A soldier’s life can be read through objects. Some are issued. Some are required. Some are carried because the job demands it. Others are small personal things that make the field a little more human. Their value may not make sense to anyone who did not carry them, but that is true of many important
The Things a Soldier Carries—and the Things Waiting at Home Read More »
There is a strange idea that making something is only worthwhile if the result is good. I do not believe that. I have spent years learning how to paint, forge, build displays, make tools, and generally follow whatever thought causes me to say, “I could make that.” Sometimes the result is useful. Sometimes it is
The Process Has Value Even If the Product Does Not Read More »
Smithing season usually starts in the fall, when the humidity drops and western Kentucky stops feeling like the Amazon. That does not mean I never forge in the summer. Sometimes I get myself into a commission or another project that has to be finished, and I have to head out to the workshop and sweat.
Why My Work Changes With the Seasons Read More »
