Gallery • 4 Photos

Art was his escape. Something that could truly show people just who Kashka Fields was.
The last time he’d done any sort of artwork was in high school in a woodshop class when he made a cutting board for his mother. He found it to be something that brought him great joy. Still, he never continued creating, as was more focused on graduating and getting a football scholarship.

“It just didn’t seem like something that was worth me pursuing,” Fields said.

After working as a finance director for about 20 years, he began seeing people who had their own companies doing a lot of different things than he was, inspiring him to make a career change of his own.
Going from a finance director to a woodwork artist was never the original plan, but as he fell into the world of art, he discovered his hidden passion that was just waiting to reveal itself.

When the pandemic hit, Fields had a lot of extra time to spare. It started with just making small renovations to his house, including a closet door he and his wife weren’t very pleased with.

“I thought I’d give it a hand and try to make it myself,” Fields said.

Then French doors.Then a dog crate.Then a pool table. The more he created the more his unresolved passion for the art grew.

Fields began to find himself becoming more invested in his art and decided to create an art business titled In Through the Art Door, with the support of his wife Ruth, creating more than twenty pieces to sell and showcase.

Fields never works off a sketch or rough draft, instead formulating a set vision in his head of what he ideally wants the piece to look like. Of course, it doesn’t always go according to plan, but giving up is never considered an option. He keeps going until it meets his standards — he thinks of himself as a bit of a perfectionist. Fields often finds himself merging his job as a carpenter with his art.

“When I’m finishing something, I use that same precision that I’d use with my artwork,” Fields said.

His first art show was held at the local Alley Bar in downtown Ann Arbor. He felt a mixture of anxiety and excitement, since it was his first time his work was seen by an audience of more than just family and friends. Despite working him to the bone, this art show gave him many opportunities — Fields is already preparing for an even bigger art show at the Detroit Shipping Company. He can already see his business extending nationwide setting up his newfound career for success.

Initially, he made his art to meet others’ standards and to appeal to what other people would like and while that was not entirely a bad thing it didn’t exactly sit well with him.

“I’ve evolved into…what I feel when I’m doing a project,” Fields said.

He now pushes his creative ability to meet his standards and something that connects with him on an emotional level and can only see a string of accomplishments from here on out.