Meet Joe Cariati

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Joe Cariati. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Joe , thanks for sharing your insights with our community today. Part of your success, no doubt, is due to your work ethic and so we’d love if you could open up about where you got your work ethic from?

I grew up with my mother, father and sister in Malibu California in the 1970’s. A time where being resourceful inside and outside of the house was essential. We had gardens, land, weeds, patios, decks, driveways, avocado and fig trees, cactus, lawns, and wild anise all around us. It was a lot of upkeep, so you could find Mom and Dad out amongst the our property guaranteed on the weekends at minimum. The work was a physical, and never-ending, but I loved it! My father was an engineer, my mother a teacher and fine artist. Each parent worked steadily and consistently, whether repairing, cleaning, or gardening; as well as preparing food and whatever professional practices they had to handle before the work week. In hindsight, my physical world was born in three-dimensions around my family home, but it took some time to find out just how impactful using my hands (and my body!) at a very young age would pan out.

Around 1995, my third year of being a glassblower, I was mentored by several Rhode Island School of Design educators and graduates. They shared a common thread of being incredibly focused, were relentless in their experimentation and practice, and of course, had strong values centered around their work ethic. I admired them and was inspired to push that much harder to be more like them, in the most authentic way.

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

At San Francisco State University in 1992, my journey into glassblowing began unexpectedly. I first caught a glimpse of someone working with molten glass through a chain-link fence and immediately thought, “I have to try that.” I felt an instant connection to the craft, falling naturally into the rhythm of my peers, all driven by the same intense blend of passion and determination.

As my practice evolved, I eventually grew my small studio into a 5,000 sq. ft warehouse studio space where I continue to hand blow every single piece. But more importantly, the studio has been cultivated into a place with an open-door policy; people gather, share ideas, research, and continuously collaborate. It’s a creative space that fosters both artistic exploration and community. During any given week, I divide my time between my production line, my wife’s sculptural blown glass work, and we also host public and private events.

I have a rich history of teaching university and privately. Community building has felt very natural to me my entire career, so in essence, my space is a community focused venture. We are not a non-profit, but I do support local artisans by offering space for them to create their work, share ideas and receive feedback in the areas of making glass or entrepreneurship. I have mentored several of my assistants, preferably dubbed “colleagues” as I openly share and foster their growth as artisans and business owners. My colleagues have a typical tenure of 5-10 years before they blossom and move on the focus on their work full time.

At the same time, the studio offers classes and specialized workshops open to the public as Los Angeles Glass Center. My colleagues inevitably become teachers which gives them the opportunity to not only share their expertise, but challenge them to deliver their passion for the craft to others, which is important on so many levels! Handmade is not dying, craft is not dying, the economy is not dying. There is opportunity everywhere if you shift your mindset and open your business up to others. We feel like sharing our craft and studio with others is paramount, it creates energy, inspiration and joy.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

Focus. The term “focus” was brought to my attention by my first glassblowing mentor, Ruth King, in my early 20’s. Although I had acquired a few skills that required intense focus: playing music, skateboarding, motorcycle riding, no teacher had ever called me out and said, “You need to focus!” until I heard it from Ruth. It was an aha moment. As we all know, the world has become increasingly more distracting; “busy” as if busy is the new normal! Being busy is bad. Being focused, even hyper-focused is one way that I create space to excel in my craft and in my business. Creating routine, creating space to think and plan, filtering media or personal noise, and ultimately creating consistency is the key to success.

Vision. How do we dream up scenarios or long-range plans without it? We all have ideas, but vision is a necessary tool for the future you. It takes practice, but depending on your personality (or maybe your birth sign) it must be leveraged to make plans into reality. In 2002 I created a vision for the future of my business by seeing my work at all of the retail outlets that I desired to be in. I used to peer through the windows and imagine my work on their shelves, true story! Stores like Barney’s New York, Bergdorf Goodman, and Jonathan Adler were my part of my vision and focus. In 2008, I went to a trade show In New York City and literally got picked up by all of them and more. It wasn’t an idea; it was literally a vision! From there I created a vision for my current studio space. The exercise extends beyond idea, it dovetails in to more details such as what the thing will look like, who is there with you, what does it feel like, and what does it sound like? The distinction of idea versus vision is very powerful.

Leadership. We may not feel like natural born leaders, but as business owners, mentors, or educators, it’s essential to develop skills in this area of expertise. I highly recommend taking a course in leadership if it does not come naturally to you. Leadership is more than “being a boss”, it extends into management, communication, customer service, finance, organization, community work, relationships, and personal development. It is a key driver in daily business life and essential for growth, balance, stress management and sanity.

What would you advise – going all in on your strengths or investing on areas where you aren’t as strong to be more well-rounded?

I believe being a creative entrepreneur allows massive a opportunity for a call to action in every aspect of being in business, naturally! This can be completely overwhelming, but at the same time, incredibly rewarding. Most strengths lie in one key area, for me, it’s obviously in the craft of blowing glass. However, you cannot create or build a business in a vacuum, this allows for opportunity to be versed in every aspect of your business. The good news is that you don’t have to be the best in every single area, but I believe it is important to understand these facets. There is room to improve your understanding, instead of ignoring these topics. Another key point is to “hire people that are better than you”, a quote that many powerful people abide by, and I agree.

One breakthrough area for me that comes to mind is finance. Creatives are not typically aligned, or educated in budgeting, forecasting, investing, or bookkeeping. It took me about a decade to get truly present to money. My first experience in forecasting was when I was ready to make a move to my current studio space. I was running my business out of a colleague’s studio, and growing fast. I was fortunate to be introduced to a “finance guy”, and he built a model of my current business and showed me on paper that I could make the move to my own studio with confidence. It was a major turning point in understanding my income and expenses, cash flow, inventory assets and net worth. From there, I hired my first bookkeeper.

Another area that I invested in was professional assistance for brand building and development. I was approached by a brand director and chose to hire her around 2013. In less than six months, she increased my business 40%! At that time, I did not even have a proper logo. I learned about brand identity, brand awareness, graphics, proposals, social media channels, in house trainings at key retailers, trade show catalogs, photography and assets for sales, press coverage, and fostering major partnerships. It was insane how much I already knew, but she helped to name each area, and extract and strengthen these areas to grow the business and solidify my brand in the retail landscape.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.joecariati.com
• Instagram: @joecariati

Image Credits

Elena Kulikova
Hayca Bunevacz
Julie Dickinson
Phillip John Cybulski