- Joined
- Sep 23, 2006
- Messages
- 366
Things I learned from Kevin...
The most valuable lesson I feel, personally that I have picked up from listening to Kevin speak, and reading some of the things he's written is that he's wrong from time to time, and that just because Kevin said so doesn't make it so.
Not that I've seen it all that often or anything, but it helps to keep me from being lazy. I know that while experienced and knowledgeable smiths may be a great resource, they are not infallible, and because of this, I should (and do, although less than I should) seek other sources of information, advice, and expertise to answer certain questions.
Also, I learned that there's nothing at all wrong with being happy to be an amature, and that I can make perfectly good knives without all of the fancy equipment all of the full timers use. If I match the selection of the steel I use appropriately to the tools available, the results can be something to be proud of.
Finally, I learned that some of my idols in the bladesmithing world have some of the same human strengths, weaknesses, emotional reactions, and interests that I do. Sure, when we all stop to think about it, this just makes sense, but now and again, we forget that people we admire are human, with all that entails. I can remember the first time I was forging a knife, and kevin was wandering around the pavillion at Ashokan. He wandered over to see what I was working on, and I basically froze up in nerves. Here I was blundering through my first ever attempt, and that's KEVIN CASHEN standing over my shoulder!
Later that weekend, Kevin was talking about a very similar moment, when Don Fogg asked his opinion during one of Don's lectures, and he was sort of taken aback... There he was, in the audience when DON FOGG asked his opinion! That sort of full circle realization really brought a lot of perspective to the way I interact with the pro's. I came to the realization in that singular moment that these are just guys, and in a lot of ways that makes them so much cooler.
The most valuable lesson I feel, personally that I have picked up from listening to Kevin speak, and reading some of the things he's written is that he's wrong from time to time, and that just because Kevin said so doesn't make it so.
Not that I've seen it all that often or anything, but it helps to keep me from being lazy. I know that while experienced and knowledgeable smiths may be a great resource, they are not infallible, and because of this, I should (and do, although less than I should) seek other sources of information, advice, and expertise to answer certain questions.
Also, I learned that there's nothing at all wrong with being happy to be an amature, and that I can make perfectly good knives without all of the fancy equipment all of the full timers use. If I match the selection of the steel I use appropriately to the tools available, the results can be something to be proud of.
Finally, I learned that some of my idols in the bladesmithing world have some of the same human strengths, weaknesses, emotional reactions, and interests that I do. Sure, when we all stop to think about it, this just makes sense, but now and again, we forget that people we admire are human, with all that entails. I can remember the first time I was forging a knife, and kevin was wandering around the pavillion at Ashokan. He wandered over to see what I was working on, and I basically froze up in nerves. Here I was blundering through my first ever attempt, and that's KEVIN CASHEN standing over my shoulder!
Later that weekend, Kevin was talking about a very similar moment, when Don Fogg asked his opinion during one of Don's lectures, and he was sort of taken aback... There he was, in the audience when DON FOGG asked his opinion! That sort of full circle realization really brought a lot of perspective to the way I interact with the pro's. I came to the realization in that singular moment that these are just guys, and in a lot of ways that makes them so much cooler.