From Mike Tyson to the NFL, Depression, Anxiety, and the Power of Wood

06.23.2025

From Mike Tyson to the NFL, Depression, Anxiety, and the Power of Wood

by Ike Wynter

I’m not a scientist. I’m an artist, a craftsman, a woodworker, even a carpenter in the sense of one who makes and repairs things out of wood. But what I do and the process of working with wood to create art, or even just being surrounded by wood, has psychological and physiological benefits. That’s not me claiming that. It’s been researched and scientifically studied that wood, which brings a sense of outdoors to the indoors, can reduce stress and improve mood.

Wood can’t prevent someone from having depression, anxiety, OCD, or some other mental health disorder – if it did, maybe I wouldn’t have gone through the struggle I did with mental health. But scientific and data-gathering agencies like NIH and Research Gate have studied the effects of wood on people and shown that wood can be grounding and soothing. Wood is a biophilic element. What the heck does that mean? It means that wood relates to the human tendency – and in my case probably need – to interact or be connected to nature.

As an eco-sustainable wood artist, I’ve found that one of the top things being discarded in society is wood. Being from Wisconsin, I grew up around wood. I helped clean out homes and offices, and my family reused and repurposed whatever materials we could. I’ve always had this eco-sustainable mentality and desire to recycle and reuse and I thought wood was cool. It naturally comforted me, even when I didn’t know anything about its beneficial properties.

Creating art out of wood was something I stumbled upon; it wasn’t anything I studied formally. I loved Legos and puzzles as a kid, and building and thinking about how things are engineered and structured was fascinating to me. One day in my early 20s, I picked up a pallet on the side of the road and turned it into a coffee table. It was all art after that but really just a hobby.

In 2016, mostly for fun, I started posting about the process and the works themselves. I didn’t expect any huge traction. Then randomly, in 2021, I was asked to do a piece for Mike Tyson. That was kind of wild but I just continued documenting the journey of my art and my life on social media. People started buying my art and I was creating lots of different pieces around various themes, like nostalgia. One piece I did was signed by the guy who does the voice for SpongeBob. Then the Milwaukee Brewers hired me for a piece. Then most recently, the NFL commissioned me to create 32 logos for the NFL draft.

So what’s the problem you might be asking? Everything seems fine and dandy and I’d never had an issue with anxiety, depression, panic attacks, or any sort of mental health condition. To be honest, I didn’t understand how people I did know with mental health struggles (and that even includes family members) really felt or what they were going through. Until I went through it.

At 28 years old I got Covid. I’m not saying Covid caused my mental health struggles – it could have I don’t know – but after that, around April 2021, I was just tense all the time, thinking worst case scenarios, feeling low, experiencing panic attacks, and what I know now as anxiety. There were tough things going on in my life and I’m sure that added to the pain but I had never in my life felt anything like that – I contemplated taking my own life. I knew I needed to seek professional help so I admitted myself into an in-patient clinic for three weeks.

After that, I saw a therapist and have been on medication, which I still struggle with getting the right dose and effects, but I try to take life and all its ups and downs day by day. I give myself grace, try to stay motivated, and just show up every day. I lean on my friends and have an amazing support system. Creating art can be very isolating so I make sure to check in with friends and family and arrange social interactions which keep me connected and balanced.

There was a period where I thought I would never create anything out of wood again but that too passed. How could I stop doing the one thing I loved so much? If I hadn’t got the help I needed I might not even be here to feel the wood in my hands and appreciate the rich natural textures and patina of a piece of wood anymore. I wouldn’t have discovered how wood can help me feel better and I certainly wouldn’t have been able to make 32 pieces for the NFL!

I love that I have been connected to some incredible organizations and people through my art work and social media. While no one wants to have a mental health disorder, many of us do and many of us did or will have a crisis someday and it’s essential that if and when that happens, those who suffer get help, feel validated, and educate themselves on the science, treatments and care options. ADAA is an amazing, accessible, and compassionate organization that provides evidence-based data and scientific research and I’m grateful to be able to share my journey here. Knock on wood that my story helps others.