

P.S. If you like handmade things and want to hear more of my stories, sign up for my mailing list below. I send out a newsletter occasionally with special updates, and every Sunday, you will also get the latest that I post here on our blog. I appreciate your support!

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