Maker Stories

This Just In-spiration: Meet Marci Lundy

June 29, 2015

Our makers never fail to motivate us, encourage our creativity, and fill us with inspiration. So, when a new product enters our assortment, we’re always excited to learn more about the person behind it.

What gets an artist going and keeps them creating is certainly worth sharing, and every great connection starts with a simple introduction. Meet Marci Lundy, maker of the Pikake Flower Mask and Poppy Soap Gift Set.

What first inspired you to make face and body products?

I moved to Colorado in the Spring of 2010. Although undeniably beautiful, the state left my skin undeniably dry. My usual skincare regimen that I practiced while living at sea level in Southern California no longer worked. I have always admired the look and feel of skincare products, and one day I decided to get online and research the process of making body butters, scrubs, and soaps. I was thrilled to learn about the process and started making my own soaps and scrubs. The products were not perfect in the beginning, but I felt so proud knowing that it was possible to create these items that I have always loved, sans all of the harsh ingredients. Personal use of 303 Face + Body products started with me, and then I began to make products for my family and friends. I used the feedback to fine tune products that I made, and the more I researched, the better the quality of the product became. I went from making soap and sugar scrubs to now making gel moisturizers and serum for nails.

What experiences have been most instrumental in shaping your life so far?

I’m not so sure that there is a particular experience that was instrumental, but for as long as I can remember I’ve literally felt that there is nothing that I cannot do. Having that mindset allows the sky to be my limit. I’ve had people ask, “How did you think to do that?” I find myself answering, “Why wouldn’t I think I could!?!” My husband is also an amazing motivator, both through encouraging me and by simply “being.” An avid swimmer, he was in a diving accident when he was fourteen, and has been in a wheelchair for thirty years. He is so amazing, so positive, heavy into community outreach, and working with the Mayor of Denver. I also have a very supportive family. They’ve been wonderful supporters since day one. With all of that positivity around me, its virtually impossible to not feel as though it’s possible to do whatever I want to in this life.

What advice would you give to the you of 5 years ago?

Find your center, and start using your gifts. I am a total kid at heart, and I’ve just recently learned how to “manage this,” if you will. For years, I lived life as it happened, very much into enjoying the moment. There is nothing wrong with that, but there has to be a vision, a plan, a passion for something that you’re striving toward. I had passion for many things, but never really made any of them work for me. In the last few years, I’ve learned how to not only have fun with what I consider my gifts, but figure out how to make a living doing that which I enjoy and love. Photography and creating my products are my “happy place.” I’ve incorporated my photography into my work by creating greeting cards with my photography. It’s all wonderfully rewarding.

What was the most exciting thing about starting your own company?

It was very liberating to have the freedom to create something that helps others feel their best. I remember working at my desk years ago, looking out the window and thinking, “I wish I was out there, able to do what I really enjoy.” It’s so exhilarating to wake up (or barely sleep, for that matter) because your mind is so excited to start working on your latest skincare product.

What does your typical day at work look like?

The crisp, morning air inspires me, and each morning I go photo walking, which for me is exercise + motivation through nature + capturing nature. After a smoothie or a nice cuppa joe, I begin thumbing through skincare magazines, looking for common skincare concerns, also finding myself motivated by the way various skincare ads are photographed. My studio is also the loft that I share with my husband, so I’ll get my products together and test out textures (sugar scrubs with shea butters, etc) and from those moments of exploration, new products tend to be born. I also use my workdays to reach out to people to possibly collaborate with. The networking process is ongoing, and in this age of social media its very easy to make wonderful connections.

Is there a trinket, talisman, or other inspirational object you keep near? If so, what is it and what does it mean to you?

I love crystals, and have various crystals around my creative space. I love the energy that I receive from them, very uplifting.

What quote or mantra keeps you motivated?

I happened across a quote a few years back that read, “Never Try, Never Know.” I’m always going to try, because I never want the feeling of not knowing.

What are your most essential ingredients and elements of your process?

Activated charcoal and aloe vera gel are two of my most beloved ingredients. Both of those are miracle products, seriously. I also love herbs, I live for herbs!

Maker Stories

Centuries of Beauty and Tradition: The History of Czech Glassware

June 24, 2015

Prague Castle over the Charles Bridge (left) and a Prague Bohemian Glass Shop (right)

I’ve always found shopping for my Mother to be a challenge–it’s easy enough, but I try to score as many points with her as possible. Books run the risk of failing to meet her elevated standards, chocolate melts (or is eaten too quickly), and flowers inevitably wilt. I want something that lasts, something that I can reference in passing years after the fact if I’m trying to weasel my way out of something. Jewelry is a safe and durable choice, but as a mama’s boy with decidedly underdeveloped taste in bijoux, that too can get tricky.

We sell plenty of jewelry at UncommonGoods–more than I can process, in fact: a seemingly endless treasure trove of baubles fit to adorn any fine Mother. Yet variety in itself complicated my Mother’s Day shopping this year–how to pick? How to best maximize motherly approval?

Fortunately, a bit of context caught my eye. While eyeing a pair of Mosaic Earrings by Stefanie Wolf–elegant in their simplicity–I was reminded of a recent family trip to the Czech Republic and the amount of time we spent perusing Bohemian glass vendors in the heart of old Prague. Mom didn’t make off with any of the jewels then, but Stefanie’s artisanship evokes the centuries-old tradition of glass artistry in the Czech region of Bohemia, a perfect pick for a woman with a taste for la vie boheme.

Mosaic Earrings and Mosaic Necklace by Stefanie Wolf

Stefanie working in her Martha’s Vineyard studio

The Mosaic earrings use distinctively painted and chiseled beads called “Picasso Windows,” handcrafted in the land of Pilsner with the precise grace of Mucha, and only a dash of Kafka’s brooding damper. Stefanie began using Czech beads after admiring their distinctive quality:

“Whenever I was bead shopping I noticed that the richest colors and most luscious finishes in glass beads always seemed to hail from the Czech Rebublic. Often imitated, never duplicated!”

Bohemian crystal is renowned for its vibrant colors and intricate designs.

Glassmaking itself dates back as far as Ancient Egypt, where crude technology available to artisans led them to wind thin threads of glass over clay objects. Early Egyptian glassware was likewise crude due to imperfect and porous glass, but as glassmaking spread throughout the Mediterranean by the 3^rd or 2^nd century BCE, processes and materials were gradually perfected.

Ancient Egyptian glass and clay sculptures depicting the enemies of Egypt, on display at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

Some of the oldest glass findings in Czech countries date back to around this time, when intraeuropean trade was richly facilitated by the consolidation of Roman road networks. Beads were likely imported from Celtic regions across the Danube, though some may have been of local Bohemian or Moravian origin. Glassmaking itself likely didn’t surface in the Bohemian basin until the early Middle Ages, but has since become a centerpiece of the region’s cultural expression.

The Kingdom of Bohemia, 1367–1635

The glassmaking bubble began to swell in heavily forested Czech regions around the 13^th century – medieval glassworks required copious amounts of wood to heat ovens and produce potassium, a key component needed to melt glass. Whole villages would pop up around isolated forest glassworks – and would subsequently disappear or relocate once the area was deforested. Eventually, some Bohemian nobles actually banned deforestation for the purposes of glass production, hoping to preserve sections of woodland for forestry.

Deserted medieval village of Svídna, Czech Republic

Trouble in Christendom was actually a major impetus for the escalation of art glass production in Europe. Cultural exchange brought about by the Crusades in the 13^th century stimulated the use of glass for decorative purposes, and methods were further perfected. Bohemian craftsmen became some of the first to use different metal oxides to inject vibrant colors into their glasswork, secrets to which were passed from generation to generation. Ornate colored glass beads produced in the Czech Šumava region were likewise exported throughout Europe as Rosary beads, or ‘paters’ for the first words of the Lord’s Prayer.

Medieval uses for both decorative and utility-oriented glassware sounds like the set up to a bad joke – clergy, doctors, alchemists, and charlatans came to demand glassware heavily, valuing that of Bohemian make most of all for its uniquely fine properties. (left) ‘Paters,’ Medieval Doctor and Patient (right).

By the Renaissance, artistic expression saw newfound emphasis as style and splendor trumped all. Bohemian craftsmen may have actually stolen Venetian state secrets in order to assume the position of premier crystal purveyor of the European Renaissance; a loose tongue regarding Venetian enamel painting techniques was punishable by death, yet somehow Bohemian craftsman were able to emulate and improve Venetian methods. Unique color variations, cuttings, and dynamic designs quickly characterized Czech glass as a priceless symbol of the region’s artisanry.

Baroque Coat of Arms Cup Motif (left), Hunt Motif (right)

Emperor Rudolph II, Habsburg ruler of Bohemia during the late 16^th century, was perhaps the most lavish of Bohemian glassware patrons – his extensive commissions helped to distinguish a Baroque style of glass craftsmanship. With the new Baroque wave came important advances in glass engraving; Rudolph’s gem cutter, Caspar Lehmann, pioneered new cutting methods that permitted the depiction of rich and detailed scenes in the Baroque tradition.

Emperor Rudolph II, painted by Joseph Heintz the Elder

Considered just about as precious as jems and jewelry, Bohemian glass finery was sought after by monarchs and regents from France to India – today, Czech chandeliers hang in palaces from Versailles to Riyadh.

The World’s largest Bohemian crystal chandelier hangs in the Ceremonial Hall of Dolmabahçe Palace: a gift from Queen Victoria.

Bohemian glass craftsmanship has since retained its status as a highly skilled and esteemed profession, though the Baroque gradually made way for new styles. Professional glassmaking schools in Kamenický Šenov and Novy Bor (1856), still active today, are largely responsible for the modern retention of this esteem, as was Bohemian glassworks Klostermühle, which received the Grand Prix at the 1900 World Exhibition in Paris.

Renowned for its stability, Czech glassworks even held up under the weight of the Iron Curtain! Notorious for their destructive and repressive actions towards local cultures and traditions, Soviet communists ironically sought to promote Czech glass artisanry during their decades -long stay in Czechoslovakia, seeing it as a relatively inexpressive art form that supported the economy and character of the region. Though the craft form itself was relatively unchecked, some artisans were monitored, though a resistant spirit is evident in their work.

Somewhat more naturally abstract than other art forms, glass provided a unique opportunity to defy the strictly narrative conventions of Socialist Realism. Left: “Object” by Rene Roubicek (1961), gift of the Steinberg Foundation. Center: “Single Bloom Vase” by Plavel Hava (1958). Right: “Plate with Abstract Decoration” by Vladimir Jelinek (1957). All images used with permission from the Corning Museum of Glass.

Today, the bulk of the Czech glassware and crystal industry is dedicated to the automated production of tableware, but handmade traditions still thrive as an important vein of cultural identity. Consistent with tradition, many glassmakers still work their craft in small, family-owned businesses; Stefanie is able to work directly with a Czech glassmaker for a personal touch to her materials.

A Czech glass artisan working his craft

“My glass maker runs family-owned and operated glass bead production facility that has been in operation for generations. His father shapes the iron molds that dictate the shapes and details of the beads. He travels to Prague weekly to scan the available colors of glass rods, selecting his colors and bringing those rods back home.”

“Because we work directly together, I get to custom design the shapes and colors of my beads. Many of the beads I use can’t be found anywhere else but in my jewelry.”

Maker Stories

This Just In-spiration: Meet Liz Rodriguez

June 22, 2015

Our makers never fail to motivate us, encourage our creativity, and fill us with inspiration. So, when a new design enters our assortment, we’re always excited to learn more about the person behind the product.

What gets an artist going and keeps them creating is certainly worth sharing, and every great connection starts with a simple introduction. Meet Liz Rodriguez, the maker behind our new handmade floral kitchen trio.

When did you know you wanted to be an artist?
Since I can remember.

What was the most exciting thing about becoming a professional artist?
Being immersed in a world of creativity where just about anything is possible. Not many professional artists have the word “can’t” in their vocabulary. We all figure out how to make things happen whether it be within the work itself or building a death-defying display system.

What does your typical day in the studio look like?
I usually arrive at 8 am, turn on the teakettle, clean the studio and finish projects from the night before, take Nacho (my sweet and adorable Pit Bull mix) out for a good walk or play date, come back and take a look at the to-do list which could range from making work, packing and shipping to a gallery or customer, mixing glazes, administrative duties or tending to customer needs. I’m usually loading Nacho back in the car for our commute home between 6:30 and 7 pm, sometimes later depending on the deadline.

Is there a trinket, talisman, or other inspirational object you keep near? If so, what is it and what does it mean to you?
I’m not terribly religious, but my dearest friend Cathy (a mixed media assemblage artist) colorfully painted this small BVM bust for me shortly after my mom died last year and I keep it by my pottery wheel. It brings me a little comfort when I get too caught up in sad thoughts. Cathy is a colorful and very funny person herself, so it also makes me think of her which inevitably leads to a smile.

Imagine you just showed your work to a kindergartener for the first time. What do you think he/she would say?
I meet young children at shows and have many kids in that age group in my family. They are always first drawn to the bright colors, then they remark on the roses and how much they like them, and finally there’s an atypical silence that washes over as they feel all the textures. I love watching kids experience the work, which frightens a lot of parents because of the fragility of pottery, but I welcome and encourage it. It makes me so happy.

What quote or mantra keeps you motivated?
“Sometimes the only available transportation is a leap of faith.” – Margaret Shepard

Maker Stories

Alyson Thomas’ Creative Cocktail Illustrations & Other Adventures in Art

June 18, 2015

Attorney-turned-illustrator Alyson Thomas has always loved drawing, painting, and making things, but says she “didn’t think anything of it” until she was voted “most creative” in her college dorm. She didn’t exactly leap from law school to illustrating designs like the ones featured on our Cocktail Diagram Glasses, either.

Alyson’s career started in a very different place–the Department of Homeland Security. From doodling on sticky notes in meetings, to turning in her badge and spending a year on a drawing project, Alyson’s love of illustration grew and eventually blossomed into a full-time business.

She took a break from diagramming delicious things, visiting “nerdy cocktail bars,” and generally being awesome, to answer a few questions about quitting her day job and the creative endeavors that followed.

Maker Stories

This Just In-spiration: Meet Sandra Bonazoli and Jim Dowd

June 15, 2015

What gets an artist going and keeps them creating is certainly worth sharing, and every great connection starts with a simple introduction. Meet Sandra Bonazoli and Jim Dowd, designers of the Make a Wish Measuring Spoon Set.

When did you know you wanted to be an artist?

Even when I was very young, I had a love of drawing and making small things. I didn’t know it then, but I also loved beautiful old objects – I used to walk around my town and admire the architectural details on old homes. But I never really thought about being an artist or a craftsperson until I started to teach jewelry after college, and saw other people making a living with their artwork. Granted, their living may have been patched together, but they made a life for themselves being creative and doing what they loved. That had never occurred to me before that point, but that’s when I knew I wanted to be an artist/craftsperson.

What was the most exciting thing about becoming a professional artist?

To be honest, I wouldn’t really consider myself an artist. I don’t make work for exhibitions, galleries, or museums, or any other context other than people’s homes. It’s just not my intention. My intention (and my husband’s – we work together) is to make meaningful objects with an emphasis on function, that are professionally crafted, and as affordable as possible. Those things are usually not the criteria of an artist. I would say I’m very happy to be a designer and a craftsperson, particularly a metal-smith. The most exciting thing about what I do is seeing the physical manifestation of an idea. Every time something new comes out of the mold for the first time, I remember why I love doing this.

What does your typical day in the studio look like?

Being self-employed means wearing many hats, so a typical day involves answering email, dealing with inventory, quality control, working on new designs, making inventory, and being frustrated with computers. If there is ever a dull moment, it doesn’t last long!

What are your most essential tools?

Unfortunately, the computer. Also my jeweler’s saw with 4/0 blades (they’re pretty teeny), No.4 cut half round and barrette shaped files, rubber cement, and medium silver solder.

Is there a trinket, talisman, or other inspirational object you keep near? If so, what is it and what does it mean to you?

We make a silver pendant in the shape of an anchor. I wear mine almost every day. We made this pendant after spending a couple of weeks in the South of France, where anchor motifs are everywhere – for example, the brackets for hanging streetlights are in the shape of an anchor. They are a part of the architecture and landscape. We live in Rhode Island, and there are a lot of anchor motifs around here too. It connects me to where I live, as well as special places I’ve been. But most of all, I love the symbolism. Anchors have traditionally been a symbol of hope. I love the idea that raising anchor literally means that one of is off to a new port, a new journey, and a new adventure and symbolizes all the hope one has when going somewhere new.

Imagine you just showed your work to a kindergartner for the first time. What do you think they would say?

We do make some kids products, so I happen to know they like things that they feel are made especially for them. Like spoons made for little hands. Otherwise, I still think they might say our other products are special too.

What quote or mantra keeps you motivated?

Again, being self-employed means having to do a lot of things you don’t want to do, in order to keep doing what you love to do. Therefore it’s good to keep in mind: If you can’t get out of it – Get into it! Helps every time.

Maker Stories

Meet the Extraordinary Designers of the Extraordinaires® Design Studio

June 12, 2015

Groundbreaking designer Paul Rand once exclaimed, “Everything is design. Everything!”

While Rand’s declaration of design universality is sweeping and inspiring, it can also be confounding; its broad appropriation of, well, everything can stifle further conversation. If everything is design, then what’s the nature of everything? What’s so important about design? Where do you begin?

Irish designers Anita Murphy and Rory O’Connor suggest a place to begin, offering a way for curious non-designers to explore the process, challenges, and rewards of design through The Extraordinaires® Design Studio, an inviting activity kit that challenges young minds to think outside the box. Whereas Rand staked his claim to the totality of human endeavor, Murphy and O’Connor’s approach assumes nothing, first asking the most basic questions: “what is a designer?” and “why does the world need designers?”

Designers Rory O’Connor (left) and Anita Murphy (right) with their Extraordinaires Design Studio Kit

Through the guided play of their studio game and the introduction of some extraordinary “clients” (the Extraordinaires themselves, including a teenage vampire, a fairy detective, and a gentle giant), Anita and Rory invite hands-on exploration of these fundamental questions, raise many more, and encourage young designers to ask their own in a spirit of playful inquiry and empathetic discovery.

We had the pleasure of discussing the inspiration and aspirations behind the Extraordinaires with Anita and Rory in a recent conversation:

How does the Extraordinaires Studio experience differ from that of being a professional designer in the real world? What’s been simplified or enhanced here?
Many professional designers comment on how effectively we’ve captured the design process in the Extraordinaires Design Studio. We’ve presented design as a simple 3-step process, while in reality it’s a looping process, involving constant iteration for a professional designer. A key element that’s been enhanced is the Extraordinaires themselves. In the real world, a designer solves design challenges for ordinary people. In the Extraordinaires Studio, you’re tasked with helping characters with extraordinary needs—like a giant or superhero, robot or ninja—and who wouldn’t want to design a remote control for a ninja?

The Design Studio features an extensive array of bizarre characters – Extraordinaires – each of whom present a unique design challenge

Assuming the goal of the Studio isn’t necessarily to produce the professional designers of tomorrow, what are the main skills fostered or lessons learned?
Empathy is a key skill fostered in the Studio. You must design for the needs of the Extraordinaire. This involves thinking about what others want, and not just what you like…thinking about the end-user. It offers a structured approach to creative thinking and problem solving, reinforces that there is often more than one answer to any challenge, and that the key is to ask lots of questions. While we would love to inspire a new generation of designers, our real goal is simply to encourage people to look at their world in a new way, to ask questions and consider how they might make it better for themselves and for others.

Do you see this primarily as a competitive game, and if so, what does that teach about the competitive nature of design? What can this experience teach about the value of constructive critique?
The Studio is more collaborative than competitive. The only person you are competing against is yourself as you try to make each new design better than your last. When playing in a group, discussion tends to become more collaborative as players use “yes… and” feedback to add to each other’s design. In the Awards ceremony, we designed the cards so that any feedback is focused on the features of the design and not on the player.

Amateur designers collaborating on their fantastic designs

Although it coordinates with the Extraordinaires website, the Studio seems to emulate the look of a tablet or laptop, but using low-tech, analog media. Did you consider making the entire product a digital interface? What was behind the decision to make it paper and hand drawing based?
We did consider an entirely digital platform for the Extraordinaires. When we first came up with the idea, however, we made the decision to keep it as a physical toy, thereby making it more accessible to children, in a way that digital wasn’t. Many designers still swear by pen and paper for capturing ideas. There’s something powerful about the eye/hand/brain interaction that occurs when doodling on paper. Many design lecturers have also expressed their gratitude that we kept it analog. They share their frustration with too few students taking the time to capture their ideas on paper before turning to their computer. In the future, we will enhance the play experience with certain digital elements, ultimately creating a hybrid digital/analog experience. We do intend to keep the pen and paper for the foreseeable future, however!

Have you considered ways to allow players to realize their designs or inventions in three-dimensional prototypes – like connecting to 3D printing tools?
We think there’s nothing more satisfying that seeing an idea made real, in 3 dimensions. The whole ‘maker movement’ excites us greatly. We’re already exploring options on how we can support players wanting to realize their ideas in 3 dimensions.
Our background is in 3D animation, so we know only too well what a huge leap it is to take an idea on paper to a 3D model ready to print. We think a more realistic approach is to build prototypes using found materials like cardboard, construction toys, or modeling clay. This way, you can test your design and refine it before digitally modeling it and printing out parts. We say, “before you make it, design it.”

Deluxe Design Studio Kit

How does the Studio encourage players with design abilities but limited drawing skills or other ways to represent their ideas?
Design is not about being a great artist; good design is about great ideas and solutions. We encourage people to find their own way to communicate their ideas; this may be by drawing and sketching, but it could also be a written document, physical model, or video presentation. We factored this in when we created The Extraordinaires app. It allows you to record a presentation orally to accompany your design.

Can you comment on the spirit of innovation in contemporary Ireland? Did that spirit inspire any aspects of the Studio?
There’s an incredible amount happening here design-wise. In fact, 2015 is the Year of Design in Ireland! There is a large program of events planned to explore how design can really help people. This resonates strongly with us.

Being from Ireland, which is really just a small island on the edge of Europe, we have always been grounded in our Celtic heritage of craft and storytelling, while looking externally to Europe, North America, and Asia for additional inspiration. It’s exciting for us to hear from schools in Singapore, gamers in Poland, or families in the US who play with and love our products.

Any particularly good user feedback you’d like to share?
We really value the feedback we receive from customers and fans. We’ve been told that the Studio takes children’s creativity seriously. We’ve received praise for the way it appeals to both boys and girls. In fact, some of our biggest fans are female. Others appreciate the flexibility it offers, allowing a child to play on their own away from screens or as a family in a group. Many parents have expressed their surprise at just how much they enjoyed the experience of designing for the Extraordinaires.

Our favorite feedback is that the Studio drops you into a real design experience. It breaks down the design process and combines drawing, creative thinking and fun.

The UncommonGoods team had a lot of fun designing with the kit – now Mr. Pirate can finally open his restaurant

Ready to meet the Extraordinaires and help them with some of their extraordinary design needs? Their box full of playful design challenges and fantastic fun is just a few clicks away, and no design degrees or drafting skills are required.

Maker Stories

Inside the Artists’ Studio with Seth and Maddy Lucas

June 10, 2015

Instagram photo taken by @ellothereprintco

One of my favorite meetings at the UncommonGoods headquarters is something we like to call grown up “show-and-tell,” where the marketing team previews the products that will soon join our This Just In assortment. I was immediately intrigued by the story behind the National Parks Sticker Map. Assistant Merchandising Coordinator Jillian described Seth and Maddy Lucas as a young married couple who had a goal of visiting all of the national parks in their lifetime. It might have been because I was in the middle of reading Cheryl Strayed’s “Wild,” but I immediately thought “I wanna do that, too!” I started daydreaming about where I would thru-hike one day, imagining myself rolling out a sleeping bag next to a serene lake in [insert middle of America location]. But when Jillian mentioned that the designers were based in Brooklyn, I swiped the serene lake away like an email on my iPhone and thought “Oh, I wanna go there too.”

I had never been to a home studio before visiting Seth and Maddy. Upon entering their light-drenched apartment, I think the phrase “bring your work home” took a whole new meaning. From the nostalgic American pillows on the couch, to the colorful shelves in their kitchen, it was easy to tell that their artistic aesthetic is consistent throughout every detail in their daily lives. When I stumbled upon their copy of the “Wes Anderson Collection,” everything clicked. I realized that Seth and Maddy had the ability to create an all encompassing visual language similar to what Anderson fans feel when they are lost in any one of his famous films. The ability to live life with such a distinct style seems to come naturally to Seth and Maddy, whether they are backpacking around another park, or just listening to a record on their couch. Meet travelers and designers Seth and Maddy Lucas, and learn more about their colorful inspirations, their collaborative process, and the delicious way they celebrate a victory.

Maker Stories

This Just In-spiration: Meet Chanda Froehle

June 8, 2015

What gets an artist going and keeps them creating is certainly worth sharing, and every great connection starts with a simple introduction. Meet Chanda Froehle, the artist behind the Stained Glass Panel Collection.

When did you know you wanted to be an artist?
I must have been very young when I knew I wanted to be an artist. I don’t remember ever not wanting to be an artist. From a very young age, my mom always encouraged me to keep making art, and my step dad always encouraged me to stay focused on my goals.

What was the most exciting thing about becoming a professional artist?
I think the most exciting thing about becoming a professional artist was realization that I could actually do this as a career. When you’re young, and you tell someone that you want to be an artist, you get a lot of “oh honey that’s nice, but let’s be realistic” type of reactions. Because of that, I think it makes doing what I love for a living that much more exciting.

What does your typical day in the studio look like?
A typical day in my studio… I spend a lot of time listening to music while I hand-cut my glass. I usually spend one day a week grouting, which is actually my favorite part of the process! It is completely messy, and that is the point where I can see the design coming to life.

Is there a trinket, talisman, or other inspirational object you keep near? If so, what is it and what does it mean to you?
I don’t know if this counts as a talisman, but I have this little box in my studio which contains my very first stained glass. My husband gave it to me years ago. It is very special to me, because without that glass, and without my husband’s unwavering support, I may have never tried to make a living as a glass artist.

Imagine you just showed your work to a kindergartner for the first time. What do you think they would say?
I imagine if I were to show my work to a kindergartner, he or she would want to know how often I cut myself. Also, I think they would like the part where I sometimes get to smash some glass up with a hammer.

What quote or mantra keeps you motivated?
“And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music.” -Friedrich Nietzsche.

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