Sir Jerome Smith…The Quiet Blacksmith of Leather
A few years ago when I first started this BDSM journey, I was introduced to this reserved dapper Dominant. He was dressed in a leather vest, a button-down shirt, and slacks. He was quite knowledgeable and had a quiet demeanor. I soon discovered this well-dressed, reserved man was a heavy sadist and he was ready to beat ass, and beat ass he did. I watched, and took mental notes, as he brought his scene to a rising crescendo and back down again. Building upon his sadism each time he repeated this process until finally, the intersection of sadism and masochism met at their desired apex. It was a glorious scene, I knew this was someone I wanted to know, fellowship with, and learn from. Please follow me as I introduce and share with you the journey of Sir Jerome Smith, the quiet blacksmith of the leather community.
Sir Jerome Smith, whose pronouns are He/him, is a Leatherman, Master, and Sadist, who has a love for being a builder of things. This love would translate over to the name of his House, The Forge. He has one slave and is the HOH of The Forge. He publicly started his BDSM journey in 2009 in Los Angeles, CA.
His initial draw into the lifestyle was the kinky side of it. He has always been a kinky person and all of the women he had been with in his vanilla life were submissive. He has a quiet dominance that he attributes to the men in his life he grew up around. They had a way of exuding dominance without having to raise their voice. He was active in LA for seven years until his move to Atlanta, GA.
During his time in LA, he became a founding member of ‘The Knights of The Lair De Sade’. It was there that he started his play as he had a scene the first night there. Through that fellowship, he was connected to the concept of D/s dynamics. That helped form the way he would look at the poly lifestyle and consensual non-monogamy. The first conference he attended was ‘The Bold’ conference which was sponsored by the Monarchs. While in LA he noticed the scene there seemed to be mostly Fem-dom and non-POC. He would notice a difference in the culture once he moved to Atlanta.
After his move to Atlanta, he observed there seemed to be more POC involved in the BDSM lifestyle. That helped him to become more interested in participating. So with that, the quiet Blacksmith became active in the Atlanta BDSM community, helping out without much fanfare. He joined Black Atlanta Munch also known as B.A.M. in 2016 and is now one of the leaders of it. He also became one of the founding directors of MAsT Atlanta Central. He worked to transform Intertwine the Mind (ITM) from a conference call presence to an online community. He is also one of the directors for SELF (Southeast LeatherFest Conference).
He would participate in a powerful fire circle at the Journey Conference in 2019. As he looked back on that event, he stated it was amazing to have so many people focusing on one common goal. One of the most influential moments for him by happenstance through a chance meeting with Master Sable. That encounter helped to set the tone for how he would conduct himself not only as a Master in the community, but it served as a personal guide as well.
He became interested in Leather because all those he learned from were Leather. He saw the principles he wanted to adopt for his everyday life. He has determined to live his life to have no regrets. Along with being Leather, his influences and mentors were also Masters, and that ignited his desire to become a Master.
He has a belief that being a submissive and being a slave both require submission and despite what some may think, one is not higher or more committed than the other. Sir Jerome wanted to create a House that would provide a space for the slaves he owned. He wanted to create a structure for them and a framework that could be explained and adhered to. Thus in 2016, The Forge was born. The Forge is run with an emphasis on self-responsibility. Always own up to your actions.
Throughout his journey, he has been able to take away a lot from the different conferences he’s attended. This has given him the desire to give back. MsC was the first conference where he didn't attend a play party. Reflecting on that, he realized that was the most he’d learn from there than from some of the other conferences. He was later asked to help with SELF and took that as an opportunity to give back. He’s never been one to want to be upfront as he does not feel he has to be seen. He believes teaching others is just something that can be shared.
The advice he has for organizations in the lifestyle is to keep your mission statement simple and stay focused. If it’s more than two or three sentences, you may be doing too much. Those who are interested in starting D/s dynamics must understand that being in a dynamic means you are responsible for helping them be the best version of themselves. Also, you can learn from those who have come before you. For individuals starting, he advises them to come in and observe the “what” and the “why” of what’s going on before trying to change it. Never start what you can’t complete and never quit until you’ve completed what you’ve started.
Upon observation of how things were years ago, etiquette seems to be dying. Some who have come in have changed it. Structure and accountability seem to be eroding. People now seem to pick and choose when they are responsible. Those in D/s relationships must realize they are just that, relationships. For it to flourish, both sides must be responsible for their choices. A lack of responsibility will have both sides blaming the other. The motto he lives by is ‘With responsibility comes accountability.’
You may not hear much from him. Nor will you see him in front drawing attention to all the things he has done or is currently doing. He remains a humble man. But be rest assured that Sir Jerome Smith is giving back to the community every chance he gets. He’s doing it as only he knows how, as a quiet blacksmith of the leather community.