Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Frank Verga. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Frank thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

You know what is the most important thing to remember when taking a risk? Trust yourself. Have confidence in your abilities. The fear surrounding a risk comes from the fear of the unknown, fear of failure. Trust yourself, take the leap. Many do not and many regret not trying. I had fears when I first started formal training in blacksmithing and I almost gave up. I had fears when I decided to strike off on my own and fears when I decided to lease a larger shop by myself. Of all the risk I took striking off on my own as a self employed person was the largest one. This would be the first time I would not have a steady paycheck coming in. The first time I would be doing everything; the billing and invoicing, the client meetings, drawings, budgeting and the construction. I knew I had the skill in the making of things but could I sell myself and keep a roof over my head? I have seen plenty of people that are much more talented than myself close their business not because they could not do the work but because they could not price the work well or did not have the personal skills to interact with customers.
I was nervous about all of this but I had an opportunity to start my own thing and decided I would rather sit back when I was old and say “Well, I tried and it did not work out” rather than “Well, what if I HAD tried that?”. At least I would know. And I trusted in my skills and in that fact that I could ask for help. I knew contractors who could help with making introductions to clients. I had suppliers for materials. I had a few people I could get to help out in the shop here and there so I did not have to stress out about covering someone’s full time salary while starting out. I had a decent support network and that is huge.
I took a chance on myself. And so far it’s worked out pretty good. (but in all honesty I do have days where I just feel like selling all my tools and quitting but I think that is the burden of having an artistic mind.)

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

When I was much younger, I started playing Dungeons and Dragons. From there my friends and I started going to the local renaissance fair where we found out medieval reenactment groups where a thing. SO we started going to reenactment group meetings because the idea of putting on armor and swinging fake swords at each other was very attractive. So now we had to figure out how to make our own armor. You need some very specific tools to make medieval reproduction armor so here is where I first developed an interest in blacksmithing. Need a tool, make a tool as they say. Once I started doing the work and learning more about metal I decided to make it my job. Seeing that in the 20th century it would not be very lucrative to be an armorer, I decided to pivot into architectural work. There seemed to be a bit more money there and also more options as far as types of work. I worked for several shops and taught for 4 years before deciding to start my own business. Had I gone right out on my own I for certain would have failed. There would have been too many skills to work on at once.
My products are functional art, they are pretty but they have a job. I like practical art not art for art’s sake. Not saying I do not appreciate fine art but that is not my focus. Right now my focus is on items in and around the house, most of my work being in high end residential buildings. While that is my primary focus I also get involved with restoration projects when they come available. Nothing like restoring a historic piece to it’s former glory! The two types of work do present much different issues though. When making something new, I get to go from the bottom up and design something and interact with the client. What are their needs and wants? How can I insert my personal style in the work while still staying true to what the client’s needs are? Half of the work here is done even before tools start moving. Here it is all custom, from the ground up. No stock items, no catalogs. With restoration work the dance is something like “here is what the thing looks like now, here is what it used to look like, we have this much to spend, what can you ?” I used to really dislike restoration work but more and more it is growing on me. The hardest part is explaining to clients that, yes, frequently restoring the old thing will probably cost more than replacing it but is that what you really want? Do you want the historic metal thing or brand new vinyl thing?
I hope clients know that when they hire me to make something for them, they are getting a little part of me in every item. I do my best to pour my heart and soul into every custom job I do. There are actual blood, sweat and tears in almost everything I make. (don’t worry, I clean it all off before final delivery!)

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

A HUGE lesson I had to unlearn is the whole “Do it yourself” mentality. You are not weak if you get help. Everyone needs help at some point or another so do not be ashamed to ask. I struggled a lot because I was too proud to ask for help. I am getting over that and it is making me a better person and a better craftsperson. At some point there will be that one thing that is just a little too heavy for you to lift alone, but you’ll do it, get hurt, and realize maybe asking for help is not such a bad idea.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

Pay them. Do not question my worth. If I say that’s how much a thing will cost, that is what my time is worth. You came to me with a request for a specific item, this is the price. I have a lot of expenses you probably are not even aware of. If your car mechanic gives you a price, do you haggle with them? I doubt it. Respect and support me by paying me.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.seventhanddivision.com/
• Instagram: 7admetalworks
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/7thandDiv/