Why Blacksmith Writing?
When I decided to move to copy- and content writing, I realized pretty quickly that I was going to have to change the business name so it’s clear what, exactly, I do. As part of this process, I started brainstorming names and I asked a few friends to help me. I wanted to make it clear that my job (as is the case with writers and editors) is to clarify and shape the message based on the intended audience. I sat with the online thesaurus open in one window and the domain name finder in another, trying to see what worked.
I spent a couple hours doing this and took a break since nothing seemed right.
I left to run an errand and noticed the horseshoe above my door, and I was reminded of my wedding. My maiden name is “Smith”—the Mr., who is quite clever, dubbed the wedding “The Blacksmith Wedding” and we decorated with horseshoes.
While on this break, I thought about what blacksmiths actually do—they take ugly pieces of metal and shape them into things that are functional or beautiful (or both). They create and they mold what would be considered ordinary into something with a purpose.
I got home from my errand, walked straight back to my computer, and checked whether “Blacksmith Writing” was an available domain name … and I was shocked to find no one had taken it. Seriously, the English nerd in me can spend hours writing metaphors about writing and smithing. I started with the slogan “Forge your Message,” because a large part of my job is to shape writing into its intended purpose. I loved the idea of using this business to create well-designed and efficient content so that my clients can do what they do best instead of worrying about how exactly to say what they want their audience to know. Isn’t that exactly what a blacksmith does? S/he shapes metal into the intended tool—whether it’s a horseshoe, a sword, or another tool entirely—so that the user can use it effectively.
I snatched the domain name pretty quickly, and ran with the name. It’s been a couple years now, but I’m still shocked at how quickly it’s been to find an appropriate name—one with meaning, one that’s clever, and one that easily conveys what I do.
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