STRONG and SHARP
her father , Doug , in the forests of New Hampshire . She was a standout member of her interscholastic shooting team during her years at Monadnock High School , and she went on to earn a cosmetology license after graduating .
Those formative experiences served as the inspiration for her initial entry into the world of knife-making , which combined
6 VERMONT MAGAZINE her divergent interests into a singular medium . It all started when she began making review videos for the products of other knifemakers and posting them on YouTube . “ I just fell in love with it ,” says Cumings . “ I eventually realized , ‘ If I ’ m going to be reviewing other people ’ s work , I should really have some basic background knowledge myself .’ I ended up selling my own knife and gun collection , bought all of the equipment that I would need to start making my own knives , and I taught myself how to do it . There was no looking back after that .”
Cumings says that her decision to make knives was also motivated by her desire to advocate for female empowerment . “ The gun and knife industries are traditionally male-dominated spaces . When I first