Creative Conversations....with Glow

1} A SLOOP OF AMBER SLIPS AWAY
2} A CASE OF PRAGMATISM
3} SEEING RED AGAIN
4} FOUR LETTER WORD
5} LAND AND SEA
all currently available in her Etsy shop here.

Welcome to Monday!

Here is our first installment of Creative Conversations! This morning I have the pleasure of chatting with Gloria of Industry & Angels. Gloria, who goes by Glow, creates beautiful narrative assemblaged jewelry. I was first attracted to Glow's work by it's beautiful layers and edgy patinas. Each piece is infused with history, stories, and lots of bits and baubles from time gone by.

So, without further adieu let's get this rolling!

Tell me a little bit about yourself.

My name is Gloria Greenfield. My friends call me Glow. I'm 44 and the
grey hairs are relentless... but life and all it's greys are grand!
I find myself drawn to odd balls and outcasts, underdogs and injured
spirits, homeless people and stray pets, dying leaves, rusty metal,
tshirts that are down to their last thread, small old tins, old silver
salt shakers, and a plethora of things that might not, to some, seem
lovely or worth it... I find hope there. I also find hope in anything
that sparkles... not to mention a big smile... but I must confess, I like
the grungy stuff even better!

I was born in raised in Miami, FL. Adopted at birth by a Psychiatrist
mother and psychologist father... who were kind enough to make me a well
travelled individual via twice yearly trips all over the place(Good to see
the world/thanks Mom and Dad). I had 4 siblings in total. I became the
oldest when my big brother, Glenn passed away at nine(I was seven then).
He had a brain tumor and spent his short life in a wheelchair... he also
had a terrible stutter... His life and death shaped me in many ways... My
parents career choices as previously mentioned, also played a big part in
my molding, not to mention making life interesting(even if down right
annoying at times)... I went to prep school(YUK!) and swiftly after
graduating in '83, split town...

From 1983-1992, my life was one big blur of somehow growing up... much of
which I can't keep in order at all(retail jobs, college, more retail jobs,
parties, more parties, etc.). In that time I made a nice handful of
life-long friends and memories... During those years I lived in
Jacksonville, FL and Fayetteville, NC.

Moved back to Miami in 1992 after Dad moved to Heaven... and stayed there
for longer than I had hoped... Then I was Tampa bound in 2005... Been
here ever since... I worked at Bed control at Tampa General Hospital for
about 2 years and after an unfortunate family tragedy, I quit work and
moved in with my sister(who was in Tampa at the time)... That led me to
becoming a pre-school teacher... which led me to my current "real" job as
a full time Nanny to 3 boys(been with them for 5 years)...

During all these years of mine... regardless of all else, I have been
creating things from one thing or another, writing, poetry, sewing,
knitting, whatever... gotta get those creations out of my soul and here on
Earth.... I just have no choice there...

How did you start creating the work you do now?

Like most things in my life, it has happened as a matter of course...Just a matter of timing and chance with action thrown in the mix...I have spent my life collecting old or discarded things and making other things(including jewelry) from what I found interesting or thought needed reincarnation. The first two things I remember making(in terms of jewelry like items) are a baby pine cone head wreath that I found while at a park with my highschool sweetheart, and a necklace assembled with cast off riveted washers that I collected from the floor at a Fan Factory I worked at while living on a Kibbutz in Israel. I was 15 when both of those things were made. Earlier still, I wrote and illustrated a book for my little sister, Elizabeth(9 years my jr), wrote poetry and redesigned my clothes, constantly.

My ETSY shop started as more of a whim than anything else... I never thought anything would REALLY sell. My sisiter Jackie, and some friends,had been egging me on for years in terms of my creative projects(sharing them that is)... And frankly, I was feeling bored so I just did it so I could say I tried... And again, I really had no intent on selling anything... just didn't think it would happen(which frankly, was fine by me, at that time)... I was just having fun and making odds and ends and people starting buying stuff. I made a few minor jewelry pieces and my sis kept prodding me to do more... eventually I did and slowly that became my main focus.

Are you formally trained? Where/how did you learn your skills? Are you self-taught?

I have zero formal training in any of the arts besides some theatre and dance in college. I believe that I was just born with creativity that must have been biologically passed down and was then enhanced by my travels and life circumstances... Honestly I can't really say I'm self-taught either(though I suppose I am) but to me it is more of a kind of flow, an accumulation of ideas that was already there... and most of it just comes naturally by way I what I have seen and done before... Some things of course, in terms of technique, I have read about... but really not too many. Same goes for my poetry... I never learned how to write it, I just wrote it(if you know what I mean)...

Tell me about your creative process. Do you work dilligently and with persistence? Does it vary from piece to piece? or do you work more free stream of consciousness?

ALL OF THE ABOVE! I would say that there is always a free stream of creative thought going on even while in the midst of making one piece I may be sorting out another in my head... m,aybe even stop one to start another and work back and forth on two pieces.... but most of the time I am extremely persisitent and rarely don't complete a piece in one go. There are the rare pieces that I will sit on for days or weeks... but those are few and far between and often morph into totally different designs in the end. Waves... well there are always waves... but they are usually steadily flowing for me, barring bad days, when I'm sick, or just too dern busy at my day job to pay attention to them.

Coffee or Tea?

JUST GIMME THE COFFEE AND NO ONE GETS HURT! ;)

When do you get your best ideas?

That is totally random for me! Could be anytime, anywhere... catch a
glimpse of something that inspires me and that is that!

When are you most creative or productive?

I am creative pretty much all the time... productive is another story... I work best in the wee small hours of the morning when all is quiet... but I am getting used to working all the time that I have available as I find there aren't enough hours to do all the things I want... Now I wake up and start creating things when I am off and go at it all day if need be... But indeed after midnight is my favorite time to work.

I think we all have a message in our work. What do you think your
message is? Does it vary from piece to piece or is there a vein that
travels throughout what you do?

HMM... message... I mean to me, my message is that life is beautiful
and every drop of it is to be adored in one way or another... I make what I
think reminds ME of that and hope that when someone wears a piece of
mine they feel their own idea of beauty somehow... in whatever way they
see it... I am also a fan of using old things(which I have always loved)
but to me that is just another facet of the same idea. Reclaiming and not wasting things is something I enjoy and feel good about making a part of my craft. I suppose that recycling then and now is a common vein in my work.

What is the most enjoyable part of your work?

That is definitel a tie breaker! When a piece becomes clear to
me(in my mind or on the board) there is a certain rush of excitement and joy that I really dig! I also completely love it when someone is thrilled when they receive a piece of mine... it's definitely an amazing feeling to know that you have made someone out there smile!

Thank you Glow for sharing your experience with us! Please make sure you visit Glow's shop Industry and Angels.