ARC MAGAZINE

Perfection and Excellence

We all try to be good at what we do. As welders and fabricators, builders and makers, we do our best to fine tune our technique and be a little better today than we were yesterday. And the process usually doesn’t end when we leave the shop at the end of the day. Most of us try every day to be good people in every aspect of our lives –as spouses, parents, friends, neighbors or members of a community.

David Ciriza, the subject of this issue’s cover story, certainly makes that effort– and he’s been doing it for years. He spends forty hours a week pipe welding for a petrochemical refinery. When he’s off the clock, he builds vintage cars in his shop at his home in El Paso, Texas. As of this writing, his Instagram page (@cirizawelding) dedicated to “capturing the artistry of welding” has attracted120,000 followers.

Depending on the nature and scope of the project at hand, Ciriza works with any number of collaborators. Among them are his father and Ryan Martinez, his friend since childhood and a skilled welder in his own right. Ciriza and Martinez share a bond that’s practically a brotherhood, as their fathers have also been friends since childhood.

Both boys in this second generation of welders and custom car enthusiasts grew up with a motto handed down to them from their dads: “Strive for perfection.Settle for excellence.” It was a bit of wisdom that Ciriza and Martinez – now adult men – have internalized in the years since.

“That’s the philosophy David brings to our team,” says Martinez. “David believes every weld is a signature of your character – how hard you work, how much you care about the details.”

As guiding principles go, it’s one worth following, whether you’re a twelve-year-old kid learning the ropes in your dad’s shop or a veteran pipe welder. It’s a mindset that’s likely to make you a little better today than you were yesterday.

By the time these words reach you, summer will be under way. It’s that window of the year when time moves a little differently and the days seem to give us more room. By mid-year, many of us are taking the various plans that were merely ideas during the winter months and turning them into something concrete. Whether our base of operations is a petrochemical refinery, a custom car fabrication shop or just a corner of our garage, it’s the ideal time to find the zone and be the best welder you can be.

Perfection is a hard target to hit – probably an impossible one – but it’s one worth aiming for. Even if you don’t hit it, you’re likely to catch some excellence in the process. Just ask David Ciriza.

In the end, every weld is a signature of your character. It’s an indication of how hard you work and how much you care about what you’re doing.

Enjoy your summer.