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

John, appreciate you joining us today. Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?

Earning a full time living is relative. I have been able to earn enough money to sustain my creative business, travel, and enjoy life, but I am still on the path to achieving a full time wage that would allow me to buy a house or, maybe more exciting, a building for my studio. As an artist my work has always come first, but recently I have been working to create additional sources of income. With the success of Blown Away, Netflix’s competitive glass blowing show, and my success on the show, I have gained a ton of visibility on social media and the media in general. This is certainly new to me, trying to figure out how to capitalize on this opportunity while still maintaining my artistic integrity. As the world changes and our online presence becomes more and more important, I wish I had understood more about using social media from the beginning and used it as a tool from an earlier stage.

John, 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?

My name is John Moran, some of you may recognize me from Blown Away Season 3, Netflix’s hit competitive glass making show. I was lucky enough to have participated in the show, and without giving away any spoilers, say that I did very well. It was one of the biggest achievements of my career.

I am a mixed media artist, who focuses mainly on working with glass. I am an American who has been living and working in Belgium for the past decade. My work focuses mainly on social political issues with a touch of pop culture and humor. I have been working with glass since 1998 and in 2013 I moved to Belgium. In 2015, I founded Gent Glas, a community based glass studio where I currently create my work.

I am originally from Philadelphia. I grew up in a small row home just outside of the city. My father was a psychiatrist who worked closely with the poor and homeless in the city; my mother was a nurse who worked with premature born babies… So you can say interest in humanity and social issues runs in the family.

I remember the first time I saw the Étant Donnés by Duchamp at the Philadelphia Museum of Art when I was a child; from that moment on I wanted to be an artist. I began my artistic journey at Tyler School of Art as a painter and illustrator, but luckily I took a glass class. This class introduced me to the material for the first time and I saw the potential as a sculptural material, aside from that I was introduced to the amazing glass community.

The first thing that drew me to glass was the teamwork needed to make a piece. I came to glass from a painting background, which (for me at least) was a solo activity. The first time I walked into a glass studio, there was a community energy of people working together, talking together, and hanging out together – in and out of the studio. There is a kind of cult following for the material and I tried to distance myself from that for years, but recently have come to realize that it has been the entire focus of my adult life.

When I first started working with glass, most glass makers were focusing on traditional technique or organic glass sculptures. Then I saw a video of Pino Signoretto sculpting with glass and it opened up a world of possibilities. At that point (the late 90’s), there were very few glass artists sculpting figures, let alone realistically, because the technologies and techniques were still developing. Since it was such a ‘new’ medium or at least a new approach to the medium, the sculptors who were working were very open about their techniques and sharing their skills and developments. The most exciting part was that some of the techniques they (and I) were developing were really new to the world, things that had not been done before.
The most exciting aspect of the process is the immediacy of the results. There is a lot of planning and thinking that goes into the preparation, but once you are in the process you must react to what is happening. All the planning can go perfectly or go right out the window. Besides, who can resist playing with fire all day?

I describe my work as Pop-Political, works of art that fall into the realm of society, politics, pop-culture, material, and craftsmanship. Conceptually speaking, society, pop culture, and our political structure all fascinate me. These themes run throughout my work. Typically I am inspired by a specific event or news story and that sparks a mental correlation that translates to an image. I am completely fascinated by how some themes resonate through time, with different ways of expressing similar ideas. With this in mind, I typically draw from well known (art) historical imagery, using different works as a base for expressing contemporary ideology.

I offer a range of sculptures from Limited Edition pieces to Collectible unique works to large scale sculptures and installations. Aside from my sculptural work, I have created a merchandise line linked to my work that supports my larger endeavors. In addition, I work directly with individual clients, galleries, museums, and companies on bespoke work commissioned specifically for a space or to fit an idea. I believe in building strong relationships with my customers, listening to their ideas, and translating their vision into reality. By combining my artistic expertise with a deep understanding of individual needs and preferences, I am able to deliver exceptional and tailored products that exceed expectations.You can find examples of all my work on my website and social media.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

I am a very socially and politically engaged person. My work tends to playfully question society’s ethics, behaviors and beliefs about the modern world we exist in. It is not necessarily meant to offer answers, but to spark conversation.

I definitely see my work as a way to connect with people, but also as I get older I see a lot of personal reflection in the work. Coming from a very Catholic family, who are patriotic and conservative, I see now that a lot of my work is in conversation with them or reacting to a similar viewpoint. Most pieces begin with an event, something that has caused a media stir that devolves into ideological discussions based on moral subjectivity. So many of these discussions border on the absurd, and stray far from the real issues or a conversation about real solutions. I guess in the end, I am trying to come to terms with how we as a society, or a family for that matter, hold such oppositional viewpoints that coming to a common ground may never be possible.

One of the most rewarding aspects of being an artist is seeing how people interact with the work, whether it is in a museum or gallery setting of a piece made specifically for their home.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

I believe that artists exist to illustrate how we see our society, in all of its glory and shortcomings. We see beauty in things that others do not and find a way to express that to those who can not see or hear it. Sometimes I feel that we are becoming less and less connected to that role, as we are lost in the world of social media and AI. Honestly though as these things progress, I believe that the role of the artist will become more prominent as we are able to distinguish ourselves and our vision from that artificial reality.

Society can best support a creative eco system by hiring artists and paying them their worth for their work. While I realize this is not practical for all individuals, I mean on a larger scale: museums, galleries, corporations, public art spheres, etc. On an individual level, we can support the creative ecosystem by following, liking and sharing our work on social media. having the knowledge that people care about and appreciate what we do is massively important. When possible, support artists or creatives you care about and follow through their merchandise, patreon, etsy, or other platforms that artists and creatives use to support their practice.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.backdoorart.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johnsleepymoran/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/backdoorart/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnsleepymoran/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCi27e_VlVbo_2tAoUoWHawg

Image Credits
David Leyes Marble Media Mike Van Cleven Amber Vanbossel