This past Saturday I suffered a fate many knifemakers have with having all my Meta accounts suspended. Both my Instagram and Facebook profiles have been hit. Despite trying to appeal, in a matter of 30 minutes, my entire 15 year long Social Media history was wiped out. No option for recourse.
The reason given: “Not adhering to community guidelines”, but what we really know is it’s because I make and sell knives.
This has given me cause for major concern for the wellbeing of my business as it’s my only source of income. But upon reflection, I have decided I will likely not return to Meta platforms in any meaningful way.
These platforms have actively suppressed the knifemaking industry for years now and I won’t subject myself to the risk of having all my Meta accounts suspended again.
More over, it’s made me reflect on what I want out of my business. As a man of Faith, I feel that doors close for a reason, and it’s forced me to consider if I was trying to appease my old audience instead of building a new one.
I started The Arcadian as a means to develop my skills in Japanese bladesmithing and create knives that are unlimited in their excellence or potential. So far I’ve not done that. I’ve held onto my past knifemaking journey.
It’s for this reason I’ve decided to take a leap of faith. I will be phasing out the type of knives I’m making now, and will focus solely on three modern models which make use of my contemporary Tsukamaki style, traditional Japanese swords and kitchen knives, as well as concept swords that mix both traditional elements and modern materials.
I will still make one Pikal. It is a knife I built my career on and still has a place. I do however want to do it very differently going forward. My goal here is to create the ultimate expression of a Defensive knife, condensed into one form. It is something I’ve wanted to for for many years and now I will.
You will also be able to watch this journey unfold via my YouTube channel where I will be sharing how I do things and some of the challenges along the way.
I thank you all for supporting me so far.
