We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Mac & Paige Carpenter a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Mac & Paige, thanks for joining us today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.
One of the biggest risks that we’ve taken as a creative pair was also one of the choices that came the most naturally – the decision to pursue making stained glass full time. Although we both studied art in college at SCAD, Mac had been working as a recruiter for years until he was abruptly let go in the fall of 2022. Despite hating the job, he had held it for years as I (Paige) worked as a graphic designer, changing throughout our relationship from working a corporate job to freelancing and working with small businesses. We had already started to make glass, but on a smaller scale, and once he was fired we both agreed it was worth it to give stained glass a full chance, and we decided to give it til the end of the year to start with. Those first few months were the beginnings of where we are now – Mac is still making glass full time, and in the years since, we’ve been able to take on tons of custom work and do dozens of art/craft shows. I still do some freelancing, and there are some rough months, but taking the risk to go full time into this art form was the absolute best thing we could have done, both for our little business, but more importantly, for our happiness.
Mac & Paige, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
We are a married pair of artists combining our skills to make original, unique pieces of stained glass art! We make all our work with our two hands, and we create all our own patterns, and focus specifically on making work that is non-traditional – subject matter you wouldn’t typically see made in this medium. Coming into glass with an artistic background, and specifically one in design, we are able to utilize those skills and tools to create more precise and detailed patterns than we could just drawing by hand. As queer folks ourselves, we love making work centered in the LGBT+ community, as well as pieces with “tongue-in-cheek” style humor and adult themes, and, of course, some pieces that are just plain silly – like our “signature piece”, a cartoon-style ham made in delicate shades of pink glass. Since we do develop all our own designs, we also have a huge focus on custom work – we love creating pet portraits, personal pieces, and special requests for folks.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
It might sound corny, but by far the most rewarding part of being an artist is seeing the happiness your work can bring to other people. It feels amazing when folks giggle at your silly little pieces, and when we create personal customs, like memorial pet portraits, they always have a special place in our hearts, knowing they’ll be appreciated and cherished by folks who have lost their beloved animals. It’s also so amazing to be able to work together every day, which is something we always dreamed of doing!
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
A huge thing we’ve had to “unlearn” is the impulse to go with what’s popular, or what you *”hink” will sell – every time we make work thinking along these lines, it not only feels hollow, it NEVER does as well as the work we create when we explore the funny and “niche” ideas we have. We are learning over and over again that you can’t please everyone – especially as an artist, it’s so important to stay true to your own vision and ideas, and trust that, eventually, your people will find you.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://paige-boy.com
- Instagram: @paige.boy
- Other: Tiktok – paigeboystudios
Reddit – paige-boy
