I created this window for a couple in Columbus, Ohio.

Each window we make is unique. To advance my art, I strive to add something special to each project that strengthens our designs and skills.

From the beginning, I knew I wanted the lily petals to be the prominent feature in this window. However, I knew I could not make them from one piece of flame-worked glass. After thinking about this for a couple of days as I worked on other projects, I finally realized that I could use our UV adhesive to bond pieces together so they looked like a full bloom.

I often go through this when I create. I have this thought in my head that to create something new, I must suffer mentally. We’re all familiar with creative people going crazy, cutting off their ear, or not changing their clothing for months.

Remember the movie, Mozart? In it, Mozart was surrounded by crumbling sheet music in the middle of the night, barely able to hold his head up while trying to finish a composition. And so it goes.

The stress of creating art is often more about external factors than the creative process itself. It’s about managing budgets, meeting timelines, dealing with interruptions, and navigating unrealistic expectations. These are the challenges we all face, and it’s in overcoming them that so much of the energy needed for creativity is channeled.

I believe creativity is relatively stressless. It just takes time to bring something new into the world.