7 - Micah Ruiz, The Luck You Craft

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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