b'months. Corbiere hoped to get a job inbut if I could mentor another female thaton, and putting the finish on the wood, the industry after graduation, but shewants to learn, thats even better. Im just so excited to see how it turns says she just couldnt secure one.These days Corbiere is busyout at the very end, before I deliver it to After finishing the program, andconstructing custom fabrications. Ithe clients. without any job prospects, she mused,have about three dining tables to do,Despite her success, Corbiere has what the heck did I just do that for?shelving, business signs, says Corbiere,retained a humble sense of pride. I Thats when she decided to go into busi- who enjoys the variety of requests thatthink you always have to go back and ness for herself. she gets. One day youre doing furni- realize that you knew nothing, and For the first couple of years, I wasture, the next day youre doing a sign,give yourself some credit. Youve come just renting the plasma tables, a mill,which I really enjoy.this far, and youve built this piece, and a lathe, all the essential tools, saysyouve learned from so many people, Corbiere, who didnt yet have a shopCorbieres true passion still lies inshe says. It goes without saying: I didnt of her own, and worked anywhere shefurniture building. My heart startsget here without a lot of people in my could find space. I was working outracing when Im so close to being donelife, and just to have those pieces public, of my garage, at my home at that time,the pieces. When Im putting the woodI feel proud of them. and then when that situation didnt work out, I moved on to work out of my uncles garage. Her uncle eventu-ally sold his garage, and Corbiere had to move again, this time into her parents makeshift garage.Thats when I really had the motiva-tion to go ahead and build my own place, she says. Construction on Corbieres shop in MChigeengthe community where she was born and raisedwrapped up in December of last year. Its really neat, because Ive got a store, and people always ask, Hows your shop coming? And Im like, Its coming. And theyre excited, she says. When they see a lot of my metal work around, theyre like, Oh yeah, Kathryn made that! Shes from MChigeeng. And I love that theres that sense of pride. Eventually, she plans to set up a showroom in her shop, so people can drop in and purchase her pieces. Corbiere is part of a small group of women in Canada who work in the skilled trades. According to a 2017 report by the trade association Cana-dian Manufacturers and Exporters, women represent less than 4.5 per cent of all skilled trade workers in Canada. Corbiere says she doesnt think much about being a female who works in a male-dominated industry, but she credits her zealous nature for becoming a tradesperson. I feel like Im somewhat competitive; to not be able to do what other people can, thats what pushes me to try and do what they do, she says. Just grab a hammer and hammer that nail, and move on to the next tool. Start at the very basics, says Corbiere. She says she is grateful to her mentors, all of whom, like Menary, have happened to be male. I dont see it any differently, ISSUE 1 2019C hIEfS ofo ntarIoA dvocAte magazInE l 39'