Today’s guest is Micah Ruiz, the founder of Orion Custom Framing. Micah is the kind of person who makes you feel like you can build something beautiful from scratch—whether it’s a frame, a business, or an entire life.

Micah grew up homeschooled in a town of 400 people, the son of a pastor, with no formal arts education—but with a punk mindset that carried him from a teenage summer job in a rural Oregon frame shop all the way to framing for SFMOMA and the Cantor

We talk about everything: how framing is intimate and emotional, how to avoid art history scandals, and why he thinks everyone—whether they’re preserving a Ruth Asawa, their kid’s doodles, or a chemo port—deserves care and respect.

Micah’s story is one of radical self-determination. He’s building something that lifts up not just his own family, but an entire community of craftspeople. His whole ethos is rooted in respect, approachability, and excellence—and the result is a framing shop that feels more like a trade school, a healing space, and a love letter to art in all its forms.

This is an episode about trust, about trade, and about the very punk idea that you don’t need a fancy degree to sit at the table—you just need a vision, some guts, and a very sharp blade.

Let’s get into it.

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