The sculptor has a peak income of over 100 million VND/month.

With skillful and creative hands, Nguyen Thanh Toan (27 years old), residing in Son Dong commune, Hoai Duc district, Hanoi city, has carved wood into unique products, bringing high economic value.

Continuing the family tradition

Born and raised in a family of traditional wood carving, Thanh Toan was familiar with the sound of chiseling and the scent of wood from a young age.

"In the summer, I often follow my father to carve wood. Looking at the statues my family makes, I always hope that one day I will inherit the family business and set up my own woodworking workshop," Toan said.

*Toan often chooses wood types such as: huong van, ngoc am to make products.*

After many years of hard work, Toan was able to make a wooden product shaped like a monkey and sell it for over 1 million VND. "I feel happy and joyful when the efforts I put into pursuing this career have paid off," Toan confided.

After that, Toan made more statues, from basic to complex. In early 2023, Toan set up his own workshop and imported more equipment such as iron chisels, saws, wood milling machines as well as raw materials to create many products.

*Toan also sculpted the image of Sun Wukong.*

Toan said that in the early days of starting a business, making large products for sale was relatively difficult and arduous.

"At first, I was not used to it so I accidentally cut my leg with the machine and had to get 10 stitches. There were products that took me nearly a month to complete, because the details required the maker to be meticulous, skillful and careful to create the 'soul' of the statue," Toan said.

*Buddhist images are always a source of inspiration for Toan's creativity.*

Peak income over 100 million VND/month

Currently, Toan focuses on wood carving with images such as Buddha, sacred animals... "However, my main wood carving products are still images of Buddhism. I decided to make this type of statue because I want to explore, learn and delve into unique wood products that few people can make," Toan said.

To make a perfect sculpture, Toan must choose good pieces of wood that are not rotten or old, then cut them into blocks, chisel, and sketch the image...

"To make the statue beautiful and more sophisticated, the craftsman needs to know how to shape and sketch out the large and small lines on each work. After carving the wood into specific details, I will sand it, then paint it with a glossy color," Toan said.

Toan added: "Most of the steps are done by hand, so when choosing wood, it must be carefully selected, of good quality, with a certain degree of flexibility and not warped, cracked or infested with termites."

*Toan started a career in wood carving to continue his family tradition.*

Although Toan's products are all made from the same material, wood, when formed, they all have their own beauty and soul, never the same, which is also what customers love.

According to Toan, in addition to manual dexterity and creativity, the sculpting profession also requires the craftsman to be patient and truly passionate.

"This profession currently has a fairly stable consumer market and high income. In addition to customers who come to buy products directly, I also often share the statues I make on social networks to attract viewers, thereby increasing the number of sales," Toan said.

Besides, to pursue and succeed in his career, Toan always improves his skills in sculpting, constantly creates, regularly exchanges with experienced people, goes online to collect and update unique images, to meet the needs of customers.

*Each Buddha statue takes Toan more than 1 month to complete, depending on the difficulty, easy or big or small.*

*Toan is always meticulous in every detail.*

"Each statue costs from several million to tens of millions of VND, depending on the type of wood, size, sophistication, and complexity. On average, I earn from 40 to 50 million VND per month, with the peak being more than 100 million VND from selling wooden sculptures," Toan shared.

Toan confided: "Young people who want to pursue a career in wood carving, especially making Buddha statues, must have enthusiasm and passion. For me, pursuing my current career is not only to earn income and cover my living expenses, but also to continue and spread traditional values to young people who are passionate about this art."

Thanhnien.vn