In some methods, John Malecki can thank an inexpensive espresso desk for his 1.2 million subscribers on YouTube.
Had he owned a sturdier desk, possibly he wouldn’t have thought twice about his enthusiasm for HGTV’s dwelling enchancment present “Fixer Higher”, which he watched on repeat as a fringe offensive lineman within the NFL.
Because it seems, although, Malecki’s desk broke proper earlier than his ultimate preseason together with his hometown Pittsburgh Steelers in 2013. And because the “Fixer Higher” fan he was, constructing a brand new one sounded method higher than simply shopping for a substitute.
At that time, Malecki was on his fifth crew in 4 years. An undrafted free agent out of Pitt, soccer had at all times been his north star, guiding him in any resolution since elementary college.
Now, in his mid-20s, his north star was dimming.
In between coaching camp practices, with the assistance of some House Depot two-by-fours, Malecki constructed a home made espresso desk for his South Aspect Pittsburgh condominium. As he mirrored on his appreciation for the work Chip and Joanna Gaines did on “Fixer Higher”, he thought, “I sort of need to construct my very own cool s—.”
Within the weeks that adopted — and particularly after his NFL profession ended when he was minimize in September that yr — he purchased some new woodworking instruments. The beginning of what can be a big assortment — and a complete new ardour.
At present, Malecki’s 1.2 million YouTube subscribers tune in to his woodworking channel to observe him construct the whole lot from slicing boards and finish tables to a hidden whiskey cupboard and a door impressed by “The Lord of the Rings.”
Like others who pour themselves into their work, Malecki didn’t view himself as somebody who had many pursuits outdoors of soccer. When he began constructing his espresso desk, he had no formal coaching and didn’t know what he was doing; he was simply curious and allowed himself to comply with it.
So what occurs after we pay a bit extra consideration to these on a regular basis afterthoughts and provides ourselves the liberty to discover new areas of progress?
Passions may be introduced out of us at odd instances, however most frequently after we really feel an underlying want for change in our lives. For Malecki, that meant creating post-football alternatives to experiment, fail and develop.
Whereas watching one among his movies now, you may discover a tattoo on Malecki’s arm. He received it after one among his faculty coaches used to evangelise the significance of perseverance.
It says: Hold chopping wooden.
Two years earlier, Malecki was holed up in an prolonged keep lodge on Christmas Day, alone apart from a bottle of Jack Daniels and an elk puzzle. A member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers apply squad on the time, Malecki was already on his third crew that season. The Bucs performed the subsequent day, and the bottle and puzzle crammed his time away from dwelling.
Again in Pennsylvania, Malecki’s household was crafting its annual lavish unfold: filet roast paired with pasta created from scratch, his grandmother’s home made gnocchi, his mom’s pumpkin pie.
His mother had despatched him a care package deal that week, making an attempt to copy the expertise.
Nonetheless, he mentioned, “I used to be tremendous bummed.”
And but he was additionally dwelling out the whole lot he had at all times needed. When he was a 10-year-old rising up in Murrysville, half-hour from downtown Pittsburgh, he had positioned a chunk of paper in a time capsule together with his dream written on it: “I’m going to be within the NFL.”
If that meant Christmases alone in a lodge room and away from his household, that was a part of the deal.
“On the time I used to be a agency believer that you must undergo in an effort to get what you need in life,” he mentioned.
Following that season with the Bucs, he had two extra stints with the Steelers sandwiched round a short cease in Washington. When Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin known as him into his workplace in 2013, Malecki’s instinct informed him it could be everlasting.
“Admire your work, John,” Tomlin informed him.
His soccer profession was over.
The subsequent spring, Malecki interviewed for a gross sales job at a metallic byproduct firm. He hadn’t performed within the NFL in months, and what he needed greater than a gross sales job was one other shot within the NFL.
However when the proprietor of the corporate informed him in the course of the interview, “That is nice, John, however you don’t have any expertise,” it was like a slap throughout the face.
“I used to be ineffective,” Malecki mentioned. “I had no abilities. … All my childhood hopes and desires crumbling. I used to be simply unhappy. Simply misplaced in a number of sides of life.”
The one factor Malecki continued to do throughout that point of uncertainty was construct new stuff out of wooden.
John Malecki (No. 74) enjoying in opposition to Syracuse in faculty. (George Gojkovich / Getty Pictures)
At some point Malecki was hanging out with former teammate Baron Batch, who had simply purchased a brand new home. The shortage of furnishings in the home was obtrusive. No desk or chairs, simply couches.
They have been sitting within the new, empty storage, wanting on the workbench within the nook, crowded with random provides on prime of it.
“What if we constructed stuff?” Malecki requested Batch.
The identical pleasure Malecki had earlier than he constructed his condominium espresso desk crept in. Quickly after, Batch’s home was furnished with home made tables, cupboards and shelving.
Shopping for instruments off Craigslist, utilizing extra House Depot two-by-fours and an outdated jointer his dad gifted him, Malecki began to spend most of his time making an attempt new builds.
“I used to be simply boozing and hanging out with my buddies,” Malecki laughed. “We have been curious lots, and I used to be making an attempt to determine that subsequent factor in life.”
He started posting on Fb and Instagram, exhibiting what he and Batch have been doing. He had no expectations of the place this might lead. However feedback began to roll in:
I’d love one.
May you make me that?
Batch and Malecki determined to open up a studio collectively full-time, known as Studio A.M., the place they mixed Batch’s inventive visions with Malecki’s woodworking abilities. As time went on, and his Instagram and Fb following grew, he determined a YouTube presence might assist, so he began posting a couple of movies.
“They’re so unhealthy,” Malecki mentioned. “Simply terrible.”
Then, in 2016, he posted a video of a cross-cut sled, a typical woodworking instrument. It was a fundamental YouTube submit, and he anticipated the same old gentle response. Besides it received a pair hundred thousand views.
“Holy s—,” he thought, “I don’t know how one can capitalize on this, however this feels good.”
As he was discovering his method, he saved telling himself the identical mantra he used throughout his soccer profession: “Simply do the reps, John. You go to the health club, you hate it, simply do the reps. You don’t like this drill, you don’t like this train, the coach mentioned do it, you do it.”
Malecki allowed himself the liberty to discover an space he was inquisitive about, regularly letting go of the thought his solely objective in life was soccer. However he did maintain his sense of objective, the issues he believed in that translated throughout fields.
“Effort and perspective,” Malecki mentioned. “These are two of the controllable issues you might have. I took that from soccer and utilized it dramatically to the subsequent section of my life. You possibly can’t lose if you happen to don’t give up.”
In 2018 Malecki signed a year-long sponsorship with an organization for $65,000, his large monetary breakthrough. It was the primary time he realized he might really make a dwelling woodworking. Now, he makes nearly what he did in his greatest yr enjoying within the NFL, in a single month.
“We have been simply shocked at how artistic he was,” mentioned Max Starks, a former Steelers teammate. “We knew he was artistic, we knew he was humorous, however to mix each of these issues and do it so seamlessly and be real about it’s one thing that’s sort of fascinating.”
Former teammate Ramon Foster first met Malecki as a Steeler, and it shortly turned obvious what sort of particular person he was.
“He got here to work on daily basis, he took a whole lot of crap, and he stayed and persevered,” Foster mentioned.
So when Malecki began to promote his creations, Foster needed to be one among his first large gross sales. He now owns a custom-made College of Tennessee slicing board, together with a espresso desk, corn gap boards and slicing boards crafted by Malecki.
In return, Foster asks for just one factor.
“I simply need to put it on the market,” Foster mentioned. “If he ever goes and meets Chip and Joanna Gaines and he doesn’t invite me and my spouse, we’re gonna have an actual downside!”
(Photograph: Justin Okay. Aller / Getty Pictures)