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

Liberty, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Risk taking is something we’re really interested in and we’d love to hear the story of a risk you’ve taken.

I quit my 7 year corporate accounting job and jumped full time into stained glass and running a small business. I used my last paycheck from my accounting job to buy the supplies and began selling within a few weeks of making my first piece.
I have autism and adhd and although I’ve always thought of myself as a creative person and an artist, while I was at my accounting job for almost 7 years I barely touched anything creative. With my neurodivergence and becoming a new mom I found my capacity for creativity completely drained after my 9-5. I was masking so hard to fit into a corporate environment and felt like who I was was drained out of me.
When I quit my job in the beginning of 2024 I didn’t know what I wanted to do but I had full time childcare for a whole month and found myself itching to be creative and try something new which is when I started seeing progress videos of people cutting glass. The sound of the glass breaking and watching what people were able to create with glass lit a little fire in me and I was just itching to break some glass. I had bought a cheap kit with all the wrong tools off of Amazon a month or two before and after unsuccessfully trying to make something I set it aside.
When I quit my job I stumbled into a small woman owned glass store near me and asked her to sell me everything I would need. She gave me a a used grinder she had for classes and all the other tools and some glass and gave me some tips. I was back in the store dozens of times with questions and to buy supplies over the next couple of weeks. When they unexpectedly shut down a few months later I bought over 2k worth of heavily discounted glass to fully commit myself to this hobby.
I made my first piece, a small cowgirl boot, and signed up for a market at an antique mall with only two weeks to prepare.
I borrowed a tent and a table and sold a few pieces. I did an online drop and sold a few more. I was hooked.
Fast forward a year and almost exactly on the anniversary of quitting my job I made the same amount in a month as I made at my corporate job.

Liberty, 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 style of stained glass is very modern and bright. I use a lot of iridescent glass which has a reflective sheen to it and sparkles. I love creating designs from nature like plants and moths with glass that is very shimmery and ethereal. My designs tend to be simple and recognizable. My goal is to create art that is unique and will stand the test of time but still be approachable. I try to think about cost every time I make a piece; having options for multiple price points. Stained glass is extremely time consuming and expensive to make and I have learned to price my work what it is worth but I also really want it to be as affordable as possible. The love of glass is what keeps me engaged in this craft and other people loving my work is part of that. It fuels me to have people love what I create so if I find motifs and themes that resonate with people I really lean into that.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

I make the bulk of my sales in person at markets and art fairs. Stained glass is one of those things that you don’t know you want it or need it until you see that perfect piece. Walking past my booth with all of my pieces displayed, reflecting the sun, and being able to pick up the piece and hold it in the light really solidifies someone’s love for glass. I’m still trying to find ways to connect with an online audience but I think with something as physical as stained glass, in person is almost always the better way to shop.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

I say I am fully self-taught in my craft but I wouldn’t have even begun to get started without social media. Seeing other artist share their processes and work gave me the itch to learn and answered so many of my questions along the way. I am so grateful for the advice and companionship of many other artists and small business owners who have helped me along the way.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Bertyandco.com
• Instagram: @bertyandco
• Facebook: @bertyandco

Image Credits

I own all the images