Erik In The News
Erik Warren works on a scroll saw project. Despite having autistim, Erik
has his own scrolling business.
Scrolling Out a Future
Dedicated dad creates scroll saw businesses for handicapped
sons
By Kathleen Ryan
When the Warrens discovered that both of their sons were significantly
handicapped, they became all the more determined to give them lots of love and
help them reach their fullest potentials. They have succeeded on both counts.
Today, 36-year-old Erik (with autism) and 39-year-old Jason (with
Williams Syndrome, a rare genetic disorder) each work in a scroll
saw-related business. These businesses not only keep the boys happy, but they
help ensure a productive life for them, should anything happen to Jim Warren,
their dedicated father.
"It's amazing to me how these kids are like night and day," said Jim Warren.
"Jason is very social and musically talented." He exhibits intellectual
strengths and weaknesses typical of individuals with Williams Syndrome. "Erik is
physically capable, but socially inept with very limited verbal skills; 'scroll
saw' and 'pizza' are among his understandable words. Yet, they are both a joy
and an inspiration to me every single day," Jim continued.
When Erik was in his late teens, a special education teacher got him involved
in a woodworking project that required the use of a scroll saw. Erik enjoyed it
so much that Jim bought him his own scroll saw, and they learned how to use it
together. To everyone's surprise, Erik took to the scroll saw like a duck to
water, so Jim set him up with a little shop of his own. Since then, he has
produced a myriad of high-quality sports, spiritual, and nature-themed artwork
for his business, aptly named
Erik OriginalsTM.
"A lot of people ask me how I could let Erik be around dangerous equipment.
But if there.s any tool in woodworking that I feel is safe, it.s the scroll
saw," Jim said. "Erik nicked himself just once years ago and got really upset
about it.it's never happened again."
All Erik Originals are hand cut by Erik before going on to the finishing
crew. Erik uses a Hawk scroll saw with a #2 reverse-tooth blade. Most of his
framed work is cut in ¾"-thick Baltic birch plywood, although some of his work
is cut in ¾"-thick aromatic cedar. In addition to his array of patterns, Erik
also does some custom work.
Erik, left, Jim Warren, center, and Jason, right, display some of Erik's
work.
"Erik is a visual learner. He rarely allows anyone to do anything for him.not
even to get his coat for him. He.s very coordinated, and physically strong and
capable, with perfect vision, hearing, and smell. He can sniff out a Snickers
bar no matter where I try to hide it," laughed Jim. "He.s also very mechanically
inclined and can do anything I ask him to do. But I've got to be sure to show
him correctly the first time, because change is difficult for him. Once we got
started on the scroll saw, I just kept giving him harder projects, and he
excelled at them all."
The budding artist began selling his work 15 years ago through retailers that
Jim was able to convince to display Erik's work. Now he also sells his work
online through his website. Last year alone Erik sold well over 1,000 pieces.
According to his father, most people who see Erik.s work love it and are
impressed with the quality. Those admirers often have no idea that Erik has
autism. For Erik, his unique gift is an effective way to help him deal with his
compulsions.
"We hide wood from him, because if he sees it, he's got to make something
with it.then there's no stopping him. He has been known to work up to 23 hours
straight, but he has gotten much better at controlling that urge. He sets his
own pace for what he wants to do each day. Then anything he leaves to do for the
next day, he'll carry home and take it to his bedroom with him, because he
doesn.t want anyone doing his work.
"Some people with autism benefit from sensory integration. I think that Erik gets his
sensory integration through the scroll saw; that and his one to three long
showers every day. It's still somewhat of a mystery to me what makes him tick."
An entrepreneur himself, Jim Warren currently owns an asphalt maintenance
company in Hays, KS. Over the years, he has jump-started several other
businesses.
"I've always been self-employed, so I could pick up and leave to deal with
whatever needs the boys might have," Jim said. "So I was already familiar with
the logistics of how to go about setting up businesses in which they could
work."
Within the past year, Jim established a company for Jason to work in, called
Wonderpaper by
JasonTM. It was born out of Erik's
scroll-sawing business. After years of helping Erik glue patterns onto his wood
pieces, Jim stumbled onto some large sheets of self-adhesive paper. He cut the
paper to size, put the sheets into a copy machine like regular paper, then just
peeled off the back and applied it to the wood. It worked like a wonder. thus
the name Wonderpaper. A single ad in Scroll Saw Woodworking & Crafts
Magazine generated an international base of more than 200 customers for the new
business.
"It took a long time to come up with something that would work for Jason,
because Erik's needs were so demanding. But Jason is an angel and has always
been so good about waiting," Jim mused. "The paper worked out great for Erik,
and now Jason can help with a business too. Jason proudly weighs the sheets,
puts them in the bags, and takes them to the post office. He tracks his sales on a world map.
"They're both hard workers," Jim added. "They'll get up early each morning
and can't wait to get going and start doing something. Helping them feel useful and productive is what it's all about."
Because Erik cannot be left unattended, Jim enlisted the help of personal
assisstants for Erik and Jason, to help with their day-to-day activities,
including their respective businesses.
"There are four people who work with Jason and Erik who have been with us for
years," Jim said. "They are all CPR and first-aid certified. They are our
family. Through a trust agreement, two people have committed to help Erik and
Jason for the rest of their lives, should I ever be unable to care for them. It
took me a long time to feel that good about anyone."
Although no one can predict what lies ahead, Jim is very hopeful for the
futures of his sons and the businesses. Whatever the future holds, Jim says one
thing is certain.they're in it together.
"It's been challenging living with these kids, but at the same time it's been
such a joy and very rewarding for me personally. All in all, I'd say it's been
quite a ride!"
Erik OriginalsTM
Erik Originals was created by Jim Warren to help develop the
artistic talents of his son. Erik's artwork includes sports,
spiritual, and nature designs. Visitors to his website can view the
gallery of his work and watch a video highlighting Erik.s life,
struggles, and accomplishments, as well as television news clips
featuring Erik and his work. For more information on Erik Originals,
call Jim Warren at 785-623-7470 or visit the website at
www.erikoriginals.com.
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Wonderpaper by JasonTM
Wonderpaper by Jason is a company started by Jim Warren to help his
son, Jason, with the goal of leading a productive life and earning a
living. This self-sticking paper was initially designed for use in
the production of scroll saw artwork, but has many other
applications as well. Jim said the company plans to expand its line
by adding several new products, including a clear Wonderpaper. To
learn more about Wonderpaper or to place an order, call 785-639-7470
or visit
www.wonderpaperbyJason.com.
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