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Feeling burnt out from COVID-19, one nurse turned to chainsaw art

“I got that first chainsaw and, I don’t know, I just felt right at home,” says Taylor White, a chainsaw carver in Maine.

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One of White's most recent projects was a 10-foot-tall grizzly bear carving.
One of White's most recent projects was a 10-foot-tall grizzly bear carving.
Courtesy Taylor White

My Economy” tells the story of the new economic normal through the eyes of people trying to make it, because we know the only numbers that really matter are the ones in your economy.

October’s job numbers came in under expectations with nonfarm payrolls up by 150,000 last month, compared with almost double that amount in September. However, there were still some sectors that came out on top. Notably, health care was up by 58,000 jobs, and construction was up by 23,000.

And that brings us to the latest installment of our series, My Economy, which, in a way, tells a story about both of those things.

A little more than a year ago, Taylor White left behind her job in nursing for a career as a chainsaw carver.

“COVID, when it first came along, was kind of like the apocalypse. And it was really tough. I just found myself really tired and burnt out and I knew that something needed to change,” said White. “And I got that first chainsaw, and, I don’t know, I just felt right at home. I think I had a lot of years of pent-up art I needed to express.”

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