From a giant Crayola Crayon box to a scene out of Spongebob, he’s using his passion for woodworking to inspire creativity and a sense of community in his followers.

In this episode, we dive into his journey that got him to where he is today, including his struggles with mental health and potential brand collaborations on the horizon.

From a young age, Ike had an entrepreneurial spirit. He started a rock band with his friends when he was in high school - even playing at the Rave on school nights. After graduating and realizing college wasn’t what they wanted to pursue, they left to play shows across the country. Nine years later when the band split up, Ike and his brother started their next gig, a junk removal business.

“We started it the day after. I had zero gap between music and our business. It was like a 12 hour period that I slept.”

In the first year, their business exceeded expectations, allowing them to repay the loan lent to them by their parents.

On the side, Ike started building coffee tables out of discarded pallets. After posting them on Facebook, people started reaching out asking him to make tables for them.

From there, Ike’s passion for woodworking took off, but challenges with his mental health created ebbs and flows in his ability to produce art; “I couldn’t even walk into my studio.”

Around 2021, he completely uprooted his life - leaving his studio and MIlwaukee - to move across the country to California where he would go to work for the Dream Machine Foundation.

We talk through the last few years of his life and what it means for him to be back in Milwaukee creating art again. The city has embraced him with open arms, and a recent collaboration for 414 Day sparked new recognition for his work in the city he calls home.

In celebration of Mother's Day I got to have my 91 year old grandmother Lainey Burke on this weeks episode.

In this quick episode we covered the following topics:

• Growing up in Madison
• Attending Marquette University as one of twelve women in the business school
• The beginnings of Trek Bicycle
• Flower arranging & a show coming to Milwaukee
• Living a full life

Milwaukee Uncut is produced by Story Mark Studios, in partnership with OnMilwaukee and presented by Nicolet Law and Central Standard Distillery.

Devin Wagner (Harp), Kameron Jones (Wicked Hop, formerly RWB) and Gracie Kalichefski (Red Rock) join for our first ever edition of Bartenders Uncut!

Topics discussed in order:

• How they got into bartending
• Weirdest thing ever written on a receipt
• How do you know if a bartender is showing interest
• What your drink says about you
• Amazing FaceTime interview with GCTB Owner Daniel Slade (@ai_cowboy_mke)
• Most money the bartenders have made in one tip and in a day
• Favorite bars
• Best bars to meet women

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