My first blacksmithing class was about 10 years ago; I was immediately enthralled. Having been in IT for over 20 years, I found the work challenging but ultimately unsatisfying. It’s like an endless series of clever sudoku puzzles. Working with my hands is a way for me to connect back to the physical world. Too much of life today revolves around virtual content and I find myself becoming distracted and losing the ability to be present. Smithing is a great way to bring focus and peace into my life. Through effort, skill, and force of will I can bring forth an object into this world that can be held, used, and perhaps cherished by others. I have this thought that perhaps, just perhaps, some of the tools I make today will be handed down to the next generation of craftsman. There is great pride in that thought, and hope.
I’ve been thinking a lot about seeing one of my knives show up in an article on knife-gear.com earlier today. This article struck a deep chord with me and it took a little while to puzzle out why this article in particular should have such a profound effect on me. The article itself is a… Read More »As the student grows