About Me: Following my heart

Eventually, as with most groups of friends, we gradually moved off to other lives. In my case, my new girlfriend transferred to a Dallas college and I decided to follow. I was told by many friends and family members that moving to follow a girl as pretty bone headed. Luckily, it turned out ok and we eventually got married. Jennifer gave me the motivation to get into school and work towards getting a real job.

Due to her support, I finally graduated with a Bachelors Degree in Computer Information Systems. I had to work full time days, so I went to school at night. That was quite a challenge. For the next five years, Jen and I only saw each other for a few minutes in the morning and on the weekends. Going back to school was a good idea, but if I had to do it over again, I would choose a different field. I went into computer programming because the dotcom bubble was growing and I had an affinity for computers. It seemed like the perfect choice. Little did I know that I would grow to loath working in I.T. and that art can be, with difficulty, a viable path.

I can remember the day that I began to wonder about my choice of careers. While at an arts festival, in Grapevine, Texas, Jen and I happened across a blacksmith doing demonstrations. I was transfixed and Jennifer had to, almost forcibly, remove from the shop. Before I left, though, I noticed that the smith had a brochure advertising classes so I grabbed one on the way out. After much cajoling, Jen agreed to let me sign up for one of his classes. Money was tight, so I had to make sure she was on-board.

As it turned out, things conspired against me and I was not able to take that class. For the next couple of years, life was too hectic for me to think about it much, but it stayed in the dark recesses of my head. Going to college at night, working during the day, buying a house, and having a child can really keep such thoughts out of mind.

Things had settled down a bit when I found a book about knife making at a local bookstore. In this book, the basics of forging steel are outlined. It showed me that I could build my own forge and use pretty much anything as an anvil. Within the month, I had built a primitive forge and mashed my first piece of steel.