SCHOLARSHIP STORIES
MELISSA LACKORE’S STORY
“I’ve always been creative; I can’t think of a time I wasn’t drawing or making things or exploring out in the Nevada desert. I picked up leatherwork when my high school softball season was cancelled my senior year during the pandemic, and I was going stir crazy.
Making things out of leather has felt pretty natural to me since the beginning, and though I have a lot to learn, I have such a passion for making things and I enjoy the learning process. I made enough gear in college to earn a little extra money, and after getting my bachelor’s degree, I decided to make the jump to pursue leatherwork full time.
How I found my mentor was somewhat of a happy accident. I was shopping at the Rodear last year, and I met Sarah Smith of Sarah Smith Silver. I had been toying with the idea of learning silversmithing for a while, and I was asking her who she learned from. Right there, she said she’d be willing to teach me, and I was super excited to potentially learn about silver. A couple months later, she called and told me her husband Jack is a saddle maker and was interested in taking a student, if I wanted to pursue that craft. At the time, I didn’t even know he was a saddle maker, but saddle making has been my ultimate goal, so of course I jumped at the opportunity. I think that God guided me in the right direction, and I still can’t believe that I was able to find these amazing mentors. I was able to complete a saddle with Jack and build a ring with Sarah during my internship.
It took us 10 days to build a rough-out saddle from start to finish. Jack walked me through each step, but he also gave me a lot of freedom to learn and do things for myself so I had the opportunity to take away as much as I could from the time I spent there.
Jack taught me how to build a saddle and to build it right. I learned just how important it is to use the best materials and the best techniques in order to build functional saddles that are good for the cowboy/girl and the horses they’re used on.
This scholarship allowed me to have a 1 on 1 learning opportunity with a successful saddle maker, which is something I didn’t think I would be able to find. Those opportunities are out there, but nowadays they’re hard to come by.
I have grown so much with this experience. I have always struggled with confidence in myself and my work, and it was very uplifting to see that so many other people really see value in the things that I create. I am undoubtedly my own harshest critic, and I put my heart and soul into everything I do. It is fulfilling to see that recognized and have others take a chance on me. It really makes you feel valued as both a person and as a maker.
The whole thing was an aha moment. Building a saddle in 10 days for the first time is kind of like drinking from a firehose… a very, very large firehose. I think the biggest lesson was to be humble enough to know that you’ll always have something to learn, but also to confident enough to know that you can make a good, functional product.
If I could go back in time, I’d tell myself to buy the nice tools. Seriously, it is worth spending the extra $100. Also, it is not cliché to say the sky is the limit. Just keep working hard, and doors will open themselves. This scholarship has completely changed my long-term goals. I had the opportunity to become a saddle maker right out of college, which is something I never dreamed would happen. Before, I thought I’d maybe be learning to build a saddle in 5 or so years. Now, I see myself in 2, and 5, years, doing what I am now – building saddles and custom leather goods, and day working. I’d love to improve my silversmithing skills as well, and ultimately make conchos and silver to add to the saddles that I make.
It is no exaggeration to say the Rodear and the SKJ scholarship has changed my life. After my internship, Jack and Sarah and family extended an opportunity to me to move to California and pursue my trade full time. So, I loaded up all of my things into my horse trailer and moved to Bakersfield, which was both terrifying and exciting. Now I have the chance to build saddles, learn engraving and silversmithing, and help on their family’s ranch. It still doesn’t feel real, and I am so grateful to be here. I feel like I will be able to grow my skills exponentially with this opportunity and really build a name for myself. Without the Rodear, none of this would have happened, and I probably would be working a 9-5 right now and doing leather on the weekends.”
