Today we’d like to introduce you to Evan Hughes.
Hi Evan, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I grew up here in the Twin sports, and found snowboarding and skateboarding when I was 9 or 10. I got into taking photos and making videos of my friends through that when I was probably 12, and stuck with it through high school, which is where I found a passion for graphic design through the newspaper class.
Professionally, I started out as a freelance graphic designer while I was attending UMD, and interned at a handful of places during those years as well. After college I moved to the Jackson, WY area for a year. I taught myself more about web development, and utilized that time to build my creative studio Idk Creative. Although I mostly just fly fished and went snowboarding… haha. I had a few awesome clients that year that led to more awesome clients, and so on.
In 2022 I had a friend that had been building saunas for a handful of years when I approached him about partnering and building something bigger than the side hustle it was. Since then, I’ve found a passion for being hands on in the mix building businesses from every angle, and allowing the creative side of marketing to be a driving force for my involvement. Through growing the sauna business, I found that the most important aspect of business for me is finding something I can feel good about selling and building a brand around. I’m not a huge fan of the state of American consumerism, so it’s been refreshing to find things to feel good about being a part of.
Fast forward to 2026, I still run Idk Creative full-time, but I’m giving a lot of my time and energy to Woods & Water Sauna Co. which has been a ton of fun and a cool learning experience. We are about to launch a sister company this spring, Woods & Water Landscaping, which will work alongside the sauna business as well as independently.
There are a couple other projects / businesses in the works that I’ve been chipping away at, and I look forward to seeing where it all goes!
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Absolutely not! Every project has been a learning experience for sure. Over the years I’ve learned more about what differentiates a freelancer from an agency or studio, how to add structure and systems, how to put out fires and be of a customer-first mindset no matter who I’m servicing.
Especially in a product-based business like Woods & Water Sauna Co., I’ve had to learn how to keep customers happy even if we end up with the short end of the stick.
I think the success of any entrepreneur comes down to their ability to fail over and over, learn from it, make the necessary changes and keep pushing forward. On top of that, I think the main driving force that keeps me going is the mindset that you can do anything you set your mind to. As cliche as it is, it’s just the plain truth. Most people talk themselves out of it before even trying. If you can just give it a shot, then keep giving it a shot at every fork in the road, you’ll be surprised at what you’re capable of!
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
At Idk Creative, my focus is in graphic design / branding, web development and photo/video production. I think what sets Idk apart is the focus in equipping startups with the tools they need to succeed out of the gate, as well as the flexibility of who is working on your project. I don’t have in-house employees, but I often bring in other professional creatives to build a team around a project as needed. I think the future of the design + development industry is exactly this — individual creative directors, building teams tailored to the needs of each client. I think the traditional agency model pigeon-holes themselves by trying to own their teams talent rather than lifting their team up and adding additional talent around them as needed on a project-by-project basis.
Additionally, I plan to continue to use Idk Creative as a founding agency partner wherever it makes sense. I think agencies and creatives in general taking ownership in businesses is the most affective way to create real growth and effectively tell the stories that serve as the foundations of brands and businesses.
At Woods & Water Sauna Co., our focus is in building fully-automated, commercial-grade saunas. We brought a few models of our shipping container saunas to market over the past few years, and we have a lot more in the works regarding both commercial and residential saunas. Our goal is to continue creating tech-forward, sustainable, efficient, well designed saunas. We are working on a few really cool projects right now for other commercial clients, and we are nearing the opening of a couple of our own rental units around Duluth.
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
I think with the design + development / marketing agency industries, I see solopreneurs / solo creatives being the new norm. The state of the tech world has provided us with an endless list of useful tools to make this possible, but the back bone of it will be the creatives.
With the sauna industry, I see it continuing to boom as modern medicine and healthcare continues to be challenged by methods of proactive wellness that have been around for centuries. I’m super happy to see the popularity of saunas spreading across the country / world, and I think it will remain a staple in a lot of peoples lives and wellness regimen. Something with that level of research and science backing it just simply isn’t a fad or trend, so I have no doubt we will continue to grow in the space and find new ways to serve the market.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.idkcreative.co / www.woodsandwatersauna.com / www.woodsandwaterlandscaping.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/idkcreative.co / www.instagram.com/woodsandwatersauna.co
