A Series About Letting Glass Teach Me
Glass is a material of heat, timing, and decisions—where the line between success and collapse is razor-thin. Practicing Failure – Bit by Bit is my ongoing series of goblets, vessels, and experiments made live during cruise ship demonstrations. The pieces aren’t polished masterpieces. Instead, they document every misstep, broken stem, uneven bubble, and improvised recovery.
Rather than hiding those outcomes, I make them the work itself. Each goblet becomes a record of risk-taking and the willingness to let failure be visible.
Why “Practicing Failure”?
In glassblowing, mistakes happen fast and in public. There’s no undo button—only heat, gravity, and commitment. By leaning into that reality, I found that failure wasn’t something to avoid but something worth studying.
This series asks: What happens if we treat mistakes not as wasted effort, but as artifacts of learning? Each attempt adds another layer to that question.
The Bit by Bit Logbook
Every demonstration is recorded in a log—part studio journal, part archive of collapse and surprise. The Logbook tracks:
- Technical details: what tools, colors, or processes I used
- Where things went wrong: a foot that cracked, a stem that twisted, a bubble that never opened
- What I learned: the adjustments, the improvisations, the questions for next time
You can read entries and see the works [link to logbook/gallery].
Live & Unfiltered
The pieces are created in front of an audience, with no script other than “try something risky.” Sometimes that means salvaging a broken cup into a sculptural form. Other times it means watching something fail completely.
The audience becomes part of the process—witnessing, reacting, and often rooting for recovery.
Where It’s Headed
Practicing Failure – Bit by Bit will continue to evolve as I take the series beyond the ships. I hope to explore it in residencies, galleries, and workshops where failure can spark both dialogue and inspiration.
This isn’t a series about getting it “right.” It’s about showing the parts of glassblowing that rarely leave the studio: the struggle, the humor, and the resilience that builds over time—bit by bit.