I am an Accidental Craftsman.
As a kid, I was not much of a builder. The Maker culture was not a thing. I was a Cub Scout and Boy Scout, so there is a bank of skills that comes along with that world. But not what I do today.
As a kid, magicians were all over the TV and I wanted to learn magic. The library was the place. I went through every book the had on magic and juggling. This gave me a base of performance skills that I would use through high school and college. The real change did not happen until I graduated college and got a real job using my degree.
I moved to a place far from home and discovered this thing called a Renaissance Festival. Maryland Renaissance Festival to be exact, and made a visit to the faire. This is where the story begins.
I took the decision to audition, the first two tries were, shall we say, not good. No theme to the magic, no real look, nothing to hire. So it was time to get serious. I could sew. I learned to sew to be close to my girlfriend (Hi Anne). I found a pattern and made an outfit. Tandy leather provided a boot kit for me to make. I studied everything I could find of street performing and renaissance magicians. I made a leather pouch like the pictures I had seen. I was ready!
The audition was held in a busy tourist location. Directly under fire. Could you build a crowd and make them happy? I have been a variety performer ever since that moment. And I have been a maker, building a collection of odd skills. Here I plan to document some of them so others can share the fun.