Upon leaving school at the age of 15, Graham Short signed up to a six-year apprenticeship at a stationery engraving company in Birmingham.

[1]He learned the art of copper-plate and steel die engraving for the stationery trade - producing embossed letterheads, business cards and wedding invitations.

[2][3] When his apprenticeship had ended, Graham started a business in Birmingham's Jewelry Quarter, creating stationery for banks, royal palaces, and perfume companies.

[11] In 2023, in collaboration with The Forces Network, Short engraved the 405 letters of the World War One poem, "In Flanders Fields" in the eye of a needle.

He engraved the poem onto a microscopic piece of metal, scraped from his grandfather's Coldstream Guards First World War cap badge.

[12] In August 2024, in the run-up to a global launch in Germany, Short worked with Honor, the Chinese consumer electronics company, to engrave a minuscule 166-word apology on the side of the new Magic V3 foldable phone.

[13] November 2012 - 'The Writers Collection' at Clarendon Fine Art Gallery, Mayfair, London, Short unveiled 'Fry's Delight' his latest piece in collaboration with TV Personality Stephen Fry.

This piece was later placed in a sale at Sotheby's, London to raise funds for English PEN,[14] the charity that supports and represents imprisoned writers around the world.

[citation needed] In June 2013, Short was invited by Indian artist Nikki Anand, to introduce her 'Euphoria' solo exhibition to the British public for the first time at the Nehru Centre, London.

'Otche Nash' the main prayer of the Russian Orthodox Church - engraved on the head of a gold pin measuring 2mm across, was on view to the public for the first time.

Classic quotes from Emma, Pride and Prejudice, and Mansfield Park were also engraved onto the notes, encircling Jane's portrait.

He broke the British and European record in the 1500m Freestyle in the first session of the ASA National Masters Championships 2016 at Ponds Forge, Sheffield.