Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Alicia Abrams. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Alicia, thanks for joining us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

I’m a glass artist and I was creating a beautiful winter scene that would become a curved sculpture. It involved screen printing a fairly large winter scene, which I had never done before. When I opened the kiln after it had fired, I was surprised to see it had worked! I don’t know why I doubted myself, but I did. It was beautiful! I had spent days and days trying new techniques and experimenting, and I was so proud of the outcome. I would need to clean it and then set it up for a final firing to bend the glass into the curved shape so it could sit on its own. Unfortunately, I bumped the bin containing my glass while cleaning them, and they went crashing to the floor. They broke, and I was heartbroken.
After taking some time away from this project, I was able to refocus, and I created something even more beautiful out of the broken pieces. After several firings to fix it, I added gold luster to the cracks to highlight the beauty in brokenness and scars. I think sometimes we can’t see past our mistakes or want to hide them, but this was a gentle reminder to myself that there is beauty in the scars and broken pieces.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’m Alicia, the artist and owner of Glass Art by Alicia. I make fused glass art, home décor and jewelry. As a fused glass artist, I work with many forms of glass to create a variety of different kinds of art. I hand cut, arrange and fire them in a kiln in my home studio, and I enjoy the challenge and reward that comes with working with such a complex medium. You can take cold, sharp and strong glass and create the most wonderfully warm, flowing and smooth pieces. Many pieces I make require multiple 12-24 hour firing schedules. Due to the nature of glass, it is not possible to completely replicate a work, so every piece is truly one of a kind and that has a special appeal for me. I also love creating glass art because of it’s relationship with light. It can reflect light, light can stream through the art and it can change the art which can set it apart from other mediums.

I have taken classes from fantastic glass instructors, as well as taught myself by experimenting over the years. I have enjoyed watching my art grow and evolve over time. I have been creating glass art for 10 years and it still brings me joy. I choose bright and cheerful colors and designs, in hopes that I can spread joy and kindness through my glass art.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

There is quite a bit of negativity, fear and divisiveness in life. I like to create bright and cheerful art so it can bring positivity, joy and kindness. An example of that is the pocket charms and pocket hearts I create. They are glass hearts and charms, and the customer can choose the message that comes with it. Some examples of those messages would be: -You make the world a better place
-If friends were flowers I would pick you
-Nothing can dim the light that shines from within – Maya Angelou
-A mix of colors captured in glass, a rainbow to remind you that the storm will pass
I create cheerful plant stakes, beautiful crashing waves, and landscape pieces to honor the beauty of nature through trees, sunsets and flowers. I am to create happy art that fills a space with color, joy and kindness and this in turn, fills me with joy.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

Imposter Syndrome is a real thing that many of us have to deal with. I spent a long time thinking I was not an artist and wouldn’t be taken seriously regarding anything to do with art. I didn’t study art in college, and therefore, what did I know? What could I contribute? I didn’t know color theory, or all the famous artists of history.  I also hadn’t seen many artists that look like me which further proved in my brain that I could never be an artist.

I started taking glass classes in the beginning because my favorite pair of earrings were made of glass. I also had a baby at home and I was looking for something new to do and learn outside (in addition to) my role as a mother. I took the classes to challenge myself but didn’t enter into this challenge with the goal to sell it or become an artist.

I’ve always been a cheerleader for others, lifting them up and giving them encouragement. But that’s so much harder to do for yourself. So I allowed these negative thoughts to limit my goals, until I gathered the courage to apply for a small local craft show. At this craft show, I received unbelievably positive feedback and comments of encouragement from both friends and strangers. I was shocked, and started to realize that this negative self-talk was ridiculous and I was very much capable of being an artist if that’s what I wanted. I started to see there are many paths to becoming an artist and it was more important about what you created, who it connected with and what you had to say with your art. This was an important lesson and one I hope to pass on to my children.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://aliciaabrams.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/glassartbyalicia
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/glassartbyalicia

Image Credits
Alicia Abrams