We were lucky to catch up with Jackie Knowles recently and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Jackie thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. I’m sure there have been days where the challenges of being an artist or creative force you to think about what it would be like to just have a regular job. When’s the last time you felt that way? Did you have any insights from the experience?
Since I had a “regular job” for nearly a decade before making the leap to fulltime artistry, I don’t have to wonder—I know for a fact that I’m happier on this path.
I used to work as a healthcare technology consultant, and although it came with all the best 9-to-5 perks (top notch benefits, great pay, lavish client dinners, etc.), I soon came to dread the start of each workday. No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn’t accept the concept of dedicating the vast majority of my life to progressing the intangible business strategies and success of large companies to increase the profits of CEOs who ultimately didn’t care about my own personal health or happiness one bit. I was constantly haunted by the nagging feeling that if I spent the next several decades earning a living this way, I would severely regret not taking a chance on pursing something more fulfilling.
Today, being a fulltime glass artist, I wake up every day knowing I have full control over my own potential, which I find incredibly motivating. When I sell my work, I’m immediately rewarded not just financially, but also through the knowledge that my creation is directly enriching someone else’s life, either through its beauty, its function, or both. This intimate transfer of the tangible work of my own hands into those of a customer who values and appreciates the time and care that was poured into it is infinitely more satisfying than the soulless salary paid by a corporation in exchange for my continuing to turn as one of its countless cogs.
Jackie, 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?
I learned the art of stained glass from my father, who dabbled in it as a hobby for most of his life. Some of my earliest memories are sitting on his workbench in our basement and “helping” him piece together coastal-themed stained glass window panels (the extent of assistance my 5-year-old hands added is up for dispute). Since my learning process was also one of irreplaceable father-daughter bonding, this art form is much more than just my way of earning a living—it’s also a cherished family tie.
I create various forms of stained glass and fused glass art pieces that clients can use to decorate both their homes and their bodies. I started my business exclusively selling large panels and suncatchers meant to adorn windows and walls, but have since expanded into wearable items like earrings, necklaces, and pins, functional home items like coasters, dishes, and trays, and unique customized items like pet portraits and wedding portraits. I’m fascinated by the versatility of glass and the endless ways in which it can be manipulated to serve different aesthetics and purposes.
The funky originality of my designs and the minimalistic, clean lines of my finished pieces set my work apart from that of others. I strive to create both decorative and functional products that can seamlessly complement nearly any space and that also evoke feelings of joy, wonder, and whimsy. I believe that surrounding oneself with objects that fascinate, inspire, and stimulate can passively enhance both happiness and productivity, and I’m proud that my pieces can help customers to do so.
The most important aspect of my work for potential clients or followers to know is that I prioritize quality above all else within the creation process. Through my use of perfection-seeking techniques, extensive QA processes, and premium materials, I aim to provide customers with pieces that are not only exquisitely beautiful, but are also built to endure through generations. I’m a huge proponent of products that are made to last and of companies that prioritize customer experience. I know how utterly frustrating it can be to spend your hard-earned money on a product that turns out to be of shoddy quality, or that doesn’t look the way it was pictured on the website, or that doesn’t perform the function it was promised to, so I’ll never put my customers through that.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
My business encountered its first major hurdle when I stopped selling via Etsy and transitioned to conducting transactions on own domain. I made the switch because I was unhappy with the large cut of each sale Etsy was swiping and because (as you may expect from my backstory of disenchantment with 9-to-5 office life) I didn’t like the fact that a huge corporation was acting as middleman between myself and my customers.
Unsurprisingly, the traffic to my website was a fraction of the flow that Etsy’s multi-million-dollar advertising budget had brought in, and my sales took a hit accordingly (not to mention I now had the added cost of annual domain fees). It was tempting to shut the new endeavor down and return to the reliable security of Etsy’s massive customer base, but I knew if I could make this alternative work, it would lead my small business to larger success in the long run.
I spent months scouring the internet for SEO (Search Engine Optimization) tactics, applying them to my site, and studying the analytics to determine what achieved results and what didn’t. I broadened my networking strategies to expand outside of social media and connect with journalists, bloggers, and other handmade sites that would link back to my website, driving additional views. I upped my digital design skills and my product photography game to ensure my site appeared trustworthy so that after visitors arrived, they actually stayed to look around.
Slowly but surely, my efforts paid off and my monthly sales crept back to pre-Etsy-exit levels. Even though it took a ton of time and now requires more regular maintenance than my simple Etsy page did, transitioning my shop to its own domain has provided improved control over my business and a more intimate connection with my customers, so I’m extremely gratified that I stuck with it. Plus as an added bonus, I now have an entirely new set of valuable skills that I may have never picked up if I didn’t make the move!
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
I’m actually in the midst of a major pivot with my business right now—moving away from promoting it via large social media apps. My small biz owes its start to Instagram; there’s no doubt in my mind that I wouldn’t have been able to grow as fast as I did without the huge audience afforded to me by the IG platform, or the audiences on Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube that followed. However, after several years of regularly sharing content in these spaces, I’ve concluded that the myriad views they garner have begun to come with a hidden cost I’m not willing to pay.
The rise of the infamous and almighty algorithm brought with it a tidal wave of targeted ads and behind-the-scenes feed manipulation, all aimed to ensure users spend a maximum amount of time on social media platforms while also spending a maximum amount of money while they’re there. I’m inherently repulsed by this insidious influencing, as it’s an affront to human intelligence as well as a complete turnabout from the original innovation that drew us into social media—being able to get real-time, meaningful, digital updates from the people we care about. In addition, more and more data point toward the theory that regular social media use results in higher instances of depression, anxiety, and numerous other mental health issues. Accordingly, to discontinue my support of these devious institutions and to preserve my own health, I’m exploring alternative methods of drawing eyes to my business outside of regular social media posts.
One such method is through building a new blog-like section of my website where I share in-depth descriptions and videos of my glasswork creation process. Similar to how I drove additional website traffic via improved SEO, I hope to drive further traffic by offering demonstrations, descriptions, and tools that other creatives and glass lovers find uniquely valuable. I also hope to use this space to satisfy those with an appetite for long-form, detailed content that social media’s typical 60-90 second time constraints don’t easily allow for. Additionally, I’m exploring incorporating subscription options where members can pay for things like bonus content and first-dibs on new product drops, which could help to offset a decrease in social media sales.
Due to its ubiquitous stranglehold over society, I’m not sure that I’ll be able to cut ties with social media entirely, but I am confident that decreasing my business’s dependency on it and the frequency at which I need to use it for promotion, will push me to develop new valuable skillsets, expose my work to a thus far untapped customer base, and allow for greater peace of mind as an artist.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.glassworkpixie.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/glassworkpixie/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GlassworkPixie/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/glassworkpixie
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtngn-zVLYOqTXt7jVSNsEQ
- Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@glassworkpixie
Image Credits
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