Glass Art For the Body, Mind and Soul-Introduction-The Making of a Glass Artist Part 1

My name is Samantha Hart and I've always been seen as an artistic and creative person, however, seven years ago I was in a major funk. I was living in Mississippi and was feeling homesick for my family living on the east coast (long story for another day). My usual outlet of listening to music and painting just wasn't cutting it for me that day, I needed something more. I jumped online and scrolled through dozens of DIY videos of potential new hobbies: knitting, crocheting, jewelry-making, needle-point; nothing jumped out at me. Then, I came across a video about making mosaics using ceramic plates and tiles. They had my attention. I dug deeper and discovered a video using stained glass. I got excited and started thinking to myself, "that doesn't look too hard, I'm pretty sure I can do that!" I jotted down a quick list of supplies the tutorial told me I'd need (not even considering how much it would cost) and ran out the door to the nearest Hobby Lobby.

I got to the stained glass aisle and stood staring at all the equipment like a deer in headlights. I had no plan and no idea what any of this stuff was or how to use it. Everything was so expensive and I was starting to have some serious doubts. The logical side of me started to kick in, I knew I was just being impulsive and I didn't want to buy all of this equipment and then not want to do this in a couple days. I pushed the doubts aside and grabbed two pieces of glass (from the thirty to choose from), a soldering iron, glass cutter, lead, and foil. I handed over almost my entire paycheck for the week in a matter of minutes and headed home.

Stay tuned for my next post for the continuation of my glass journey!