John thinks that being blind has helped him grow into the person he is today.
“Life’s attitude toward us is influenced by our attitude toward life.” Johnson Mitchell
John Furniss is a well-known artist and outdoorsman who inspires everyone he encounters.
He claims that his life is cheerful and positive now, but it wasn’t always like this.
John had previously felt lost when he was still a teenager. He struggled with melancholy and anxiety, and he never felt like his life had any meaning.
He had a sense of alienation.
John committed suicide when he was just 16 years old as a result of all those bad feelings.
Fortunately for him, John only suffered from vision and smell loss.
After that, he entered treatment, underwent rehab, and returned to a little village.
His return to normalcy took years.
Then, one day, he signed up for a vocational rehab program to aid in his job search.
There was a braille and wood shop option in addition to cooking and cleaning.
John initially thought it was absurd to offer a wood shop as a choice.
How could someone who is blind make woodwork?
John decided to try his hand at woodworking. He was shocked to discover happiness using his new talent. He not only fell in love with woodworking, but also found his natural ability for it.
Additionally, he found and wed Annie, his soul match, who backed him every step of the way and shared his enthusiasm.
One day, a friend suggested they try to upload John’s incredible woodwork on TikTok.
They were initially cautious because they believed TikTok was only for teenagers.
They used TikTok and enjoyed it, but what astonished them was how the audience embraced and adored John’s art as well as his personal narrative.
Over 1.8 million people already follow them.
He creates a perfect image of what he wants to do and executes it using his hands and memories.
If you ask John, who is now known as the “blind woodsman,” if he regrets some of his earlier choices, he will respond as follows:
“I genuinely have started to think that I am supposed to be blind over the years. I needed that in order to develop into the man I am today.
As he describes how his life has changed, he smiles.
Although some might say that being blind is challenging, John disagrees.
For this blind woodsman, life is lovely, and despite his blindness, he can still feel it and experience great delight.
He said in a different interview that John had once spoken as a guest speaker at a middle school attended by a 12-year-old girl.
“She claimed that her father had killed himself, and my story gave her insight into the situation and helped her cope in some way. I’ve been able to do that practically on a worldwide scale because to TikTok,” John said. “It would have taken me a lifetime to do that.”
John is using his life experiences to help and inspire people in his own small manner. Being alive is wonderful, especially when your life’s work has been fulfilled.
In sharing his experience, he hopes to motivate those who may have gone through similar feelings and obstacles to him.
John’s loss of sight paved the path for him to discover his calling. He still holds that view today.
Watch his video below;