>> I LIKE TO TELL PEOPLE THE STORY I GIVE IS THAT I SWITCHED SPORTS.

FOR ME, THE EXPERIENCE OF WELL AND TRYING TO PERFECT A CRAFT.

AND JUST LIKE ON THE FIELD, WHAT WE ARE TRYING TO PERFECT THE CRAFT OF BASEBALL THROUGH REPETITION AND MUSCLE MEMORY.

THAT WAS MY FIRST KIND OF CONNECTION TO THE MATERIAL ITSELF WAS THROUGH THIS SORT OF OBSESSIVE-COMPULSIVE DRIVE TO PERFECT OR TRY AND LEARN THIS CRAFT THAT IS VERY DIFFICULT MATERIAL.

THAT WAS 22 YEARS AGO.

23 YEARS AGO NOW.

IN A SIMPLE WAY, WE ARE BASICALLY TAKING SAND SILICA, SODA LIME, SEVERAL OTHER INGREDIENTS AT ITS BASIC, BASIC LEVEL.

SUPER HEATING SAND AT 2400 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT.

AND THEN, TO MAKE IT A LIQUID, AND THEN BRINGING IT DOWN TO A WORKING TEMPERATURE OF ABOUT 2,100 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT.

WHICH YOU WOULDN'T THINK 300 DEGREES MAKES THAT BIG OF A DIFFERENCE BUT IT REALLY DOES.

THAT IS WHAT WE WORK THE MATERIAL AT.

WHAT I LOVE ABOUT THIS MATERIAL IS THAT IT KIND OF HOVERS IN THIS GRAY ZONE.

IS IT A SOLID?

IS IT A LIQUID?

IT ACTS A LITTLE BIT LIKE BOTH.

WHAT I FIND INTERESTING AND WHAT I TEACH MY STUDENT IS THAT GLASS IS HAPPIEST WHEN IT IS A LIQUID.

THAT'S WHEN IT IS MOST STABLE, ACTUALLY.

WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT IT, YEAH, THAT SEEMS SIMPLE.

WHEN YOU DROP A PIECE OF GLASS IT SHATTERS.

OF IT, IT STAYS TOGETHER.

SO WE GET TO WORK WITH THE MATERIAL WHEN IT IS AT ITS ABSOLUTE HAPPIEST STATE.

I WOULD LIKE TO SAY THAT I HAVE A VERY REGIMENTED PROCESS BUT IT IS PRETTY ASYMMETRICAL.

I WILL USE MY SKETCH BOOK.

I WILL GO INTO A DESIGN FORMAT AND THEN BRING THAT TO THE STUDIO.

OFTEN TIMES I KIND OF HAVE A VAGUE IDEA BUT THEN USE THE STUDIO AS THE SKETCH BOOK.

I THINK PROTOTYPING AND EXPERIMENTATION, IT ALMOST LIKE A STRUCTURED IMPROVE.

YOU MIGHT KNOW WHERE IT IS GOING.

THERE MIGHT BE A HAPPY ACCIDENT.

USUALLY ONE THING LEADS TO ANOTHER THING LEADS TO ANOTHER THING AND THE PRACTICE I'M INVOLVED IN IS SORT OF AN ONGOING RESEARCH WHERE, YOU KNOW, I RARELY GET THE THING OUT OF THE OVEN AND SAY THIS IS IT!

IT'S LIKE, I GET THE THING OUT OKAY, NOW WHAT'S NEXT?

YOU KNOW.

AND THAT'S KIND OF HOW THAT WORKS WITH ME.

WHAT DREW ME TO GLASS IS ONE, IT REQUIRES TEAMWORK.

THIS CONNECTION, A RELIANCE ON OTHERS TO MAKE SOMETHING WORK.

I'M A PEOPLE PERSON AND I LIKE THE ENERGY OF THE GLASS STUDIO.

WE ARE FEEDING OFF OF EACH OTHER.

WHETHER I HAVE MY ASSISTANTS HELPING ME OR I'M HELPING SOMEBODY ELSE, WE ARE ALL INVESTED IN THE SUCCESS OF THIS THING WE ARE MAKING AND I FIND THAT SO INSPIRING AND IT REALLY DRIVES EVERYONE TO WANT TO DO WELL.

I LIKE WORKING WITH OTHERS.

I LIKE COLLABORATING.

YOU KNOW, I'M INSPIRED BY THE ENERGY THAT STUDENTS BRING TO THE CLASSROOM AND TO THE HOT SHOP.

WHEN I'M IN THE STUDIO WITH STUDENTS, IT FEELS LIKE COACHING.

OKAY?

IT FEELS LIKE COACHING, ESSENTIALLY, YOU ARE INSPIRING STUDENT TO HAVE THE CONFIDENCE TO DO SOMETHING THEY NEVER THOUGHT THAT THEY COULD DO OR TO INTERACT WITH SOMETHING THAT SEEMS A LITTLE SCARY AT FIRST.

AND AS A COACH, THAT IS WHAT YOU DO.

YOU TRY TO INSPIRE STUDENTS TO HAVE THE CONFIDENCE TO TAKE THAT FIRST STEP.

AND ONCE THEY TAKE THAT FIRST STEP, IT IS TYPICALLY A SNOWBALL EFFECT.

AND, YOU CAN'T GET ENOUGH OF IT.

SO, I COULDN'T MAKE SOMETHING LIKE THE BOMB POP BY MYSELF.

I THINK THAT IS PRETTY OBVIOUS.

IN BASEBALL, YOU EACH HAVE YOUR PART.

BUT IT IS NOT ONE PERSON ON THE FIELD WITH ANY TEAM SPORT THAT IS GOING TO WIN THE GAME.

JUST AS INVESTED IN THE WORK AS I AM, YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT GOING TO COME TOGETHER.

I WOULD SAY TO GET TO WHERE WE WERE FOR THAT TEAM FOR THE BOMB POP, SANTI HAS BEEN A STUDENT OF MINE FOR A COUPLE OF YEARS NOW.

BEN WAS A STUDENT OF MINE AND HAS NOW GRADUATED AND IS GETTING INTO HIS OWN CAREER IN GLASS.

SO WE ARE LOOKING COMBINED IN THAT STUDIO, AT LEAST SIX TO SEVEN YEARS OF EXPERIENCE JUST WITH MY ASSISTANTS AND THEN TACK ON ANOTHER 20 PLUS WITH ME.

IT TAKES A WHILE.

YOU KNOW.

IT IS NOT AN OVERNIGHT THING.

BUT I GUESS YOU COULD SAY THAT WITH ANY CRAFT.

WITH ANY MATERIAL.

YOU KNOW.

ONCE YOU START SOMETHING, YOU CAN'T STOP.

SO, THERE IS THE ADRENALINE JUNKIE IN YOU.

RIGHT?

THE ANXIETY THAT KEEPS ME HYPER FOCUSED.

IT'S ALMOST LIKE IF I DON'T HAVE THAT FEAR OR ANXIETY THAT IF THIS IS NOT DONE, IF WE DON'T FINISH THIS NOW, IT'S NOT GOING TO MAKE IT.

THAT KEEPS ME FOCUSED.

I LOVE THOSE MOMENTS BECAUSE I CAN SEE AS A VIEWER MAYBE IT IS, WOW, THAT IS TOO INTENSE.

BUT WHEN YOU ARE IN THE MOMENT, EVERYTHING GOES AWAY.

THAT'S WHEN MY MIND IS THE MOST QUIET.

I DON'T HAVE TO THINK ABOUT, YOU KNOW.

IS THERE BREAD IN THE FRIDGE OR WHATEVER IN THAT MOMENT.

YOU KNOW.

IT ALL COMES BACK WHEN IT IS DONE BUT IN THAT MOMENT, THAT IS WHEN MY MIND IS QUIETEST AND I THINK THAT FOR ME, THAT IS ANOTHER, I GUESS, PART OF THIS PROCESS THAT I AM DRAWN TO.

I GUESS THE TRAINING WE DO, THE REPETITION TO GET THE TECHNIQUE DOWN, WE JUST SORT OF LET THAT TAKE OVER AND YOU HAVE TO TRUST YOUR HANDS AND TRUST WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN.

DOES IT ALWAYS WORK OUT?

NO.

AND, YOU KNOW, I GUESS THAT IS THE NOT HIGH STAKES PART.

THAT THE STUDIO ISN'T NECESSARILY GOING TO GO AWAY, HOPEFULLY I CAN COME BACK AND TRY AGAIN.

BUT, YOU KNOW, I DON'T KNOW.

IT IS THOSE MOMENTS OF INTENSITY.

IT IS THOSE MOMENTS OF PERCEIVED CHAOS, YOU KNOW, LOOKING IN, THAT WHEN YOU ARE IN IT WITH THE TEAM, KNOWING EVERYBODY IS ON THE SAME PAGE, I'M GETTING CHILLS TALKING ABOUT IT.

KNOWING THAT WE ALL KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON AND EVERYBODY KNOWS THEIR PLACE AND THEIR ROLE IN THAT MOMENT, IS JUST THE HIGHEST HIGH THAT YOU COULD HAVE.

WHEN THAT THING DOES COME OFF AT THE END AND GOES IN THE OVEN, IT'S LIKE THE BEST DRUG.