>> THIS IS MY GRANDFATHER, PONCE.

MY GRANDFATHER TAUGHT ME HOW TO WORK WITH MY HANDS AND HE'S THE ONE THAT GOT THIS STARTED, WAY BACK WHEN, WHEN HE WAS IN THE FACTORY, WORKING IN THE FACTORIES AND JUST PRE-WORLD WAR II.

THEY CAME OVER IN '38.

THIS WAS A KNIFE FROM ONE OF THE SAW BLADES THAT THEY USED IN THE FACTORY TO CUT THE STEEL AND HE TURNED IT INTO A KNIFE AND THAT WAS HIS FIRST KNIFE.

AND THEN THIS WAS MY FIRST KNIFE, FORGED OUT OF PIECES OF METAL.

SO THIS IS MY MEMORY OF WHY I'M HERE AND WHAT I DO WHAT I DO.

AND IT MEANS EVERYTHING TO ME.

BLACKSMITHING IN GENERAL IS THOUGHT OF AS A SPECIALTY -- IT'S CHANGING BUT THERE'S A LOT OF --THIS IS DONE BY OLD MEN WHO ARE RETIRED AND I WANT TO GET WAY AWAY FROM THAT.

MY BUSINESS PARTNER IS A WOMAN.

THERE'S MORE AND MORE EVERY DAY OVER THE LAST 20 YEARS.

IT'S AMAZING BUT I WANT TO CONTINUE THAT.

I WANT ANYBODY WHO WANTS TO LEARN, MY GOAL IS I WILL GIVE THEM THAT CHANCE.

I FIND MY INSPIRATION EVERYWHERE.

I'M A HUGE NERD.

I LOVE SUPERHERO MOVIES.

I LOVE COMIC.

I LOVE FANTASY NOVELS.

SO IT'S ALL OF THAT, AND I LOVE NATURE.

I LOVE THE WAY THINGS MOVE AND HAVE A NATURAL MOVEMENT TO THEM, AND THAT ORGANIC FLOW, SO THERE'S A COMBINATION OF ALL OF THAT.

I HAVE TWO PEOPLE WORKING WITH ME AND IT'S NOT ALL ABOUT ME.

USING THEIR INSPIRATIONS AND THEIR IDEAS, GO, YEAH, WE CAN MAKE THAT WORK, AND WE REALLY BECOME A TEAM IN CREATING ALL OF THIS, AND WE AREN'T IN AN ECHO CHAMBER.

WE CAN BOUNCE THINGS OFF OF EACH OTHER AND TAKE INSPIRATION FROM EACH OTHER.

AND WE CAN TWEAK THINGS A LITTLE BIT, IN ORDER TO MAKE THEM FLOW BETTER.

I DON'T DRAW MY ART OUT.

A LOT OF PEOPLE'S SKETCH OR CAT OUT WHAT THEIR DESIGNS ARE.

I DON'T FEEL LIKE I'M ABLE TO DO THAT AND I'M NOT COMFORTABLE WITH IT BECAUSE OF MY ABILITIES.

BUT I SEE IT FULLY FORMED IN MY HEAD.

I KNOW WHEN I COME UP WITH AN IDEA, I KNOW WHAT I WANT IT TO LOOK LIKE AND IT'S JUST A MATTER OF GETTING IT OUT THERE AND BEING ABLE TO FORGE IT AND MOVE THAT MATERIAL INTO THE MAJORITY OF THAT IDEA.

I LOVE MAKING STUFF.

EYES BEEN DOING THIS OVER 35 YEARS, AND FULL-TIME FOR OVER 10.

AND EVERY DAY I LOVE WHAT I'M DOING, AND IT'S SO FULFILLING TO GO TO BA PARALEGAL, AND AT THE END OF THE DAY AT WORK, AND I LIKE MY JOB, BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY I DIDN'T HAVE ANYTHING TO SHOW FOR IT.

I DIDN'T HAVE ANYTHING TO HOLD IN MY HAND.

AND AT THE END OF THE DAY TODAY, EVEN IF I DON'T FINISH SOMETHING, EVEN IF IT'S NOT COMPLETE, I HAVE SOMETHING PHYSICAL I CAN HOLD THAT SHOWS ME THAT I DID WORK TODAY.

TEACHING IS THE OTHER THING THAT I REALLY LIKE, AND I DON'T KNOW WHERE THAT LINE IS, WHICH I ENJOY MORE, BUT BEING ABLE TO SHOW PEOPLE [ INAUDIBLE ], TO BE ABLE TO TEACH PEOPLE TO DO WHAT I DO, WHETHER IT'S A ONE TIME CHECK THAT, I MADE A KNIFE, CHECK IT OFF MY BUCKET LIST, OR SOMEBODY THAT REALLY WANTS TO DO THIS AS A HOBBY OR A PROFESSION, IT'S REALLY REWARDING TO ME.

AND IN SUPPORTING THE COMMUNITY AS WELL AS I VIEW IT AS PAYBACK FOR ALL THE PEOPLE THAT HAVE PATIENCE TO WORK WITH ME AND TEACH ME.

SO THAT'S MY --REACHING OUT TO THAT COMMUNITY, THAT HELPED ME SO MUCH.

AND TO BE ABLE TO GO FORWARD AND LET PEOPLE EXPERIENCE WHAT I LOVE DOING SO MUCH.

WE'VE BEEN WORKING WITH PEOPLE OF DIFFERENT ABILITIES FOR OVER 10 YEARS NOW.

I HAVE A SON WHO IS AUTISTIC AND NONVERBAL.

IN WORKING WITH HIM EVERY SINGLE DAY, THIS ISN'T ANY DIFFERENT TO ME.

SO THIS ISN'T HARD.

IT'S NOT CRAZY.

BECAUSE I HAVE THAT EXPERIENCE IN MY PERSONAL LIFE, AND I FEEL THAT ANYBODY WHO WANTS TO DO THIS SHOULD BE ABLE TO DO IT.

WHATEVER THEIR ART, WHATEVER THEIR CRAFT, THEY SHOULD BE ABLE TO AT LEAST BE GIVEN A CHANCE TO TRY.

PART OF WHAT'S REWARDING IS THAT YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND, WHEN PEOPLE AREN'T ABLE TO COMMUNICATE THE WAY WE EXPECT THEM TO COMMUNICATE, THEY CAN STILL GET IT.

BETTER THAN WHAT WE MIGHT EXPECT FROM THEM, OR EVEN OURSELVES, IT'S OKAY, I KNOW WHAT YOU'RE SAYING TO ME, AND WE CAN DO THAT.

LET'S FIGURE THAT OUT.

AND WE HAD SO MUCH FUN WITH DIFFERENTLY ABLED PEOPLE, LETTING THEM EXPLORE NEW THINGS AND NEW IDEAS HELPS US DO THAT AS WELL.

THAT'S BEEN WORKING WITH ME FOR ALMOST --AT LEAST 10 YEARS, FROM WHEN WE STARTED.

HE WAS MAYBE THE THIRD OR FOURTH STUDENT FROM ADVENTURES.

HE WORKED WITH HIS GRANDFATHER.

HIS GRANDFATHER HAD SHOWN HIM, LIKE ME, HAD SHOWN HIM HOW TO WORK WITH HIS HANDS, AND HE LOVED DOING THAT.

BECAUSE AT THE END OF THE DAY, HE'S ABLE TO HAVE SOMETHING THAT HE MADE AND HE WEARS -- YOU'LL NOTICE HE WEARS A LEAF THAT WAS --I THINK THAT WAS THE SECOND OR THIRD PIECE THAT HE MADE.

HE NEVER TAKES IT OFF.

HE IS SO PROUD OF WHAT HE DOES IN HERE.

HE'S SO HAPPY TO BE HERE.

AND THAT'S JUST MORE FOOD FOR US TO GO, YEAH, THIS IS THE RIGHT WAY TO DO WHAT WE ARE DOING.

THAT OUTREACH, THAT WORK IS PEOPLE WHO WOULDN'T BE GIVEN A CHANCE, ARE NOW GIVEN A CHANCE.

AND THEY ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT.

YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT -- DIFFERENTLY ABLED, FOR ME, IS A GOOD WORD, BECAUSE YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY'RE CAPABLE OF.

YOU HAVE PEOPLE WHO ARE DEAF AND NONVERBAL AND IN WHEELCHAIRS, AND IT DOESN'T MATTER TO ME.

AS LONG AS THEY'RE SAFE AND WE CAN MAKE SURE THEY'RE SAFE, WE LOVE DOING IT.