We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Abigail Doyle. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Abigail below.

Alright, Abigail thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear about the things you feel your parents did right and how those things have impacted your career and life.

I grew up alongside two siblings, one younger and one older, and was raised primarily by my mother. Because she was essentially a single mother, she taught me a lot of lessons around self-sufficiency.

I learned from a very young age that if you needed something fixed or done, it’d be wise to figure out how to do it! From toilet repairs, re-lighting pilot lights, and removing carpet, to knitting, sewing, and baking, my mom seemed to know how to do just about everything; I learned so many skills from her that I carry into my adult life. She didn’t hesitate when I wanted to pick up a new hobby or craft; so long as we could afford it, she’d help figure out a way for me to try it. Because of her, I was able to sew my own homecoming dress (I’m pretty sure she was there to help with parts of it!), and felt confident figuring out how to do my own repairs on my first car.

I think that I inherited her passion for learning and tinkering, and that’s what led me to stained glass. I’m so grateful to her for the knowledge she shared with me growing up!

Abigail, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My stained glass career started WAY off the grid, in a traditional Mongolian yurt in the remote Nevada desert. Living solo, I had lots of time on my hands, and not a ton of money.

One day, on a whim, I ended up with a bundle of colorful glass, and within a couple of days, I’d incorporated it into an old bike brake rotor I had laying around. Someone asked me if I sold what I’d just made, and I hestitantly replied, “…..yes? I guess I do!” — and this was the beginning of my time with stained glass.

I love to make a wide variety of things, including suncatchers, jewelry, window inserts, nightlights, mirrors, garden plant stakes, and kinetic mobiles. I’ve even made plant terrariums!

One of the things that continues to set me apart from many other stained glass artists is my use of repurposed bike parts in my work. I love to upcycle old chainrings, disc brake rotors, and cogs into my art, by filling them with stained glass. The rotational symmetry in a lot of bike parts lends itself to beautiful, swirling designs.

Another thing that sets me apart from many other artists is that I donate a portion of my profits to various nonprofits each month. Recently, I was able to send money to my first international nonprofit, called Heya Masr (She is Egypt), which supports young girls and women in Egypt.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Since beginning making stained glass in 2019, I’ve had to move my glass studio not once, not twice, but SIX times. Two of those times were to a completely different state, and two of those times were in the dead of winter. Let me tell you, moving hundreds of pounds of sheet glass is pretty stressful, particularly when the roads are icy and bumpy, or the drive is over 14 hours long!

Each time I’ve moved my studio, my business has been put on hold for anywhere from a few weeks to over a month, and each time I wondered whether it’d bounce back. But despite the setbacks of having to pack everything up and move it so many times, I have continued to practice my resilience by keeping at it, and trusting that the business will pick back up each time.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

Artists often rely on social media to get the word out about their art and products, so one thing individuals can do for their artist friends is to simply engage with their posts! Share your artist friends’ work; comment on their posts. It sounds silly, but it truly makes a difference. Sometimes I feel like I exist in a vaccum on social media, and when someone engages with my content, I’m able to feel seen.

Outside of social media, I think that the best thing a person can do to support artists and creatives is to step away from the big box stores and huge websites when they can — get your socks from a knitter on Etsy; buy that new plant pot from a local ceramicist, find a friend who does graphic design to make your holiday card! A handmade item will not only be received differently, it directly benefits the artist who made it.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.gooddeedglass.com
• Instagram: @gooddeedglass
• Facebook: Good Deed Glass

Image Credits
Dan Bradner