Steve Tripp from Minnesota is a former IT consultant who worked all over the USA, north to south and coast to coast.

His journey to the Chippendale school has taken four years to plan, from moving to a smaller home, and his wife enrolling into Queen Margaret University just outside Edinburgh to complete a Masters in Arts, Culture and Festival Management.

Steve and his wife have settled in Haddington, the county town nearest to the school, which they’re enjoying as everything is within walking distance.

Steve has long had an interest in traditional crafts and ways of working – from weaving to ceramics, and from woodworking to lace making.

Ideally, he’d like to stay on in Scotland after graduation and explore how those ancient skills could be brought to a new generation.

He’s particularly been influenced by the Lost Trades Fair in Australia which seeks to promote traditional crafts made by people not machines, backed by ideals of sustainability and educational outreach to encourage more people to explore their creativity.