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

Carly , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

I think I always knew I wanted to be creative. Throughout my life, I gravitated toward hobbies and jobs that let me express myself artistically. I grew up watching my mom dive into every creative outlet imaginable—painting, sculpting, singing—before finding her passion in custom stained glass. I loved watching her create, but even more than that, I loved seeing how happy her clients were. When I was old enough, I started working for her, making custom stained glass art—and I was hooked.

One of my most vivid memories is working on a large peacock window for a client. It was the first piece where I did most of the work, and the clients were absolutely in love with it. That was the first time I felt the joy of creating something that brought happiness to someone else. The pride and confidence I felt in that moment showed me how powerful creativity could be.

Years later, while raising my family, I found myself searching for both an outlet and a sense of identity. That’s when I found my way back to glass—this time working for fused glass jewelry artist Courtney Gray of GrayC Glass. I had done some fused glass before, so it felt like a natural fit. Working for Courtney reminded me how much I loved being creative, working with glass, and the excitement of learning something new. When she decided to scale back her business to pursue new goals, I was both sad and excited—because once again, I felt that pull to create something of my own.

At first, I thought I’d return to custom stained glass, but surprisingly, it didn’t spark the joy I’d expected. Instead, all I could think about was creating fused glass jewelry. That realization came with a dilemma—how could I start my own business without stepping on the toes of my former boss and dear friend?

Lucky for me, Courtney is an amazing human. When I shared my hopes and concerns, she was immediately supportive and quickly became both a mentor and one of my biggest cheerleaders. How cool is that?

Seeing these women—my mom and Courtney—doing what they loved and making a living from it was so inspiring. They showed me that following your creative passion and building a life around it was possible. That was the foundation that gave me the courage to pursue my own artistic path professionally.

And so, there I was—wide-eyed and ready to embark on my biggest creative

Carly , 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’m a mother of three living in Northern California, married to my sweet husband of 18 years. We are an active family who loves the outdoors—especially snowboarding and traveling. I’m a lover of animals, food, and anything that involves the outdoors.

My journey into glasswork started early. I grew up doing custom stained glass and teaching stained glass classes. Later, I was fortunate to work alongside a fused glass jewelry artist. That experience brought me so much joy and ultimately inspired me to take a leap and start my own business.

Starting out was scary—our brains love to serve up doubts. But I had to push those aside and believe in myself, knowing that I was capable of creating unique and beautiful things.

One of the collections I’m most proud of is my Lake Tahoe jewelry line, where I’ve encased sand from Lake Tahoe within fused glass, designed to resemble the lake’s stunning clarity and depth. As a lover of the outdoors—and with Lake Tahoe being one of my favorite places, as well as a favorite of so many others—I thought it would be amazing to create a way to carry a piece of it with you. As I crafted each piece, I wanted the glass to truly capture the feel and colors of the lake, reflecting its beauty and the sense of peace it brings. It has quickly become one of my best-selling collections, and I love that it allows people to hold onto a place they cherish.

I thrive on creative freedom—being able to make whatever my heart desires is liberating. Like most artists, I enjoy bouncing around to different projects. This makes changing gears easier, so when I get a custom order, it’s actually really exciting. I love that I can work on custom pieces and collaborate with clients to create something special just for them. It’s one of the best parts of being a small business owner—that one-on-one connection with my customers. It’s truly a win-win.

Right now, my main focus is on fused glass jewelry, but I have LOTS of big ideas. I love trying out different techniques—there are so many beautiful things to create with fused glass. This is just the beginning, and I can’t wait to see where this journey takes me.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Like with anything in life, there are ups and downs and lessons you learn along the way. Unfortunately for me, the “down” came right after I started my business.

I launched my business in late fall and hit the ground running—jewelry is a big seller during the holidays, and I was busy creating all kinds of beautiful earrings and necklaces. There are two main ways to secure the glass onto jewelry components: drilling a hole and using jump rings or gluing it. At my previous job, where I was doing similar work, we had tested many different glues because some just didn’t hold up. So when I started my business, I spent a lot of time experimenting with different adhesives and eventually landed on one that I liked working with and that seemed to hold the glass really well. Confident in my choice, I got to work gluing away.

Fast forward to December 26th—many of my customers had just opened their Christmas gifts, excited to wear their new jewelry. Then, suddenly, my social media notifications started blowing up. Customers were reaching out to tell me their glass had fallen off or out of the settings. At first, I thought, Okay, no big deal, it’s just a few pieces. (This can happen occasionally.) Maybe I hadn’t used enough glue. But then, more messages kept coming, and I started to panic—I was SO embarrassed.

I knew I had to make things right. I wanted my customers to have a good experience, so I decided to personally pick up every piece that needed fixing, repair it, and drop it back off at their door—good as new, along with a handwritten apology card and a Starbucks gift card for the inconvenience. I didn’t want to risk losing new customers or leaving them disappointed. I didn’t have time to throw myself a pity party—I just needed to figure out what had happened, fix it, and make it right.

So, I went into my shop and started testing. I tried pulling the glass off every piece I had left. Some popped right off, while others wouldn’t budge. Then I saw the pattern—every piece that failed had been glued around the same time, all from a new tube of glue. Apparently, I had gotten a bad batch! Even though this glue had worked well before, I knew I couldn’t risk this happening again—I needed something more reliable.

I called my old boss for advice, and she told me she’d had the best luck with a two-part epoxy. I immediately started fixing everything and also reached out to anyone I thought might have received a piece glued with that bad batch.

In the end, I feel good about how I handled the situation and proud that I didn’t let it ruin my confidence. Don’t get me wrong—it definitely bruised me. But that’s life. It’s not always perfect, and lessons are always being learned. What really matters is how you react. I knew beating myself up wouldn’t fix anything, and shaming myself wouldn’t make it right. I had to be kind to myself, learn from it, and move forward.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

I think society is already doing a great job of supporting the creative ecosystem. Platforms like Etsy, local farmer’s markets, and artisan shops—like Made in Chico, where my jewelry is sold—provide spaces for artists to share their work. The key is for buyers to consciously choose to support these places.

It’s easy to shop on Amazon or at big box stores, but what you miss out on is the uniqueness, the connection to an artist’s story, and the joy of receiving something truly special. I know from experience—when someone gifts me a handmade piece, I feel the thought and care behind it.

Now, as an artisan myself, I see the other side of that exchange. My work depends on the support of my community, and I’ve been so fortunate to have it. As long as we continue to nurture local galleries, holiday pop-up markets, and small artisan shops—and, most importantly, we show up for them—this creative ecosystem will thrive. It’s a beautiful cycle where we support each other’s dreams and walk away with something of true value.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.everwildglassworks.com
• Instagram: everwildglassworks
• Facebook: Ever Wild Glassworks