Happy Owl Glassworks

Artist: Tracy Bull
Website: Happy Owl Glassworks
Where are you located? Just relocated to Concord, MA!

What do you create?
I fuse glass and illustrate, in a nutshell. Mainly I handcraft fused glass items in the form of housewares and accessories. Everything I make is unique to the next due to the process of working with glass powders.

How did you come up with your company name?
I've loved owls from an early age. It seemed fitting to accompany it with an emotion that I strive for. Thus 'happy owl' became the ideal name for it! "Laughing owl" was in the running, but happy trumped the laughing (because happiness includes laughing anyway, right?).

When and why did you decide to start your business?
I started my business because I was part of a co-op gallery in Montana. At that time I was making sculptural, more conceptual, items as well as beginning to explore smaller, functional work. That same year a gallery I had a contact with requested some of these functional pieces. When we moved to Los Angeles later in 2003, I decided to further this by starting my website. It was slow-going at first, but my energy was boosted when I participated in the first bazaar bizarre-Los Angeles. It was a great show and I nearly sold-out!

Where do you get your inspiration for your projects?
So many places... I incorporate a lot of animal imagery into my work, so I am constantly researching newer and more obscure creatures. This means visiting zoos, reading books, as well as taking hikes and looking in the more 'obvious', yet overlooked, places.



Which of the tools you use is your favorite?
I have (what seems like) an ancient kiln that I've had since 2000. It's very small! I bought it well before I started my business, but it's traveled with me from San Francisco to Montana to LA and now to Massachusetts, and I'm in awe that it keeps on ticking through all the moves. It's falling apart in all the wrong places but I can't seem to let it go. It was a great $250 investment that I never realized would take me this far!

What keeps you motivated?
I try to get outdoors as much as possible, though sometimes it's not easy to peel myself away from the computer! Keeping moving is a good motivator for me, so I do my best to stay active. It always seems like I get my best ideas from doing "other" things. I mix up my schedule by doing a variety of creative things, such as cooking, baking, and playing with media outside of my normal "job" of glass work. Also watching films is a time-passer that we do a lot of since my husband is a filmmaker. All of this this seems to keep me going so I don't tire of my own work!

How did you get the word out about your business when you first started?
I was on Craftster quite a bit in early '04, and once I linked to other businesses like myself (and they, in turn, linked back to me), the site seemed to take off.



What marketing avenues do you use now?
I count on word-of-mouth quite a bit. It's not reliable, of course! But when business slows down I take it as a sign to take a break for a bit, so I just ride out the highs & lows. However I also feel that in-person 'appearances' are quite important. When I participated in that bazaar bizarre in 03, that helped spread the word in-person. That was my first craft-fair type experience, and I realized that meeting customers was extremely important to supplement the online world.

Where do you see your business in 5 years?
I hope to keep growing ever-so-steadily and continue to evolve my work. I would love to be working more with my illustrations, and I'm working hard for a show in March of next year. I'll have to see where that takes me, but I hope it opens up some possibilities for the years to come.

What advice would you give to someone starting a creative business?
Try to go about it slowly. I know it's been said before, but if you realize that you have a great product, eventually people will catch on. I also feel that it's important to give attention to details. Take the time to ponder presentation issues such as labeling, invoicing, and packaging. These are the small things that people remember if done well.

*****

Little Extras

What's your favorite quote?
"One of the symptoms of an approaching nervous breakdown is the belief that one's work is terribly important" -Bertrand Russell

Can you recommend a good book or great music?
"The Story of Film" by Mark Cousins is a great historical, but not dull, book about film that includes all regions of the world. A good reference, too. It was my husband's but I've sort of adopted it and highly recommend it.

Who is your favorite indie designer/artist?
Creative people who keep evolving their work, such as Jill Bliss and Melissa of Lekkner. I also admire those who expand on their work by opening retail spaces to support other artist's work, such as Leah of Magpie, Faythe of Paper Boat Boutique, and again Melissa of Crafters for Critters. They have so much energy, it amazes me! But there are so many talented people out there it's hard to keep up!

Thank you Tracy!