Donat Ingram; A Musician By Heart And A Designer By Profession!‏

All of his life Donat Ingram, a respected Savanna-La-mar native, envisioned himself doing music for a living. For years he held that goal close to his heart, as in his musical pursuits, he found comfort and freedom but enjoyed limited success.

However, like many other successful people, he has found his niche in life doing something that is not necessarily his true passion. Ingram, who now resides in Blue Fields, Westmoreland, has been making neatly designed furniture, chandeliers and bamboo pens for a living, for the past eight years.

And it’s something he does with dignity; “My first love was music. I started with the guitar and thought music was my way out. But, I had some very rough experiences in the music biz.” he said.

With the same enthusiasm that he invested in his musical pursuits, Ingram began to explore his skills in arts and craft and decided, in 2002, to put music on hold. This resulted in the creation of Dusstilldaan Designs, which manufactures uniquely crafted bamboo pens, chandeliers, furniture, T-Shirts, Khaki jackets and built-in mirror clocks.

Of all his works, Ingram spoke highly of his bamboo-made pens, which are very unique. “They are some of my greatest right now, I haven’t seen anybody else making them on the market,” he said.

“I am at a stage right now, where I’m organizing to develop this business into a serious entity because the demand is really good,” he added.

Ingram recalled that he had promising moments with music, especially during the days when he would practice with other friends with the aim of making it big into the music industry. “I used to practice with my friends with the objective to play at the hotels on the north coast and I had a few jams but it wasn’t anything great,” he said.

But his love for music will never die. ”With time I think I will go back to the music,” he said.