The greatest micro-sculptor with the biggest heart, with Dr Willard Wigan MBE, creator of the world’s smallest sculptures.

Conversations of Inspiration

Holly Tucker MBE

Education, Society & Culture, Entrepreneurship, Self-improvement, Business, Personal Journals

5.0 • 1.3K Ratings

🗓️ 6 December 2021

⏱️ 89 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

This week, Holly has one of her most thought provoking and emotional conversations yet, with Dr Willard Wigan MBE, a man famous for creating the world's tiniest and most beautifully crafted micro-sculptures that are invisible to the naked eye.

Growing up in the sixties, with undiagnosed dyslexia and autism, Willard experienced a heart-breakingly difficult childhood as his confidence was crushed at school by a taunting teacher he will never forget. However as Willard’s late mother always said, “Don’t get bitter, get better” — and that’s just what Willard did.

Turning to his love for crafting all things minute, Willard began at just six-years-old to build tiny pieces of furniture for his beloved garden ants, and his work only got smaller from there. Now, Willard is recognised across the globe, by his fans and also by royalty, for his miraculous sculptures that can only be viewed through a microscope.

Despite the painstaking process of carving his creations, Willard’s unbreakable determination ignited by his mother and fuelled by a need to prove those who have underestimated him wrong, always sees him through. Willard really is the ‘Micro-Angelo’ of our time.

Enjoying listening to these unfiltered chats? It's worth following Holly Tucker MBE and Holly & Co on Instagram, and subscribing to our weekly newsletter on our website, where Holly downloads her thoughts, and exclusively shares small business finds and topical, 'ungoogleable' business advice.

Transcript

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0:00.0	I've just come off one of the most profound conversations so far on conversations of inspiration.
0:06.4	Willard Wigan, MBE, the greatest micro sculptor there's ever been.
0:13.5	I would say get ready with your tissues. Definitely have a notebook because Willard and Willard's mother
0:22.4	and what she used to say to him will stay with you forever. Some of the greatest lessons I think I
0:29.6	probably will learn has come out of this podcast. So I'm already thinking about how many times
0:36.9	I'm going to play it over, coming from such humble beginnings with difficulties, with neurodiversity
0:45.0	and actually ending up having one of the most exciting glorious lives I think I've ever
0:53.3	heard described and as he said at 64 he's actually just beginning because even bigger is coming.
1:03.1	What can I say, enjoy. I'm Holly Tucker and welcome to Conversations of Inspiration.
1:16.9	Back in 2006 I founded Not on the High Street for my kitchen table and since then I've
1:23.0	gone on to launch Holly and Co. I'm the UK ambassador of creative small businesses and I believe
1:29.3	that having a business doing what you love is the key to a happy fulfilled life. My dream is to help
1:35.6	everybody start theirs. I'm here to offer advice, inspiration, wisdom and encouragement and in my
1:43.5	view the best way to do this is by sharing stories. So I've reached out to my favourite small
1:50.1	businesses, entrepreneurs and those who simply inspire me and ask them to share theirs.
1:56.8	With thanks to Dell Technologies who've helped bring this free podcast to life. Here are my
2:02.8	Conversations of Inspiration. Hi Willard I am thrilled to meet you today because I've been a
2:10.4	huge admirer of your well your work is I don't think anyone's actually going to quite believe it
2:16.5	if they don't know of you they're not going to believe what we're going to describe so welcome
2:20.7	to my podcast Willard. Oh it's a pleasure Holly, pleasure and an honour. So I just wanted to start off
2:27.3	because we're going to talk about your life but you've been called the Micro Angelo. You've broken
2:33.5	two world records and you've created the world's smallest handmade micro art in history. That's
	...

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