Today we’d like to introduce you to Kelsey Glass.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Kelsey. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
My interest with botanical art in the home started with Pinterest, just moving into my new house I made a couple of maidenhair fern pieces for my home. I pressed the ferns with ease and found the perfect frames. After I had my son, I really wanted to try a figure out a way to stay at home with him. I always had a strong pull towards the arts of every kind and started to think of a creative business idea. I went through different concepts for my business, as I had far too many crafting interests and botanical art was what drew me in the most. Right about 3 years ago, Glasshouse Collection was born and has been a dedicated love interest of mine ever since. I started with an online presence and quickly got into the craft show scene. This was a big growing experience for us and really helped put this little hobby into the perspective of a business. Being able to network with other like individuals and personally interact with clients, hear their feedback, really inspired me to continue and pushed me into creating bigger and better.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
The biggest obstacle has been juggling family, home and work life with a creative business, especially a new baby. The first and most important thing that got me through it was my passion for what I was doing. I was really excited about it and that drives your desire to make time for it. A creative business is a slow grower, unless you start out viral, but this allowed me the ability to manage everything that was going on with my business and my family. I dedicated an hour every evening, after the kids were asleep and my duties were done, to create new things and pack the orders that were trickling in. On the weekends, I would handle the photography and uploading. When I have craft shows, I am able to bring my children, easier when they are a little older, all of the events are typically family friendly. As time has gone on and I have gotten busier, I do need to dedicate more time, but my family and I have had 3 years now to adapt and it has been a fairly smooth outside of hectic holiday rush. Each situation is different but certainly isn’t impossible.
What should we know about Glasshouse Collection? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I work with real pressed flowers and leaves using them to make framed botanical art, jewelry, cards and now home décor items. My craft started as a spin on a traditional herbarium preserved plant specimens, in a floating glass frame as my collection of pressed flowers grew so must the business and we expanded into farmable paper pieces and jewelry. This year, I am really excited to be getting into using pressed flowers and leaves with resin making home décor items such as trays, spoons, cups and bowls.
Do you have any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general? What has worked well for you?
Instagram and attending craft shows have been my best networking tools. Instagram is so great for the creative arts community, I have found so many amazing people and artist online not to mention the endless amounts of inspiration. I have found that artists love to communicate with their followers and are happy to communicate about their own struggles and successes. Craft shows are also great because you can share in person and it can be easier to build a relationship that way.
Contact Info:
- Website: Www.glasshousecollection.com
- Email: glasshousecollection@outlook.com
- Instagram: Glassxhouse
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