Since I left home, in late 2005, I have had trouble deciding what I really want to do for a living. I have worked at restaurants, studied event tourism and been an upholsterer's apprentice. Interesting things, but nothing really caught me.

Until now, that is.

Blacksmithing, I realise, has been in the back of my head for many years. I have kept away from it because I somehow got the notion that it isn't a real job anymore. Two summers ago I had the possibility to use a smithy in Hälsingland and earn only what I could sell. I was very green and couldn't even make a proper nail. I did learn fast, though. The sales during those three weeks were good and my self-confidence grew.

Next summer I had started my own company and worked in the smithy at the museum of Västerbotten (a northern province of Sweden).
Working almost every day during the summer gave me more insights into the profession and I decided to apply for the year-long traditional blacksmithing course in Bäckedal folk school. I got in as one in a class of six.

Now, halfway into the course, our teacher sat down and had personal talks with us about how we felt about being here and what he thought about us. K-G is not a man of big words, rather the observant and silent type, so when he said that I had plenty of both talent and discipline and that I could get very far, I was quite moved.

Afterwards I thought about what K-G had said and realised that I have not been happier at a workplace than in front of a forge and that things tend to work well when I work with them there. People at the school have said some nice things about the items I do and orders do roll in to my company's homepage, so it really feels that I am at the right place.
With all above said, I am going to apply for the second year here and specialise on gates and locks, since it gives me both heavy blacksmithing and detailed precisionwork.


I guess it's now or never.