It started in the early ’90’s when I took two semesters of metalsmithing. I was earning my BFA in photography then and I spent the next decade plus thinking about how much I had enjoyed those classes, all the while pursuing a career in custom bookbinding. In the early-mid 2000’s I took six years of night classes in metals at our local community college (bookbinder by day, metalsmith by night), spent three more years getting my equipment together, and started Red Ember Forge in January of 2014. I have been slowly growing my one-woman business ever since. There are vocations and there are avocations. This is the latter. https://bsky.app/profile/redemberforge.bsky.social