“Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day, give a man a fishing rod (teach a man to fish) and you feed him and his family for a lifetime…”

This is the driving spirit behind19-year-old Marnu van Zyl’s creativity. While wondering what he would be doing for the rest of his life, Marnu could have taken a gap year or started a filler career…

You know, the ‘doing a job for the pay check instead of passion’ thing most teens do…

But he did not; he chose to turn a hobby of his – creating arts & crafts out of wood – into a business.

For now, he knows it will not pay the rent, but at least it keeps him busy and he gets to make money out of something he loves to do.

“Working with my hands has always been a passion of mine,” he explains. “I hope to be a carpenter one day.” When he first started making his handmade arts & crafts, he had no idea how popular they would be. From selling to family and friends, his hobby has blossomed into a small-scale business that has seen him making a name for himself at local fairs and fêtes.

This Saturday, he will be selling his art at a stall at the Square shopping Complex.

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