1. Attraction to Glass - We asked Ema what attracted her to glass. She tells us: "I had been making jewelry for five years, I decided to explore making my own beads and I found a class on lampworking. It was the best class I have ever taken."
2. Training - Many glass artists have training or experience in other art mediums, and Ema is no exception. She grew up in an extremely creative family. She says, "As a child, I was exposed to a variety of mediums - wool rug making, knitting, quilting, painting, pastels, ceramics, and wood working (I'm sure I missed a couple)." She dabbled now and then, however she describes herself as "A late bloomer", not showing much interest in creativity until she was in her late 20's. She began quilting and from there took flight. She won awards with her quilts but wasn't satisfied with the process - so she began making jewelry, which led to lampworking and she "fell in love" with making beads. She says "I find I am always thinking about how to turn something I see into a bead. As much as I love making beads, I am still intrigued by other mediums. I venture off every now and then and find myself creating a painting or making something from wool felt or knitting up a scarf." She says that she did take a number of classes in the beginning of her lampwork days, and has taken classes in the past in other mediums as well, but for the most part is self taught in the majority of her creative areas.
3. First Beads - We asked Ema to describe the first bead she made that she was really proud of - and asked her if she was still proud of it now! She describes taking a class, and one of the participants suggested they make a piece of jewelry out of their beads. "She believed our beads were good enough and we should be proud of them. I put a few beads into a necklace which I used to wear. I was so proud of that necklace."
Ema's first beads
4. Inspiration - What inspires Ema? She says she always finds this question difficult to answer. "I am inspired by the sights I see. Literally inspiration can come from anywhere. I can't just say it is one thing. Everywhere I look I see inspiration. Sometimes I have so many ideas I overwhelm myself. Sounds silly but I know it's true."
5. Ideas and Planning - Ema tells us that some days she has a plan when she sits down at the torch, moreso if she is working on a customer's request. She says that most of the time, she works the best if she just goes with the flow. "If I don't have any ideas, I will refer to photos I have clipped from magazines or my sketch pad. So yes, I do have sketch pads. Sometimes I sketch in them. If I want to create a butterfly or a pattern I haven't made before I will research it a bit and sketch out a few ideas. Usually I will write color combinations or just ideas of pieces I want to create. Like I mentioned... sometimes I overwhelm myself with ideas, and if I don't write them down, I won't remember them."
6. Photography - Photography is a key element for any glass artist, so we asked Ema what kind of camera/lightbox setup she uses. She tells us she has "been trying to get better at photos. Currently I use a Canon Power Shot." She says that she tried using a light box (and actually has two of them), but found that the light box wasn't working very well for her. She now has a set up in her office with lights and background fabric. She says "I find photography at night or rainy days produces the best pictures. You could say the office is my light box."
7. Money - What would you spend your time on if money, and "will it sell" were not an issue? Ema tells us she always makes what she feels inspired to make - unless she has a specific request from a customer. "I think as artists that's what we have to do. It is always my hope that people will like what i create."
8. Personal Style - We asked Ema what sort of jewelry she wears - everyday stuff vs. out on the town. She says, "I am an everyday kind of girl. If you can't wear it with jeans and a nice top, it is not my style. I think jewelry is pretty flexible. Most pieces I own can be worn to spice up the everyday and can also add a touch of elegance to an evening on the town.
9. Skills - What is the one skill you wish came easier to you? Ema tells us, she wishes she could master tiny stringers. "I want that stringer control. I tend to work with too much heat in my flame so learning to turn down the heat when I want stringer control has not come easily to me."
10. Marketing - We asked Ema what she loves about marketing her business, and what's the hardest part of marketing it for her? She says: "Now that makes me laugh. I don't love marketing at all. I don't think I'm very good at it. Anyone want to be my marketing agent?
Thanks for "tuning in" and we will see you next week with our "Ten Silly Questions" portion of the interview.
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