We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Steffany Villalobos. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Steffany below.
Steffany, so excited to have you with us today. So much we can chat about, but one of the questions we are most interested in is how you have managed to keep your creativity alive.
I keep my creativity alive by allowing myself space to create for no reason. The majority of the time I am producing pieces for a scheduled market or a wholesale order that is already setup. I know what has to get completed and I am just executing a to-do list. Over the years of high production, I can now see the burnout coming from a mile away. I have identified the times of the year where I can allow myself a slower schedule to make a few things off my “maybe someday” list. Its not something i have to sell, its just a prototype of an idea that has been swimming in my head. I like this concept because I’m creating something new and that usually inspires even more ideas along the way.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I am a full-time artist living in Fort Worth,Texas. I have been working in the glass medium since the summer of 2019. I have experimented with many different mediums over the years, and i have been selling my creations since about 2010. I was always drawn to stained glass but i was so intimated by the medium. One day i bought a book, read it twice front to back and then bought i few used tools and started experimenting. I am fully self-taught and i learn best by trial and error. I’m also a perfectionist so I would re-do steps over and over until I was happy with my results. The funny thing about art is that perfection doesn’t exist so I have to swim in the uncomfortable space, and it motivates me to keep pushing forward. I am currently planning my biggest year yet! I just attended my first, out-of-state art market in California and I am preparing for Main Street Arts Festival in April this year. This has been a dream of mine since I was young so to see it all starting to come together is pretty surreal. Cheers to chasing the dreams!
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?
Three qualities I am most proud of are my perseverance, consistency and creativity. Perseverance with a vigorous market schedule for several years to push myself on a production level and to organically market my work. My consistency makes me dependable and accountable to my commitments. I am thankful for my creativity every single day. As I strengthen my confidence, i feel my creativity flourish.
Okay, so before we go, is there anyone you’d like to shoutout for the role they’ve played in helping you develop the essential skills or overcome challenges along the way?
For me, my daughter has been the most inspiring piece to my puzzle. She motivates me to pursue my passion and find happiness in the little moments. Being able to show firsthand that chasing dreams is possible is the most precious gift I could offer. She gets a front row seat to the tireless work, struggles and endless pivots I have had to get where I am today. We get to celebrate the wins together and that makes all the tough moments worth it!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.liveoakglassworks.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/liveoakglassworks/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/liveoakglassworks
Image Credits
Poppy+Blue Photography