Mr. Calvin’s Life Outside of School
Written By Helen Wajler SJND ‘28
Have you ever thought about a teacher’s life outside of school? Our very own teacher here at SJND is quite the proprietor and craftsman. Mr. Calvin is the owner and operator of two businesses, Rogue Compass and Ikwid Mott, along with being a teacher at SJND and teaching science and physics on Blue days. Today I will dive into how he balances his intriguing life and the secrets behind his success.
You are probably wondering how Mr. Calvin is a teacher and also operates two businesses. He is a Blue-day teacher and comes around three times a week to teach here at SJND; then on the days he is not teaching, he is working at his workshop. You might think that he has to manage his time very carefully to be successful, but that’s not the case. He claims, “A lot of people think it’s about time management, but you really can’t manage time; it’s really about managing your energy.” He is very particular about what space he is in and what energy he gives himself.
Mr. Calvin’s business, Ikwid Mott, is a sewing service, which he operates and owns. Ikwid Mott specializes in interior design, such as slipcovers, duvets, drapes, pillows, and interior decoration. Ikwid Mott was a business that was already created by his business partner and mentor around 30 years ago. Calvin met his mentor, CF, in 2010, and worked with him for two and a half years. Then he started doing some contract work education by traveling the country. Calvin later took over operations in Ikwid Mott in 2011 and has been sewing since then.
Rogue Compass is a leather company that specializes in custom leather goods. Mr. Calvin started his company when he was traveling the country and decided to make a leather luggage one day. Then, he so happened to take a picture of it, and it went viral on Instagram. Calvin has been sewing for around 13 years and has been sewing with leather for 7 years.
What makes his businesses so unique is that his goods are all hand-sewn, the one thing that machines can’t do. He owns industrial sewing machines, but he sews by hand, which uses a different technique and makes it so much stronger. People haven’t developed a machine that can replicate hand stitching, and it’s something humans can still do.
Making a custom bag takes time with many steps. First, a client must reach out to him, and Mr. Calvin would then ask them a series of questions, like the type, use, and functionality of the item. Then, he would design and sketch out the process based on the client’s feedback. Finally, Calvin tells them the amount of time it will take to create the bag; the time to create a bag typically takes 6–8 weeks depending on the complexity and time of his schedule.
Mr. Calvin considers himself to be a craftsman. There are laborers who work with their hands, then there are craftsmen who work with their hands and heads, and then there are artists who work with their hands, heads, and hearts. He does not consider himself to be an artist because he does not typically make the things he likes but the things you like. Since you don’t have the time, the hands, or the mindset, skills, or knowledge. People hire him for his knowledge and his skills, and he makes the hearts for the people.
What inspired him to work specifically with luggage was his childhood friend, who he met in 4th grade, and went to undergrad with. He called Mr. Calvin one day out of the blue and said that he needed help to build a company that he had. Both of them traveled the country doing motivational workshops for companies, school districts, and non-profit organizations.
One of Mr. Calvin’s challenges with operating these businesses was managing his creativity properly. “I am a firm believer that creativity is not something that you have, it’s something that comes to you, and what you have to do is just be ready for the opportunity,” he claims. Then he stated, “So you have to create a space that is inviting for the spirit of creativity.” This means that you can’t be a mad/mean person and expect it to come to you, and you need that right energy.
When that bag took off, he was not ready: “You never really are.” People went crazy for this bag, asking where to buy one and how much it cost. He threw out a price, thinking it was high, but apparently it was too low. He didn’t know he was making stuff of that quality, and he does. “You gotta be ready when that opportunity comes,” he reflects. Sometimes you miss it, but you have to be consistent because it’s not “ glitter, gold, and sunshine, sometimes it’s dark and gloomy and ugly, but you gotta work your way through.”
Sometimes the hardest challenge for him is knowing a deadline is approaching and realizing he doesn’t have any creative juices. There have been many times when he doesn’t want to go into his workshop, but “you have to be consistent.” He reminds himself that this is the life that he wanted, and sometimes it is not easy. Another challenge he faced was learning how to say no. An example is when some students asked him to be a moderator for their club; even as much as he would love to, energy-wise he can’t.
When you wake up and work for yourself, you have to put in twice the effort. It’s way easier to just wake up and work for somebody, and it’s simple, and you can go get a check. When you work for yourself, it’s harder, and sometimes energy-wise, you just don’t have it, and sometimes creativity isn’t there, motivation isn’t there. “When motivation and creativity aren’t there, you have to really lean upon your discipline and upon your habits,” he reflected. When you have bad habits, you won’t be successful. Even today, Mr. Calvin is trying to change his habits.
For the future, he has a couple ideas. Mr. Calvin has 3 goals currently, one of which is hiring an employee here in California. His second goal is establishing a foot hole in the western part of the United States for Ikwid Mott. And finally, his third goal is to get sponsored by Puma, which partners with artists, and he is learning how to make shoes, so he can design his own leather shoe. Mr. Calvin has spent the last 13 years of his life doing what he loves, hoping in the next 2 years he can accomplish his goals and spread his creativity.
SJND Pilot Island Editorial Staff 2024–2025:
Editor-in-Chief: Anne Obuchi ‘25
News Editors: Jaslyn Ho ’26 and Jeanette McClure ‘27
Features Editors: Naomi Seche ’26 and Anabel Arista ‘27
Opinion Editors: Nicolaus Thyen ’27 and Victor Pham ‘27
Reviews Editor: Austin Ly ’27 and Sean Kimbrew ‘27
Sports Editors: Jayla Anderson ’27 and Jeremiah Myers ‘27
