FORGING A CREATIVE LIFE: Blacksmith Marsha Trattner on Finding Flow in Metal, Wearing Many Hats, and How to Just Start

Episode notes

In this episode of The Trades Show, host Briana Ottoboni sits down with Marsha Trattner, blacksmith, sculptor, and founder of She-Weld, inside her Brooklyn, NY workshop.

Their conversation explores Marsha’s 35-year journey with metal — from her early days in biology and fine art to discovering blacksmithing as both a trade and an artistic language. She shares how sculpture, teaching, collaboration, and even repairing historic pieces for the Martha Graham Company all weave together in her creative life.

We dive into:

• The moment blacksmithing found her, and how working with metal feels like drawing in three dimensions
• Balancing personal creative projects with commissions, teaching, and running a studio
• The history of her Brooklyn blacksmith shop and her Catskills backup space as anchors for her practice
• Why hammer-ins, mentorship, and community are vital for blacksmithing’s future
• Her advice to aspiring makers: don’t wait for perfect conditions — just start

Whether you’re a blacksmith, metalsmith, sculptor, or a craft-curious listener, this episode offers insight into the flow of making, the realities of sustaining an artisan practice, and the joy of letting craft find you.

The Trades Show is a show about modern craftwork — a conversation series with artisans and a return to what makes us human: the ability to create with our hands.