In their new book, The Blind Woodsman: One Man's Journey to Find His Purpose on the Other Side of Darkness, husband-and-wife John and Anni Furniss share their incredible, and inspiring, life story.
John, who lost his sight as a teenager and is a suicide survivor, learned the art fo woodworking from another blind craftsman, and thought he’d found his calling. But once he met Anni, a mixed media artist with a background in art therapy, he found his purpose.
We spoke to the couple about their love story, and how it inspired them to build a community dedicated to lifting up those struggling with mental health challenges.
John, why and how did you get into woodworking?
I struggled with depression and anxiety as a kid and at age 16 I attempted suicide. It left me blind and without a sense of smell. I was lucky that I survived, but afterwards I still faced adapting to blindness along with my mental health challenges. Following my attempt, I faced years of drug addiction and even trouble with the law. I felt lost and aimless, not sure that I would live very long. At age 24 after getting clean from meth, I attended the Utah State School for the Blind and Visually Impaired to learn independent living skills. They offered a woodworking class there and since I've always been adventurous, I decided to give it a try. I found that it came naturally to me, and it gave me purpose again. Giving myself something to be proud of redirected my life into a positive course.
What obstacles have you faced working in this medium without sight?
At first, measuring was very difficult until I found a high precision tactile tool that was the right fit for me. Fearing the table saw at first was an obstacle as well, but with practice it became easier.
How did this act of creativity help you overcome your depression, anxiety and addiction?
It gave me something I was passionate about and good at, which gave me confidence. Having a finished product that I had envisioned in my mind was very therapeutic and felt like a visual release of sorts. Woodworking has given me purpose and a place to direct my active mind.
Anni, how did you get involved in John’s life?
John and I met while I was volunteering for a fundraising project at the vocational school he attended: Emil Fries School of Piano Technology for the Blind. I've been an artist for almost 30 years and at the time I was running a small nonprofit project that I had started. The project's purpose was teaching art classes to kids living in homeless shelters and giving them art supplies. I was at the school John attended painting a piano for the fundraiser with a group of teens that lived at a nearby shelter. John walked into the classroom where I was painting and put his hand in the wet paint on the piano. We got to know each other while I worked there, started dating soon after, and the rest is history! Art has also been a way for me to cope with my own mental health struggles since I was around 17 when my mom gifted my great-grandfather's oil paints to me. John and I both have a history of mental illness and we both like using art as a therapy tool. I have an invisible disability from a hyper mobility condition, so our shared experiences have brought us closer. Now we share about mental health advocacy, disability awareness and art on our social media platforms.
Why did you two decide to tell this story?
John has lived an incredible life and I have always wanted to write a book about it. We decided to share our story because of our shared passion about mental health, art, and disability. A theme in both our lives has been overcoming hardship and using creativity to adapt.
How did you go about finding Fox Chapel Publishing?
Fox Chapel Publishing reached out to us about telling John's story. We met with them and everything clicked into place. We had a chemistry with them right away and knew they would tell his story with respect and dignity.
Who do you hope will read your book?
We hope anyone struggling with their mental health or facing disability will get something from our book. But really, this book is for everyone. We'd love to reach a wide audience of all demographics and give people hope during dark times.
What do you hope readers will take away from The Blind Woodsman?
We hope that John's story can offer comfort and inspiration, especially to those facing barriers in life due to mental illness and disability. Even though life sometimes doesn't look anything like you planned, we hope our story can show that if you can't do something one way, you can find another.
