Before he became known around the world as Han Solo and Indiana Jones, Harrison Ford was a lowly carpenter.

Well, not just any old carpenter in any old town.

HF was a carpenter in Hollywood, and with a client roster containing names like James Chan, Richard Dreyfus, Francis Ford Coppola and many more Hollywood heavyweights, he was known as the "carpenter for the stars."

Harrison Ford moved to Hollywood in 1964 with the goal of working full-time as an actor.

A lot of people moved to Hollywood in 1964 with the goal of working full-time as an actor.

As Ford says, "I arrived on a metaphoric bus full of people who had the same ambition, which was to become rich and famous."

Immediately, HF realized just about everyone else was in a hurry to "make it," be it with making a lot of money, becoming well-known, starring in the biggest films or what have you.

As such these folks had a tight timeline. Perhaps they had a limited budget, so if they didn't find work in such and such time they had to quit. 

Whatever the reason, it was a war of attrition. Only those who had the time and resources to wait a few years would ultimately survive.

HF didn't rush to meet the right people at the studios, or loiter at nearby restaurants hoping to meet the influencers of that era. That's usually the worst possible time to get an audience with those folks for a number of reasons.

Quite the opposite. Before moving to California, HF was quite the prolific carpenter. So he set up a carpentry business and offered his services to the big stars of the day. It didn't happen overnight, but soon enough he was building up a pretty impressive clientele.

It's brilliant if you think about it. While everyone else was kissing up to these producers and directors like a bunch of third graders fawning over the pretty girl in the class, HF was making himself useful while at the same time being within the orb of the stars.

It turns out these folks have houses. Most of the time multiple houses, and quite fancy ones at that. So he was able to provide a legitimately valuable service to these folks.

He figured that being around the right people, even if it's on a contract to build a stairwell, he had a better chance of finding gigs than waking up hungover at 10 am and proceeding to summon the Powers of The Universe to give him what he wants like a Protestant at a prayer meeting.

And he was right. HF's carpentry business was directly responsible for landing a small part in a film titled American Graffiti, directed by Coppola.

And then one day a guy named George Lucas was hanging out at Coppola's office. HF was also there, building what he describes as "an elaborate portico entrance."

Ford gave off just the right vibe Lucas was looking for in the Han Solo character for which he was casting at the time. He wound up getting the job, even though Coppola swore he wouldn't cast anyone from American Graffiti.

Let's just say carpentry became a hobby from then on.

By taking a patient and highly strategic approach to how he spent his days and expended his precious energy, HF was able to lengthen the timeline he needed to succeed in the uber-competitive Hollywood scene.

He also was very deliberate about his decisions.

"Good morning, Mr. Brando, I hear you're needing an addition to your living room. I happen to have a carpentry business and have worked for (list a few A-list celebs). I would love to give you an estimate."

I'm thinking that's a breath of fresh air compared with something like, "Oh, Mr. Caan! I love your shirt! Would you be willing to read this 350 page script I wrote and think you're perfect for?"

I would bet those folks in Hollywood heard far more of the latter than the former.

The latter wreaks of neediness, which "smells like catfish bait" to the recipient, as one of my marketing mentors often says.

HF was in the right place at the right time. Moreover, he was doing the right thing, which was to make himself useful to the people upon whom he hoped to impress that he was a good actor and deserving of consideration.

He clearly was guided by an Ikigai which was fulfilled by acting in movies. And he's certainly done that and then some. But I would guess he found a lot of fulfillment doing his woodwork. 

That's artistic in its own right.