My name is Allen, I’m 28 and graduated in ’12 with degrees in both Electrical and Computer Engineering. I started work shortly after and began my career sitting at a computer screen. Shortly after starting work I bought and moved into my first house on half an acre. With a boring day job I began working with my hands more and more in the evenings. It began with a small garden and slowly converting
my garage into a workshop. The more I did the more I wanted to do. I had always wanted to learn blacksmithing to make knives, so I built a forge and started learning. I needed sheaths for my knives, so I began working with leather a bit. My small garden consumed half of my yard by my 3rd year. Then in 2015, having a 1 year old we decided to move back to Louisiana to be closer to family. In doing so I lost my workshop and garden, but the passion was still there and growing stronger. I began doing small projects that took little space and tools. Then slowly created a new workspace to use, and although small it allowed me to do larger projects. However I didn’t have room for my forge or a full woodshop so I turned to my leatherwork. Although an expensive hobby, it required less space and allowed me to greatly increase my abilities and knowledge of the craft. The whole while, my passion for it all grew. This was a passion for the work, enjoying doing it for the sake of doing it. Wanting to learn all I can and be the best of the best. The learning process consumed my time, trying to take in anything I could. That’s when I made the decision that this is what I want to do with my life. Rather than staring at a computer screen, I want to earn a living by creating things with my hands. While I am a novice in the crafts, my goal is to become worthy of the title master craftsman in blacksmithing, woodworking, and leather craft. That will only come through years of training and practice. With the growing interest in things I make and having several custom projects requested and done for people, I decided to begin selling some things I make. These will start with a few particular items posted for sale, and grow in variety over time. These will primarily be leather craft items for now but will expand into woodcraft and forged items in the future. I will also take custom work when requested, so long as I am confident I can make a quality product. Doing so will allow me to expand my skills greatly, as you can’t progress if you aren’t challenging yourself with something new.
