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

Hi J. Paloma, thanks for joining us today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

My college degree was in art and interior design, but I decided to specialize in one area of design, which was the faux finishing niche, by working with a company for a few years to learn the trade. I have continued to learn and take classes to expand my knowledge so that I could offer more options and specialities to clients. In retrospect I wish I would have taken a few more business classes or maybe even minored in that because that would have been really helpful in starting my new business instead of floundering around for a few years. Part of the problem with taking classes is the cost and travel expenses and also you are not working, and in the beginning that can be an obstacle.

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.

I had always been interested in art and design so that was the direction I decided to follow in my career. I originally started with doing faux finishes on walls and then we started to incorporate stencils and murals. We continued to add on different services ranging from repair work on furniture and artwork, Venetian Plasters, furniture refinishing, kitchen cabinet refinishing and most recently we are expanding into doing heart-centered spaces for the soul including meditation spaces, memorial spaces and peace gardens. We like to specialize in making spaces beautiful and we always try to listen to our clients and give them what they want. We are the most proud of the reputation we have with our clients and the extensive knowledge of finishes and that we are always learning and expanding.

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

When I first started this business many years ago, I went and asked advice from a reputable firm, regarding the best way to proceed in starting my business. I was told it wouldn’t work and that I should just go get married and have children. I will admit that it was a little disheartening to hear his opinion but I chose to ignore it and continue to figure it out on my own. Working in the construction trades, I was very out of place being the only woman. I was usually mistaken for the cleaning lady. I was also challenged a number of times by other tradespeople and also dealing with individuals who didn’t wish to take direction from a woman. I chose to not fight back and to just stay my course and it always worked out.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

I have really enjoyed being an artist. It’s been rewarding to follow my own path and to evolve as I saw the need arise. More recently I’m stretching myself to see what’s possible and see what I’m capable of. Growth is important to me and making a difference on a larger scale would be fulfilling. I see new tools that are available that will enhance what we already have so it’s exciting to see where we can take this new direction. It’s fun to be involved in new projects where you can use your creativity and I also really enjoy interacting with clients to pull out of them what they are after.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.oldeworldartisans.com www.vuelosanto.org
• Facebook: Olde World Artisans