Retired army veteran, Serge Vienneau of Moncton is quite literally penning a new profession for himself.
Instead of carrying a rifle, he’s carving out intricate art in the form of hand-crafted wooden pens — and finding some much needed peace in the process.
“This does help me de-stress. It is completely different — I can focus on something else, something that is safe. There are no guns, no land mines.”
Vienneau spent 15 years in the infantry, serving two tours of duty in Bosnia. He was medically discharged in 2010, but found settling back into civilian life a struggle.
“You are 24-7 with guns loaded, and a gate controlled, you are always on your guard you get used to it, but inside you are always sort of stressed,” he said.
Vienneau has found peace in his woodworking shop, making hand crafted pens using wood from all around the globe. Now, he says the only guns in his life are the ones he fixes on his creations.
“It’s not just making the pens, I am a wood enthusiast — I like the grain of the wood, the smell of the wood, all different types of wood. I get to work with woods from South Africa, Asia, rare wood.”
Creating pens may seem a little old fashioned given that these days, most people simply email and text. But Vienneau believes there’s still something romantic about grasping a well balanced pen.
“You can text your girlfriend, but basically when you write a little note that says ‘I love you and I miss you’ it’s a lot more than just a text,” he said.
Vienneau says he puts a little piece of himself into each pen he makes.
“It’s something that’s been made just unique for you it has more of a value,” he said, adding that each piece is like a finger print, with no two grains alike.
Made of high end and exotic woods, the pens range from $20 to $150.
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