How We Come Up With New Product Ideas

As any artist will tell you, part of the creative process is coming up with new ideas. And while some people might think that artists just sit around and wait for inspiration to strike, the truth is that a lot of hard work goes into generating new concepts. So how do we do it here at the Glass Academy?  With lots of prototypes, testing, and then training, so all of the finished works we present to you are beautiful and top notch quality. Your investment in our work will continue to provide years of joy and happiness.

Let's take a behind-the-scenes look at our design process and see how we come up with new one-of-a-kind art and something that fans will want to collect.  Color is always a great influence and a great starting point.  It can be used to create a mood or feeling in the finished works, or to provide contrast between elements of the work. So, for example,  if we’re looking to create a new glass egg for the spring season, we’ll look at soft pastels, spring colors, and a color mix that seems refreshing and light, while also making sure it’s not the same colors as last year, but in fact complementary to them so you can add to your current collection.

We also love technique. By combining traditional methods with a fresh and modern influence, we can develop an original product that has never been seen before. This is something the Glass Academy is known for!  Many studios try to imitate what we do, but when you are the leaders, they can never keep up! Hahaha!!!  We continually create new designs and ideas that work together because it’s fun for us and keeps things ever changing.  Our customers like this too!!

For example, Michelle is working on a larger tree stump with mushrooms, like she made in show #204, that will be hollow allowing for a plant to be grown in it while matching perfectly with our signature garden gnomes.  If you have a gnome, you’ll want a tree stump to match! Stay tuned for those prototypes coming up this month on the Experimental Show.

In the end, it's actually a pretty rigorous process to find the next big thing we want to make and we think that our fans and customers want to buy. We immerse ourselves in what's going on in the world to bring fun and relevant items to market. We read all sorts of design magazines, (our accountant says ‘way too many!’) and blogs; we watch TV and movies; we listen to music; and we explore our surroundings and the trends happening. Then, we start sketching out ideas based on what inspired us and what will match our current products, what can be made successfully in glass. We try out different color techniques and blowing styles until we find the perfect combination for each collection, and plan on a variety of sizes so there are options and everyone has access to purchase them. Once everything comes together, we share our finished products with the world – and that's how our new products are born! 

Thanks for following our journey and supporting our work!