Meet Ana Maria Nava

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Ana Maria Nava a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Ana Maria, appreciate you making time for us and sharing your wisdom with the community. So many of us go through similar pain points throughout our journeys and so hearing about how others overcame obstacles can be helpful. One of those struggles is keeping creativity alive despite all the stresses, challenges and problems we might be dealing with. How do you keep your creativity alive?

I try to be aware of my surroundings, of events and things in nature, there are a thousand little wonders happening around us all the time. In my Studio I explore many ideas that I think have potential, I make a lot of samples and experiments constantly. This exploration is an aspect of my work that I enjoy very much, even if some of this experiments do not work sometimes. In these sessions I explore creative ideas and technical aspects of my work. I believe in working at the studio, in having a schedule, of course sometimes ideas can come at unexpected times and places ( in that case I take notes in order to develop them later on) but mostly they come from working, drawing, designing, model building, from meditating about them. Traveling, going to Museums, art shows, just seeing and experiencing the world around me is a way to keep the creativity flowing.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I am an artist and architect working with glass as a medium since 1995, I work in Kiln formed glass. My Studio, Navaglass Art Studio is in South Miami. I have been living in Florida for the past 3 years, before that I used to live in Venezuela, in my work I focus on space, in the experience a person or a group of people can have when interacting with my work. I explore light, color, movement, the flow that glass achieves when is heated in a kiln. I explore organicity, and what it can do with repetitions of unique glass pieces that turn into a whole that becomes alive with movement. I explore linked elements, present in nature, in our bodies, in man made objects. I investigate textiles and translate its qualities into complex glass weavings. They interact with light and simply dance in space. For me Art glass has a lot to experiment in a non traditional way, I like this, to leave behind premade ideas of what glass art should be or has been and try new ways of making art with it. I love to try new ideas and to make artwork that is site specific. I love a challenge, for me is appealing and stimulating. It ignites my creativity.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

Resilience, the will to go on and continue explorations even if they fail sometimes.
Being bold, daring to try different ideas even if they seem crazy. Trust your instincts.
Listening to others, is healthy to step back and view your work from somebody else’s angle, It broadens your view of your work, enriching it.
The architectural background definitely helps to come with solutions for many aspects of the creative process.
Travel a lot, see the world, read, open your eyes and mind. Enjoy what you do, especially the process.

One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?

Yes, all the time. I would like to collaborate more frequently with interior designers and architects, creative people behind the design and construction of different spaces whether they are residential, commercial or hospitality ones. Art glass is made for space, is versatile, it has so much potential, from a small detail to a whole impactful installation it can make a statement in any space. Anyone looking to collaborate can contact me or visit my studio, Here is the contact information:
[email protected] | 9549376879 | @anamarianavaglass | www.anamarianavaglass | 7239 SW 48 St Miami Fl 33155

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Gipsy Rangel

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