In the capable hands of my own father, the wood has been shaped into countless soft arches and personalized products over the years. My father made cabinet clocks in his own father's footsteps in South Ostrobothnia, Ilmajoki.
I spent my childhood surrounded by sawdust, watching my father and my father's father work in an old outbuilding converted from a barn to a workshop. At the same time, I learned about creativity and that things can and should be done by hand, by self. Making things by hand was, and still is, highly valued in our family. Perhaps the lesson for me has been that this is the way to leave a mark, a mark of your existence. I also learned that the stories behind objects make using and owning them more meaningful.
Wood dust fluttered around me, forming a magical cloud for a little girl's dreams to grow and develop.
A little over two years ago, the events of my life so far changed my world of values. The idea of Ehea arose and I was encouraged to think; now or never. Sometimes your own stories feel too familiar that you don't even notice their existence. That happened to me too. But when I dared to talk about my own dreams, miracles started to happen. And we are on that wonderful journey.
Ehea exists so that the stories could continue to unfold and that the old know-how and manual skills would not be forgotten. Respect for the work and manual skills of previous generations creates a strong foundation for Ehea's values. To some extent I feel that I am also doing culture historically valuable work.
Ehea got its name from the Finnish word "eheä". It reflects the chain of generations and the idea that history can be brought to life also by transforming the products and stories into new to fit this day.
I'm standing on top of Kiilopää and breathing clean mountain air into my lungs through my nose. I can see far. The sky is beautifully blue, only a few white clouds decorate the view. Sun shines. This is good, I could stay here.