By: Amelia-Rose Williams
I love a good craft! I mean who doesn’t? There are so many various art forms and styles to explore. Since joining St. John’s University, I have fallen in love with SJU activity events; they are a perfect way to break up my day-to-day activities and academia, and a great way to regroup and debrief with friends.
I’ve done various events like: perfume making, sign making, candle making, bag decorating, pottery decorating and many more! Each time challenging myself to a craft that I have absolutely no experience in. As a perfectionist, normally, that would freak me out, but instead, I find it to be great exposure therapy.
Not only does it challenge you to break out of your shell socially, but it also challenges you mentally. It works my creative brain muscles and inspires me to think outside the box. As an artist, sometimes you hit a roadblock and you may find yourself repeating the same material. All you need is a change of scenery and that may be enough to get you inspired.
During this past weekend’s stained glasswork shop at Shiny Sparkle Labs in Brooklyn, I got to experience a type of glasswork that I have never seen before. Some of my more familiar glass art processes are glass blowing, both industrial and smaller workshop versions, for glass beads. I know about mosaic works or soldering/leading, which involves using a hot tool to fuse glass together.
This type of glass fusing involved a kiln, which I have never seen before, surprisingly. We got to work with their amazing team, who were patient and kind. They gave us a tutorial on how to use all their tools and handle the glass. Plus, we had full creative freedom to make whatever we wanted with the supplies they gave us.
Overall, the experience was super fun and educational. I got to learn a lot about glass, work my brain creatively and have an amazing time with my friends! If you haven’t ever experienced stained glass making, I would 100% recommend Shiny Sparkle Labs as a beginner. You will for sure fall in love with it or at least have a great experience!