Queen of her Craft

Self-taught woodworker, law graduate and founder of the Women's Woodworking Workshop, Aida Ihsani is on a mission to empower women with the (literal) tools to build their confidence in woodworking

- Tania Jayatilaka

You’d be surprised at what you can achieve on your own. Aida Ihsani learned this life lesson early on when starting her own woodworking business years ago with her ex-husband. After parting ways with him, Aida was faced with the decision of whether or not to continue woodworking on her own. Moved by necessity more than choice, she kept at it–a decision that ultimately paid off. “The hardest part was deciding whether or not to do the business on my own. Before, I had someone to bounce ideas with, but now I don’t have that. I also had zero money. But I did have jobs coming in. Initially I didn’t want to take on orders, but I had no choice because I needed income. I said yes, and I had to figure out how to do the rest,” says the law graduate who enjoys hiking, gardening, and up-cycling old furniture in her spare time. “That’s when I discovered an ability that I didn’t know I had.”