Christine Whelan FEO, March 16, 2023, VOL. 4 ISSUE 15
Kenney Jessop’s success has come in layers — his craft, his sobriety, his journey of discovery, and the love and lifesaving between him and his dog, Kasey.
The challenges came in layers, too.
I visited the Crystal Beach resident at his apartment/workshop down by Waterfront Park to see the many pieces of art in the form of wood design I had viewed on social media up close and personal. I also sat with this woodworking artist to hear his story.
New Start
Kenney opened up with his incentive in real candidness. “I started the business shortly after I got sober. This Tuesday will be a year,” referring to March 7.
Kenney admitted his recovery is a big part of his business. “It’s a part that I take out when I’m out at the market.”
He continued, “I always have the Serenity Prayer out,” as he reached around and pointed to an example. “I wouldn’t be here if I wasn’t sober because I was a monster when I drank and it was only a matter of time.”
He shared the pivotal moment. “I woke up in jail, my first thought was, I wanted to kill myself. My mother bailed me out. On the way home, I told her to stop at Mental Health but they were closed because of COVID, but I could still phone. So I did, the moment I got home, and I wanted to live. I wanted to change. I wanted to do things right.”
I asked if the lockdowns contributed to his downward spiral. It was so much more. “Part of it was in October of 2020 when they identified my sister’s murder, who was our uncle, I didn’t bank on the anger that came with it.
“So, that started the spiral. I couldn’t see a counselor and it just got worse. I’d given up and all I did was drink.”
Another layer
In hindsight, this is when Kenney’s life began to shift towards change. “But in the last few months before I got sober, I went to work for a friend of mine.”
His friend bought a laser for their business and Kenney learned how to use it.
“I’d stay late, went in on weekends, because I’d drink and work on the laser. I always knew there was so much that could be done with the laser. I immersed myself into it.”
But then, on one fateful night, things fell apart for Kenney and he woke up in that jail cell. Rock bottom.
Climbing Out
“I stayed with my mother for 28 days. I went to 35 meetings in those 28 days. I also started getting materials and getting the tools I’d need. The day before I had planned to come home, I ordered the laser. It came the day after I got home.
“The day I got the laser, I bought wood on my way home. And I hit the ground running.”
Casa Kasey Wood Design
When asked about the name of his business, Jessop replied easily, “There’s no other name that works other than one that involves her,” referring to the sweet blond lab relaxing on the floor in between us, “because she saved my life when I was drowning in the lake in 2018.”
Kenney explained that he got caught in the rip current in the lake. “End of the day, waves were picking up, I turned my back and sat down just to get the sand off me and went head over heels.”
Kasey was there, and she was wearing a life preserver. “I was twirling but I was able to grab onto her preserver. She came out through six-foot waves. She’s determined when she wants to be.”
Kasey Jessop is now in the Purina Animal Hall of Fame, 2021.
And then shortly after that, Kenney saved her life. “We went to get her spayed. When the vet went to spay her, her organs were like tissue paper. She bled out on the table.” Kenney said they had given up on her.
“At the end of the day, after nine hours of the doctor and nurses staying with her, they suggested I take her to emergency at the animal hospital. I said she’s got nothing to fight for there. So, I brought her home with an IV still in her. She hadn’t moved all day but when we got to the truck, she tried to get into the truck.” They went home, and she survived.
His Wood Design
“The first actual showing of my work was at Ridgefest this past summer and I pretty much sold out in three hours.”
The Supper Market started up again on Thursday evenings at Waterfront Park, which is just across the road from Jessop’s home. “I set up on my lawn. People started buying from me.
“It was hard for me the first week, just to put my face out there. When I got home after those 28 days and buried myself in my work, I didn’t know what people would think of my work. So, when I put it out there… you know, you expect the worst.”
But it got him talking to people again, an unexpected gift. “It was something I wasn’t doing during COVID. It validated that I was a decent person because I didn’t think I was anymore.”
After a slight pause, “And now, I can’t remember the last time I felt that. This past year has really been a journey of discovery.”
Some of his Christmas business this year was a result of people at the Supper Market during the summer, passing by him and picking up his business card.
The Detail
Jessop explained it’s not like a photocopier. “The detail is about what I do to it more than the specific laser, the things I’ve learned to do. It’s multiple programs. It goes through multiple stages before it actually goes to the laser.”
For example, “I can take a copy of a photo, even if it’s not in focus. I can do photo restoration and create the design on wood in more focus.” He showed me an example.
“I have a graphics background, self-taught. Years ago, I used to create ads for bars and bands in the Toronto area.”
Talking about Addiction and Getting Sober
Kenney shared little, yet significant experiences of the first days of his recovery. “Even going down to the beach with Kasey, I used to take a cooler of beer with me. On the first day, we went out there after coming home sober, I just sat there, quiet. I was aware of every sense, taking everything in. They had been numbed for so long.”
Kenney talked about how he’s really found meditation beneficial and tries meditating everywhere, especially while in the water, which he calls his happy place.
Although, according to Jessop, his behaviour during his drinking days was not good for his relationships, when reading his Facebook posts and resulting comments these days, he seems to be very well-liked and supported.
Kenney feels that he has been able to maintain friendships that could have been destroyed a year ago because he’s been open about it all. “I haven’t lied about it. I haven’t blamed anybody. I’ve had to learn that the common denominator in all my problems that I’ve had in life where I pointed the finger and cried, ‘Oh, poor me, poor me,’ has been me and my drinking.
“I did what I did. I can’t change it. All I can do is make the best of what happened, change my life, and help others from time to time.”
He talked about giving back. “When I’m at the markets, I can see when someone is struggling. I always keep, right at the center of the booth, right in front of me, a picture of Kasey and a Serenity Prayer sign. People will look at it and I can tell right away.
“I only charge $20 for the sign because the people who want it, need it.” He talked about times when he’s just given a sign away because he could tell someone just needed it.
Second Chances
“I’ve been given a lot of chances in this life.” He looked down at Kasey, lying on the floor, staring up at him. “This one doesn’t run out of the room and hide when I come home anymore.” Reaching for her, giving her a reassuring pet, “Do ya?”
Jessop explained, he was very verbal with her. She now comes running because she knows she gets love — and cookies.
“It’s been a whole learning process and I’m learning every day.”
The Markets
You can find Kenney at his booth on Sundays at the St. Catharines Factory Outlet Flea Market, 46 Turner Crescent.
The Port Colborne Farmers Market on Charlotte Street across for City Hall, where he is also a regular vendor, is outdoors and will start up again in the spring on Friday mornings.
As the temperature continues to rise, Kenney is setting his sights on what spring and summer will hold. “I’ve already been doing spring stuff, baseball stuff. I want to create pictures where you look at it many times and still, each time, find something new.”
He plans on getting into the local markets as soon as they open. “I didn’t get into the markets until late August last year.” And hoping to expand. “I want to get another laser. Bigger pictures.” He’s also considering working with glass.
Watch for Kenney, set up on his front lawn on Thursdays and Sundays again this coming spring and summer. Follow him on his Facebook Page, Casa Kasey Wood Design.
Photo provided by Kenny Jessop
