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

Connie, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Have you been able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen? Was it like that from day one? If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?

Most days I can’t even believe that I get to go to my shop and make NEON signs. I have to pinch myself that I am actually, somehow, by the grace of whatever higher power is out there looking out for me, that I get to bend glass and work with my hands everyday doing what I love most. I am not completely sure that I am making a full-time living off of my work but I am keeping my nose above water and that is a miracle. I don’t want to make it seem rosy because it isn’t. Most months I am having a panic attack that I am not going to be able to pay my bills but then I end up selling a sign or someone brings in some repair work and I am okay again. The roller coaster ride that I go on almost everyday is not for the faint of heart but my drive to work for myself is strong and so I keep going. I am trying to make this work until my youngest son graduates from high school and then we will see what turns happen in my life. I have been working for myself for three and a half years now and it has been a struggle almost every single day. I am a solo parent and there is no safety net for me to fall back on should things not work out. There is a lot of pressure on me to make it work out but my kids are 100% my motivation for the drive and discipline it takes to be a creative person working for yourself. I hope to be able to relax someday and have some room to breathe and maybe save for a vacation or maybe retirement but for right now being able to support myself and my family on my creative endeavor is completely unexpected. I never dreamed that this is what I would be doing or how I would be living. Even though I am barely making it, I consider myself to be the luckiest person I know.

Connie, 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 name is Connie Morgan and the technical term for what I do is Neon Tube Bender and Pumper. I found out about my industry when I went to a NEON art show when I was 17 in 1991. There was an advertisement in the local paper in Bozeman, Montana for a NEON art show at the Museum of the Rockies and it struck some chord in me and I felt compelled to attend. I borrowed the car from my parents and when I walked into the gallery all I can remember thinking is, “I want to learn how to do whatever this is”. The NEON artist being featured was Willam Volkerz and he had his glass bent by a Tube Bender named Bill Todd in Bozeman who would later on become a mentor of mine. When I was 21 Bill helped me find a school to go to and I am forever thankful for him and his encouragement.

The products and services that I provide in my field are NEON signs. Most of my business is made up of consignment and repair work. I am trying to find my wings when it comes to expressing myself through art. I am a practical person by nature and I got into NEON because I loved the craft of bending the glass and for me that is where the art has been. It is very difficult and it takes a really long time to become proficient at what I do. The glass humbles me day in and day out.

Problems I help solve for my customers would be that I am the only one who bends glass in the state of Wyoming. Without me people would have to live with broken signs or turn to the dreaded LED. If a customer is looking for something to spruce up their windows or see their logo come to life in NEON, I am the one they call. I have received phone calls from all over the region where I live because they can’t believe someone still makes NEON signs.

I am proud of a lot of things in my business. I have been in two short documentaries. One featuring artists from Casper and the other one featured me and my business. My friend and director Anthony Stengle won his first Emmy Award for the documentary he made about me called “Dying Light”. It was featured on Wyoming PBS and a lot of people stop in my shop to tell me how much they enjoyed watching it.

I am proud that my kids are proud of me. They have no interest in what I do but they think it’s cool.  I am also proud of the fact that I have kept my doors open for three years. It has not been easy but I try to take one day at a time and not “future trip”. All I have is right now and I have to constantly remind myself of that.

I am also proud of the NEON that I make for my customers. A few are especially noteworthy. I made a four foot tall hannya mask for Scrimshaw Tattoo in Fort Collins, Colorado and another four foot tall sugar skull mask for La Cocina restaurant here in Casper, Wyoming. Recently I just finished a HUGE thunderbird for Casper Community College that overlooks the campus. I take great pride in everything that I work on and it shows in the quality, the care, and the relationships I build with my customers.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

I think the biggest thing people might not understand about my journey is why I would want to struggle like I do and work without a safety net. As a society we have become conditioned into thinking that we need the daily grind of the 9-5 job where someone else is telling us what to do and how we get to spend our time. I am too much of a rebel for that, at least for the moment. I’ll be honest I have never made over $35k/year. I have worked for myself in some capacity most of my life but consistently in the last 10 years. I have been making it, barely some months, but I am making it work. The key for me is not having lofty wants but rather trying my best to stick to what I need and making do with what I have. I venture fairly close to home, I don’t buy fancy things, I shop at thrift stores, I make meals at home, I bring my lunch to work, and I do things that make me happy right where I am. Would I like some of those things that others have? Maybe, but things don’t buy you happiness and neither does comparison. I think the only thing I would want more of is the ability to travel and maybe someday walk on a tropical beach. That and a retirement plan which comes up a lot as I get older. I had a counselor tell me one time that if I was living a conventional life I would be absolutely bored and I would hate it. I have tried in the past and I worked for 12 years in the sign business for other people, some jobs I loved and others I couldn’t get out of them fast enough. I like being my own boss. I have been able to be there for my kids more as a solo parent by being my own boss, they have needed me quite a bit and I am glad that I have the freedom to leave my work to help them when and where I can. I wouldn’t have that freedom working for someone else. I guess for now this is where and what I am meant to be doing and that makes me feel like I am in the right place. I know some people are probably thinking, “but doesn’t she want more?” Well, more comes with a price and I am not sure I am willing to pay.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being a creative person is seeing a customer’s face light up when they see their idea come to life in NEON lights! Or when I install their sign in their business and I get to drive by and look at my work. I don’t think my customers even realize how often I drive by their (my) signs just to make sure everything is working properly. I care about each and every sign I have out there in the world and I hope I convey that to my customers. Working with my clients is rewarding because we have to have many conversations with each other to finalize their desires and that gives me a chance to get to know them better. And what I love most about that, is hearing their personal relationship they have to NEON and why they are willing to pay more and wait longer to get what they want because it reminds them of something they can’t quite put their finger on. It is usually their childhood or their father’s love for cars and diners, back road motels and road trips across the country. NEON has captured the imaginations of multiple generations and it is doing it again. There is absolutely nothing like NEON.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.glowneonlights.com
• Instagram: @glow_neon_lights
• Facebook: Facebook.com/glowneonsigns
• Other: email: [email protected]