(whimsical music) (whimsical music) - So I discovered glassblowing at Southern Illinois in Carbondale.

I was a biology student and I had to walk past the glass studio in order to get to my other classes.

And I looked in and I thought, what are they doing?

This is amazing.

At that time there was a professor coming in, Che Rhodes and he was a master glassblower and I had a chance to meet him and watch him work.

And I was absolutely enthralled with what his skillset was and I was so inspired I wanted to be like him.

(whimsical music) So I decided to change my major and I came home and I told my parents that I discovered glassblowing and their jaws dropped open and they said, "What?

You're a year from graduating in your biology degree."

I said, "I know, but this is really amazing.

And I just, I need to touch this glass."

I'm celebrating 15 years in business and after college I moved to Oregon and I worked for a few glass blowers.

And then while I was home visiting my parents over the holidays, I picked up a couple of catering gigs for Dave Alwan at Echo Valley Meats.

He also bought and sold equipment on the side and he said, "I see a passion in you for the glass.

I see how dedicated you are and what a hard worker you are.

Let me help you and you help me by running the catering management, with the stipulation that once you become successful," he didn't say "If you came became", He said, "Once you become successful, promise me that you'll pay it forward and you'll give somebody else an opportunity like I'm giving you right now."

He's like, "Well, I have a spare meat locker and once we find that equipment, we can set you up in this, in the meat locker."

So yes, my very first studio was in a meat locker.

(uplifting music) (uplifting music continues) - And then right here she's gonna force her air into the end of our blow pipe.

She caps the back end with her thumb and then that air she blew is traveling to the only expandable point right there, which is our hot glass.

So it's gonna start to push itself into the hot glass and that's what we call our starter bubble.

- I had an opportunity to go out to Corning Museum and work on a project with them for three weeks and they had bus groups of people coming in and watching the glass blowers and their mouths were open in disbelief what they were seeing and they were mesmerized by it.

And I thought to myself, "Well, nobody has seen this in Peoria.

I can do this.

And let's offer a public studio that people can come in and have a hands-on experience with me."

But I'm fortunate to have some really skilled glass makers.

I have right now, three employees, two of which are professional glassblowers.

My family has always been there for me.

My husband encouraged me to seek a public place out.

So I opened the doors to the public that October of 2013.

(uplifting music) - [Instructor] The big wooden tool she has is called a block and it helps to shape our glass.

(uplifting music) (uplifting music continues) - One man I got to teach, he was blind.

I got to teach a blind man how to blow glass and he was turning at the bench back and forth and he could literally feel the contour and the shape of the glass.

I mean he was blown away by it.

It was one of the most fulfilling experiences that I've ever been able to give before.

(uplifting music) - [Instructor] This is the traditional way of blowing glass, usually having a partner here and instructing them when and how much to blow.

And then this is the more modern way.

One of the newest additions to the glass world in general is the blow hose.

And it gives the artists a little bit more independence as well as when we are teaching classes, it gives the students the ability to blow into their own project as well.

(uplifting music) - Just come and enjoy it, you know, and just get a sense of fulfillment, just watching some art and some glass on fire.

And so I love to be able to offer something to somebody that's gonna help them feel better about the space that they're putting it in.

Glassblowing to me is a dance.

So when I really get into it, it's just like this freeform dance for me.

And of course through a lot of like practice, you know, you have to fail a lot in order to succeed.

But it's, it just gives me a greater sense of humanity and the fact that I'm in a public studio, if I can inspire others to do something and not even blow glass.

But if I can inspire people to go back to something that they love to do, I feel like I'm meeting a lot of my mission, my purpose to being here.

(uplifting music) (uplifting music continues)