Today we’d like to introduce you to Alex (Anjelica) Martinez.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I got into design early. Growing up, my mom and I watched home design shows. As a kid I was always building something: Lincoln Logs, Legos. My first real woodworking project was a bookshelf I made with my mom in high school. That’s still basically what I do.
In adulthood I started building for myself and for family (a coffee bar, a meditation table, side tables) and the love of it really kicked off. My day job is in tech, pretty different from this, but even there I kept reaching for the creative work. The more I leaned in, the more I wanted to make things with my hands.
I’ve always cared about the environment, I was even in the environmental club in high school. Trees and mountains give me a calm I can’t find anywhere else. So I started looking around and stopped seeing fallen trees — I saw tables, shelves, coasters, wall art, etc. Reclaimed wood is most of my focus now.
The more I made, the more I wanted to share it, so I opened an Etsy shop and launched an Instagram. That’s how I found a woodworking community, especially folks working with reclaimed materials, not just here in Texas but around the world.
When I moved from my garage into an apartment, the noise I was making stopped being realistic, so I joined a local maker space, Asmbly Makerspace. I’d always worked alone and made my peace with that. Turns out I didn’t know what I was missing. Being around other makers pushed me into things I never thought I’d try. Now I’m apart of a new community and I’m thriving.
Every piece starts as something most people would throw away. I’d rather take what’s headed for a landfill and turn it into something beautiful that someone keeps.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It’s not been a smooth road at all. I’ve dealt with major financial hardships that actually encouraged me to work with more reclaimed wood. Instead of spending money on wood, I was able to scavange and find wood that was free. Yes it required some clean up, but that’s part of the joy in working with reclaimed materials.
I’ve had family obligations and rocky relationships where I wasn’t able to spend as much time as I’d liked on this passion. Luckily, I’ve found myself in a better spot and I’m now able to spend that time on woodworking. That’s the power of healthy boundaries and refusing to give up on the things you love.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’m Anjelica (Alex), the maker behind Defiantly Drafted in Austin, Texas. I make one-of-a-kind art and functional pieces: live-edge trays, catch-all dishes, lanterns, bookends, keepsake boxes, and wall art. I’m the only one behind it.
What I specialize in is reclaimed materials. A lot of what I work with already has a history before I touch it, and my job is to read what it wants to do and get out of its way. I work with exotic species too, like spalted pecan, black walnut burl, purpleheart, padauk, and mesquite. I also do a fair amount of epoxy and inlay work, filling natural voids and cracks rather than hiding them, so the flaw becomes the feature.
My process isn’t just hand tools. I use a laser engraver, a 3D printer here and there, and increasingly a CNC. The machines handle the precision so I can put the time where it counts. I share the builds openly, including the experiments and the parts that don’t go to plan, because people seem to trust the work more when they can see how it actually gets made.
What I’m most proud of is that almost everything I sell is one of one. When a slab comes out a certain way, that grain doesn’t exist anywhere else and never will again. The person who buys it owns the only one.
That’s what sets me apart: real reclaimed material, genuine craft, and a maker who shows her work instead of dressing it up. The pieces are good and they speak for themselves.
What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
The thing I love about Austin is that there is always something to do. I grew up in San Antonio (I didn’t move very far) and the vibe is completely different. Whether it be outdoor activities at one of the many parks, the night life, the variety of food, and how progressive most of the city is are my favorites in Austin.
I least like the traffic. I know that it’s only getting worse, but it sucks.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.etsy.com/shop/DefiantlyDrafted
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/defiantlydraftedetsy/
