We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Brooke Hardgrave a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Brooke, appreciate you joining us today. What do you think it takes to be successful?

Like many things in life, success is not linear. Success looks different for me now than it did when I was a teen or my early twenties.

For me, being successful is being happy with where I came from, where I’m at, and where I see myself going. I’ve not always been a confident person, so I’ve had to learn to be confident in myself and in my work- whether or not people will like me, or my art.

At some point, I let go of the mindset that success came only from money or material things. Success is full of trial and error. But being able to see that error, own it, and change in a way that you can keep moving forward- that equals success for me.

I’m also a big believer in that I’m successful with the help of others- my family, my friends, other businesses and artists that support me and my work- it can be the tiniest thing like sharing or liking a post on social media, or coming to pop-up events. It all means so so much to me and keeps me motivated!

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Growing up, there was a stained glass panel that hung in my parents kitchen, and still does to this day. My dad made it in a stained glass class 30+ years ago.

In 2017, I came across a 3 hour stained glass class in Tulsa. Although I enjoyed it, it wasn’t quite what I was expecting. I knew there had to be other ways to make more detailed, more intricate pieces. So, I spent many hours on YouTube, googling stained glass methods, reading books about glass, and taught myself the entire stained glass process (the copper foil method).

2021 rolled around, and I decided to turn my little hobby into a business.

Light & Lines Stained Glass LLC was born.

It’s a scary thing, putting yourself and your art out into the world! But I’ve had nothing but support the entire time. Friends have gifted me glass for birthdays, retired artists have given me their tools and unused glass. My mom shares all my posts on Facebook. (Thanks, mom!) Other glass artists have shared their tips and tricks.

After months and months of people asking me if I taught classes, I finally bit the bullet and did it. Last October I taught my first class. And I was scared, excited, nervous- all the feelings. I knew I loved stained glass and the process, but would other people? Oh man. I’m coming up on one year of teaching. I shoot for one class a month, sometimes 2.

You learn how to make a stained glass piece from start to finish, and go home with your little creation. You learn about different types of glass, how to cut it, grind it, foil it, solder it, and clean it. And then we take a family photo together because I’m sappy. I love seeing everyone with their glass!

(Big shout out to Heirloom Rustic Ales for letting me use their space to teach my classes!!!!)

Between markets, pop-ups and teaching my classes, I’ve had the opportunity to connect with some really great people in Tulsa and the glass community. I’m forever grateful for the endless support and inspiration that Tulsa has to offer.

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

It’s 2023. We live in a fast paced, go go go, “I need it NOW” type of world.

When I started making stained glass, I wanted to make as many things as I could, as fast as I could. And the end result was….less than ideal.

Stained glass is not something you can rush- it is not a fast art. I had to REALLY hone in and work that patience muscle. And that’s when I saw a difference in my end product.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

Social media has made a huge impact when it comes to building little biz. Everyone you run into has a Facebook or instagram. I always make sure I’ve got plenty of business cards on hand when I’m set up at markets or other events because even if someone doesn’t buy anything right then and there, they always ask if they can look up my socials.
I’m a big people person and love meeting and chatting with new people. By no means would I say I have a reputation, but I’m always flattered when someone comes to my table and they say “I follow you on insta!” or “so and so told me about you!”, especially when it’s coming from another glass artist.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: lightandlines.stainedglass
• Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid02LnA7J2EnZ7jb2LpuR14wF3iVSrsWuuvGSAfL177ZHNu2UG73Uqu5C6UxRi7j6kwFl&id=259777975920376