Ligget Pen Works - Meet the Artist

Why an artist?

A man who works with his hands is a labourer, a man who works with his hands and his mind is a craftsman, but a man who

works with his hands, his mind and his heart is an artist. - Louis Nizer (1902-1994)

I have never had a hobby in my life, as there never was a spare moment since I left school, my work came before everything. That was the way of life I had chosen for myself and I loved every minute of it.

As soon as I left Denny High School I started up a window cleaning business which was great in the nicer weather but terrible in the winter when there was a hard frost or ice. Through customer requests I started a carpet cleaning service which I could do in the winter months instead, as usual being a perfectionist word quickly spread and my carpet cleaning side grew and grew.

When I was 20 years old I joined Central Scotland Fire & Rescue Service as a fully retained fire-fighter at Denny Fire Station, so now when I was either at work cleaning carpets locally during the day or at home in the evening my pager/bleeper would sound for a call out, the calls came often, around 450 – 500 per year.

For 16 years I had my own business and during 13 of those I was also responding to call-outs too, I was really busy night and day, working up to 90 hours a week was not uncommon for me, I was even working the day I got married, worked up until 12:30pm married in the church at 2pm.

Anyway, due to family pressure I eventually sold my cleaning business and became employed by Munters who are the largest water damage restoration company in the world, I was all over Scotland and North of England driving 1000 miles per week, my future was very secure although the stress levels were building and building.

I loved my new job, however, a couple of years later I had an accident at work, my back was broken and 3 vertebrae were out of line. Now living with chronic back pain which rules my life, very limited mobility and very depressed.

My life was pure hell, until a few years later I got a small lathe and started turning very small items from wood, this raised my mood and I started to feel not so useless anymore. This also helped focus my mind and was a form of distraction so I was not thinking about the pain I was in, it also helped a little with the depression as I was being productive, along with breathing excercises learned at the pain clinic I can work for short periods before I have to stop. Not quite the way I expected my life to go, but I suppose it could have been worse!

Some days I am not able to go out to my workshop due to the pain in my back, this dramatically lowers my mood, and frankly I can not be bothered with life, let alone my hobby. But on the days I feel up to it, I really get a buzz from being constructive, I don`t feel quite so useless anymore, life becomes a little better, and I am a little nicer to be around.

You can see more pictures of my work here:

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As a footnote to this page I would like to add that following my accident I became very depressed and stayed in bed all day, my phsyciatrist referred me to the Caledonia Clubhouse, I now attend whenever I feel up to it for a few hours except the weekends.

This place is extra special to me, I feel safe and secure when I`m there, all the members are brilliant and I have made a lot of friends, my outlook on life is now a little more positive! Click on logo to go to the Clubhouse website.

No photos contained in this website may be used without the permission of Mark Ligget.