Alex Pole, Blacksmith and Designer, Alex Pole Ltd
"Blacksmithing is not just a craft to me, but a way of life, and one that gives great satisfaction." I have always been fascinated with metals for as long as I can remember. And it feels like I have constantly been drawn toward this wonderful material.
I started in 1991 with attendance to art college to first study jewellery making, then architectural ironwork after that came the wandering years - filled with travel, training, exploration, experimentation and a beer or two!
In 2013 I travelled to Sweden to attend a course at Gransfors Bruks, the world-renown axe making centre and discovered a great love of tool making. From then on, I moved my work in a new direction - this included knife and axe making and developing our wide range of kitchenware.
My main role today is to design and prototype new products, often assisted by the whole team, and develop the Forge Kitchenware brand.
What is your favourite social media platform, and why?
Instagram. Our type of work is very visual, and IG is the best platform for this. 60-75% of our web referrals are from IG.
Tell us about you and your current role or area of interest.
My role is to design all the products, establish production methods and interact with our customers. The current area of interest is cutlery and kitchenware.
What do you like about your career or area of focus?
It's amazing! I get to create the designs I want along with establishing a brand.
What is the best advice you have ever received?
How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time!
What inspires you, motivates you, or helps you to move forward?
Everything inspires me in everyday life. My motivation is the creative process itself and the challenge of being able to develop a viable business and brand from this process.
What are you proud of in your life so far?
Making a success from my passion and having a book published.
What is your preferred way to meet new people/network?
Instagram and email.
What skills or qualities do you feel have helped you?
Discipline and my topic focus on what I want to achieve.
What do you wish you had known when you started out?
How to do my own accounts, and that not wearing earphones in the workshop makes you go deaf!
Who do you most admire in business, academic or creative circles and why?
My brother has followed his own path and succeeded in his passion.
Outside of your professional/work area, what hobbies or interests do you have or what other areas of your life are of real importance to you?
When not working, I love to cook, especially over the fire. I also play Real Tennis as often as I can find time and fish if possible, but rarely these days.
Has the pandemic had a positive or a negative effect on you and/or your business, and how have you managed it?
Very positive. The business has expanded fourfold. I have managed by employing amazingly skilled people to do jobs better than I can.
Do you have a mentor, or have you ever mentored anyone?
Fredrik Thelin, the blacksmith, is my master and mentor and teacher.
What advice would you have for someone looking to get into the same area of work or interests?
Understand how you work and what it is that you like doing - this way, you can focus on your particular skill set and apply it most efficiently.
What do you feel is the most common reason for people failing or giving up?
Many people cannot take the physical demand of our craft, but adaptability is key if you want to survive.
Is there a phrase, quote or a saying that you really like?
"We are not machines." - meaning that as craftspeople, we must include the human element in everything we make.
What companies, brands, or institutions do you like or do you think are getting it right?
Too many to mention all, but a few are Gransfors brusk, Bill Amberg, coal ironworks and Erica Moody.
How do you define success, and what lessons have you learned so far that you could share with our audience/readership?
Success is about achieving the goals one sets out to reach. Knowing how to make things is deeply satisfying, and following one's own path - it's not always easy, but the rewards are huge. So, that is a kind of success in my book.