We recently connected with Serena Simpson and have shared our conversation below.

Serena, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

I am an IASTE 479 Location Sound Mixer for the film industry. I have always had alway had an appreciation for stained glass and had dabbled in creating some. Thoughts of “I could never do that for a living“ constantly swirled in my mind.

During the SAG / AFTRA / WRITERS strike I found myself without a career for eight months. It was a very terrifying time, and I found myself diving more into my stained glass. I spent days and days doing other peoples patterns and mastering new skills in the process.

It felt like a journey, discovering myself as a person and artist while creating my own style.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am a mom, IASTE 479 Union Sound Mixer for the film, industry, And a stained glass artist.

I create and repair custom stained glass for windows, transom and doors. I am newly designing lampshades in a very whimsical fashion.

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

I like that I can make something that can be enjoyed every morning while waking up and having coffee. Something that gets to kiss the sun at every sunrise and says good night at every sunset. Beauty that will last a lifetime, thoughtful pieces that are not just easily thrown away.

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

I wonder sometimes when I see inexpensive stained glass on mass consumption websites. Who is making it, how long are they working and for what wage? The craft that I do takes a long time and makes physical marks on the body. As a stained glass artist, we work with dangerous chemicals and materials.

I think as a society, we could help each other and help the world by not always trying to find the cheaper option. Really think about the meaning of something you’re buying and make sure that it’s not an impulse purchase.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://simpsonglass.bigcartel.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/simpsonglassart/
• Other: https://simpsonglassart.etsy.com

Image Credits

Serena Simpson