Norton Finds Bliss in Blacksmithing
From writing to playing sports, students relieve stress by partaking in hobbies that fit their interest. Sophomore Henry Norton, blacksmithing is a hobby he has found a passion in and helps him blow off steam.
After taking a break from blacksmithing for four years, Norton restarted blacksmithing just this November. One of his friends showed him a video called “Man At Arms”that grasped his attention and inspired him to start blacksmithing. His passion of working with his hands drove him to attend a blacksmith class at the Orange County Heritage Museum, where they offer students a place to practice their blacksmith skills by providing the right materials, instructors and an overall a great working and learning institution.
“My greatest achievement was my first project, very similar to a garden staple,” Norton said. “It inspired me to move forward with blacksmithing,”.
Norton believes that blacksmith is something enjoyable and helpful when it comes to having a skill in manual labor. Through the program, he practices a variety of projects from a book called “Orange County Blacksmith Guild Basic One Lesson Plan” by the California Blacksmith Association. His latest project is a key ring with a leaf coming off from it.
“Although blacksmithing is a [hobby] that comes with lots of patience, [I learned] that I can succeed if I practice enough times,” said Norton. “I [remind myself] that masters were beginners at one point,”.
His motivation and inspiration comes from his instructor at the Orange County Heritage Museum Carol Smith, who guides him through the process of creating many pieces.
“Carol provides many example pieces around the shop for reference, and motivates people working on challenging projects with advice,” Norton said.
He is also motivated fellow classmates from the museum who are able to create advanced, intricate pieces. This inspires Norton to work harder and improve his skills. Norton practices and sharpens his skills by perfecting as many projects as he can and always going back to improve previous projects.
“[Blacksmithing requires] you to follow directions very carefully because of the [hazardous risks] involved,” Norton said. “ Following very specific directions also taught me to have high respect for any teacher,”.
There are many struggles that Norton faces as he practices his hobby. Imperfections, burns and patience are all factors that contribute to the negatives of being a blacksmith worker. He overcomes these barriers by reminding himself that finishing the piece will give him pride, self-comfort and satisfaction overall.
“The hardest [barrier] to overcome is the frustration that comes when finding cracks on your piece or accidently burning an almost completed piece,” Norton said.
Norton wants to expand his blacksmith expertise by selling many of the creations he makes once he improves more. He wants to sell many of his projects at craft fairs, etsy or to friends that are interested in buying his products. Hopefully as friends start to buy products, they would commercialize his business around the community.
Norton is considering a future of blacksmithing as a living, but has not been set on a definite path. Norton believes that people he should keep blacksmithing to preserve the art of it and applying modern applications. Making a career out of it or not, Norton still considers blacksmithing as something that he loves, and wants to incorporate those skills into his everyday life.
“I am always trying to improve my skills [in blacksmithing] so I can someday compete with some of the most [prominent] blacksmiths who are around today,” said Norton.
