Join The Smithy. Build Mastery. Ship Real Products.
The Smithy is a community platform where creators create and technology transforms. Build educational games, storytelling experiences, and professional tools while mastering your craft along the way.
Why Join The Smithy?
You want to build skills that matter. Create work you're proud of. Develop your craft through practice, not just tutorials.
Mastery isn't talent. It's perseverance. It requires repetition, practice, and support. The Smithy is a digital colony for artists, musicians, writers, and developers who believe in learning by doing. We're an open-source platform where your contributions shape real products and mistakes are part of the process.
What you get:
- Real projects to practice on, from educational experiences to professional tools
- Tools & techniques delivered just-in-time for immediate application
- Community support from mentors and collaborators around the world
- Safe environment where mistakes are part of learning
Remember: It's the anvil, not only the hammer, that shapes steel.
How to Get Involved
No matter your area of expertise, there are multiple ways you can engage in The Smithy community. We welcome developers, artists, writers, educators, musicians, researchers, and anyone passionate about creating educational experiences.
Community Member
Join the community, browse projects, connect with creators. Explore what interests you. No commitment required.
Contributor
Make your first contribution when you're ready. Submit work at your own pace, get feedback, build your portfolio.
Collaborator
Shape project direction, mentor newcomers, work closely with the team. Commit more time as your schedule allows.
Maintainer
Lead projects, guide vision, become a paid contributor. For those ready to make The Smithy a primary focus.
Examples of Community Contribution
Here are just a few examples showing how different skills engage at different levels:
DEVELOPER
Community MemberBrowse the codebase, explore open issues, ask questions about architecture
ARTIST
ContributorSubmit character sketches for feedback, create UI mockups for features
WRITER
CollaboratorLead narrative design sessions, mentor new story contributors
EDUCATOR
MaintainerOwn curriculum development, guide learning objectives, paid role
These are just examples. Any skill can engage at any level. Your path is yours to define.
Getting Started
2. Explore Quests
Learn about our projects and find what excites you. Each has contribution opportunities at every skill level.
3. Make Your First Contribution
- Developers: Browse open issues on GitLab, submit a pull request, engage with the community
- Creators: Access creator tools, submit your first story/quest, get community feedback
- Others: Check opportunities, reach out to project leads, start contributing
Then evolve your participation as you build mastery.
FAQs
Perfect—so are we! We believe everyone should always be learning. The Smithy is built for learners who are always looking to advance their craft, learn the latest technology, and continuously improve. We support you at every skill level.
Whatever you can offer. Some work 40 hours/week, others 5 hours/month. You set your pace.
No! Most contributors work part-time (evenings, weekends, whenever works). Flexible engagement.
The Smithy is about mastering your craft first. That said, we believe in fair compensation:
- Content creators: Earn 70-90% revenue share on your work
- All contributors: Equity through our Slicing Pie model (learn more)
- Maintainers: Paid roles as you advance
Join because you want to grow your skills and build something meaningful. Compensation is the result, not the reason.
Yes! Your contributions and equity compound across all projects.
Yes! All code is public on GitLab. Transparent development, community-driven roadmap, no vendor lock-in.
Ready to Build?
Join The Smithy today and build something meaningful.
Your craft. Your community. Your mastery.