Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Bob Rankin. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Bob , appreciate you joining us today. Can you share a story about the kindest thing someone has done for you and why it mattered so much or was so meaningful to you?
This isn’t a story of one person. It is about the community of makers around me. It started May 25th 2023. It was my last day of work before going to Blade Show in Atlanta. It was going to be my first year having a table. I was planning on having a few days to finish up some knives I was planning on taking. I got home from work that day and headed to the shop and spent the afternoon working. It was an amazing day. one of the happiest I had had in a long time. So full of hope. My son had just gotten home a few weeks earlier from his 8 1/2 years in the Navy. It was so great to have him home. That night I went to bed tired and happy my heart full. I had just fallen asleep when we lost my son to veteran suicide. Our world fell apart. I have no words to describe the pain. When I started making calls to my knife making family the support and love was instant and overwhelming. They rallied to my side. They helped support me through my darkest hour so I was able to be there for my wife and daughter. It started with friendship and brotherhood. Pure love and concern. Then they took what I had made and ran my table for me. While doing that they worked with people I had never even meet to help. Wonderful people got together. They made beautiful knives to donate to help financially. They made tribute knives with special materials along with YouTube videos to remember my son. Then they let me go on their podcasts to share my story to try and help so nobody else has to feel this pain. The list of kindness is endless. I love our community. Thank you all. I love you all. My son’s name is Robert “Bobby” Adam Rankin. He is and always will be my hero. I miss you more than I can put into words. I love you son.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
For me my journey in making started in 2017. Like a lot of knife makers it started with Forged in Fire. Just seeing what people could make in their garage was inspiring. That led to the rabit hole of YouTube and the internet. I was obsessed with it. When one day I decided I wanted to try it for myself. It seemed out of the blue for everyone around me. I think everyone thought I might have lost my marbles a little when I said I’m going to start making knives. I will never forget my wifes face when I fired up the forge I had built for the first time. I was so excited. She was most definitely less excited. However she put her fears aside and supported me. She is still my biggest supporter to this day.
I was excited to start making. The one thing I did not expect was the people I would meet. Community building has been one of the most rewarding things to come from all this. At the time I had no idea the people I would meet. I love making beautiful knives with my own two hands. Bringing together the family I have has definitely been the most rewarding.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.
I never thought I was creative. I had no idea what I was capable of. Creativity is like a muscle you need to exercises it.
My best advice is that if there is something that catches your interest just try it. Fail and try it again.
That is one reason I decided to start offering classes. Watching someone try something they didn’t know was possible is amazing.
How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?
I think supporting makers is important. When you spend your money on something hand made by a person in your community it is something that you will love and cherish. It also helps the maker not just finically but mentality. It lets them know you see and appreciate their hard work. On a side note. If you truly love something someone has made with their own two hands try not to haggle the price. I would say the majority of the time they are trying their best to give you the best price they can so that they can just make the next piece.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.BobRankinCustomKnives.com
- Instagram: @Bob_Rankin_Custom_Knives
- Facebook: @BobRankinCustomKnives
