Sean Flottmann, or @dabswellington, as most of you lot know him, took a moment to talk about his career and rise in social media, equally well as share some advice for those who aspire to be like him. Flottmann outset got into making welded art early in his career, creating small-scale gifts such as figurines for friends and family. His starting time project was a replica of a drum set complete with cymbals, threaded hi-hat and a figure with hair made of gas metal arc welding wire.

Flottmann has gone on to create some of the most shared and impressive gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) art on social media today. Hoping one day he can have the opportunity to brand a massive center-stage piece for the band 311, Flottmann says, "I can run across it displayed, center-stage with laser lights beaming off it."

Aside from his stunning GTAW fine art y'all run into featured in most of his posts, Flottmann works full time as a GTAW welder at Stork Fabricators, Washington, Missouri.Dabswellingtonis a existent human with a real job, simply like the residue of us, with the same struggles we all have balancing work, family, being a father and making time to do what he loves. Equally a truthful office model, he shows u.s.a. all that if you have a passion and a desire to do something, y'all tin always detect the time.

Flottmann creates some of the most shared and impressive GTAW art on social media today and doesn't programme on letting his GTAW skills be his only claim to fame. He has plans to keep learning and expanding his craft and is looking to enroll in metal shaping and bead rolling classes. He finds inspiration in the works of the primary Bead Roller and Metal Artist Jamey Jordan.

Where does the @dabswellington tag come from?

Flottmann is the best of the all-time: a powerhouse welder and a social media influencer. But where did the name "Dabswellington" come up from? I had to ask. "It plays on several factors. The initial play on words is obvious: Dab. I take a very pronounced bead and a typically spaced-out weld profile. My first social media incarnation was '311dabwell' or something forth those lines. I was thinking forth the lines of 'Dabwell and prosper,' a nerdy Star Trek nod. Just it was too clunky and didn't stand out. Out of sheer silliness, I started toying with Dabswell, and it only slowly mutated into Dabswellington. Featherbrained, sounds vaguely proper and rolls right off the tongue," said Flottmann.

Bated from his stunning GTAW art y'all see featured in most of his posts, Flottmann works full time as a GTAW welder at Stork Fabricators. The number of people with hopes of seeing the same social media success as Flottmann tin can just hope to exist lucky enough to land on such a perfectly rad handle. Many of his followers wonder, how does someone fifty-fifty become to 100,000 followers in the welding world, and proceeds the support of significant sponsorships from companies like Fronius and Blue Demon? If you wait around fabricators and welders with that sort of clout, they are few and far between. This is the ultimate aspiration for many up-and- coming fabricators, welders and metallic artists.

How to be successful on social media

Flottmann shared some advice for making it large on social media. "Create content that you legitimately love. A fake is easy to spot. I never thought I would have more than than a handful of followers, and I surely never expected to exist sponsored. I try to produce genuine content and let my goofy personality smoothen. Do it for yourself and your craft. If your content resonates with a oversupply, that's only the icing on the cake. The verbal affair that bred my skill is the secret to all my success. Tenacity, determination and perseverance are my greatest tools in welding and in life. I'k not talented; I'm not gifted. I'g relentless. If you want to go adept at anything, just do a lot of information technology."

An inspiration to others

During my travels on the route, I saw firsthand the affect Flottmann is having on the younger generation of welders. I regularly encounter welding students who ask me if I know "Dabs." Have you heard of "Dabs"? Can y'all weld similar "Dabs"?

Flottmann's art and success is an inspiration for many upwardly-and-coming fabricators, welders and metal artists. When Flottmann agreed to practice this interview with me, I thought it was of import to convey the immense bear upon he's having on the younger generation of welders. They dear seeing his posts, and instructors often tell me the students love to mimic in course how he walks or floats the cup for different manipulation patterns. It is truly fantastic that students today have a function model such as Flottmann who is just a quick click away. I cannot imagine the motivation I would have had as a welding educatee with the resources of today at my fingertips during my early years learning to weld. His role is so important in today's climate where at that place are and then many who bash the trades. It is refreshing to come across how he always remains positive and is clearly having a boom every step of the way.

"I hope people tin take away that your welding career isn't doomed to be solely one-dimensional. Y'all tin make your bread and butter all day, and still fill up your creative needs in the interim," he explained. "I also want that people have note of the positive nature at which I try to comport myself. So many people fall into a negative headspace and view everything through a judgmental lens. I'm all for constructive criticism, but it takes some tact and nuance to not come off equally a know-it-all or outright jerk. I attempt to focus on the positives."

Flottmann has a real appreciation for instruction and sharing his knowledge of welding with anyone who is interested in learning. In the years to come, he looks forward to doing more than live demos and working with students.

His message to those just starting

"Cover your frustration. Many of the difficult things you do daily are taken for granted just considering you are so used to doing them. With enough practice, welding can hands become the same. You need to dedicate yourself to the process and trust that all will shake itself out in due time."

This article was written by Stephanie Hoffman-Wedding, program manager of workforce development,AWS Foundation,for the American Welding Society.