Lisa Gifford Mueller of Sassy Glass Studio

This week I am pleased to introduce you to Lisa Gifford Mueller of Sassy Glass Studio and ALM Photo! Lisa is a fused glass artist and photographer hailing from Knoxville, Tennessee. A woman with many irons in the fire, ranging from glass art and photography to teaching and gardening, Lisa has an alter ego named “Kitty Fantastic,” a nod to her super hero-like abilities. Lisa lives with her husband and photography partner, Allan, their two dogs, four cats, and African Grey parrot, and she likes to eat with chopsticks (Lisa, not the parrot).

Shop & Blog:  sassyglassstudio.com
Twitter: @AllThingsSassy
Facebook: Facebook.com/SassyGlassStudio
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/lisagmueller

Kelsey Golden : Thanks so much for taking the time to talk with me, Lisa! Tell us a little bit about who you are and the art you create.

Lisa Gifford Mueller : I have been enjoying life as a full-time creative entrepreneur for about five years and I didn’t realize until I was in my 30s that I was born to be a creative business person. I always knew I wanted to have my own business, but not that I would be both a fused glass artist and photographer. I got into creating fused glass art by accident. One of my sister-in-laws had been doing it as a glorified hobby and suddenly didn’t have the time for it and asked it anyone wanted her kilns and glass. I threw my hand up and said “Oh, oh! Pick me!” and the rest is history. I have developed my own style of fused glass art and focus primarily on fresh color combinations and abstractions. I love trying new things and will be experimenting with fusing images onto and into glass next week!

I love to get dirt under my fingernails working in my garden and tending my fish pond. Love flowers and often incorporate them into my glass work. Once I created a bowl featuring my koi. When I am not busy at work running my businesses or working in the glass studio I like to ride around town on my scooter. I have a super hero alter ego, Kitty Fantastic, and my husband and I are going to create a short film about KF and how she can conquer the world. It’s sort of a silly thing but my friends always joke about how I must be a super hero to do everything I do.

I do a lot of volunteer work and that is one of the most rewarding parts of being self-employed. I get to decide how to spend my time. I LOVE teaching others how to create fused glass art in my classes and I also teach a Creative Business Workshop for other creatives and I teach Social Media Marketing to photographers and creatives. I have four cats, two dogs and an African Grey Parrot. I drive a Prius, a scooter and a motorcycle. I am a goofball. I can’t dance or sing and people think I am funny, but I just think they are being nice. Oh, and I have the most awesome husband in the whole world, Allan. And I have a stalker… But she’s not crazy or anything.

Kelsey Golden: I love how passionate you are about your art! Is there one thing in particular that inspires you to create?

Lisa Gifford Mueller : The look on someone’s face when they see a piece that strikes a chord within them. To hear someone say “my mother would love that,’ or ‘this reminds me of that trip we took to the mountains or the Caribbean.’ Evoking emotion or memories really inspires me. And custom creating something just for someone that will perhaps become a family heirloom. I love that. Like right now I have to make some sock monkey pendants for a customer and they are going to be a special meaningful gift.

Kelsey Golden : That is such a great answer! It’s such an awesome feeling to hear that you’ve created something that someone else loves.

Lisa Gifford Mueller : It’s funny because until you asked I could never quite put my finger on the answer…but there it is.

Glass bowl by Lisa Gifford Mueller

Kelsey Golden: I love it! What is your earliest memory of creativity?

Lisa Gifford Mueller : This memory isn’t from when I was like four or something, but when I was about eight I would take a page from a coloring book and tape it to a piece of wood and make an outline by hammering nail holes on the black lines. The I would sand and stain the piece of wood and sign it. My dad was an architectural woodworker so we always had wood, hammer, and nails kicking around. And I used to design my own line of greeting cards as a kid. I even put a ‘stamp’ on the back like Hallmark. ‘Sign of the Owl’ I think it was. I was always painting and drawing. My mom thought I would grow up to be an architect because I would draw to-scale house plans. Weird kid!

Kelsey Golden: That is amazing! Such creativity and ingenuity from a young person. Was your dad the person who sparked your love of creating?

Lisa Gifford Mueller : Neither one of my parents, or my brothers for that matter, are artists in the traditional sense. My dad is a gifted woodworker and my mom has a great eye for color and used to sew clothes for herself and us kids. She actually designed one of the houses we lived in growing up. My dad built it. Not sure where I got the artistic ability from. Milkman? Postman?

Lisa working in her studio

Kelsey Golden : Haha! It sounds like there was a lot of creativity in your home, though. Who has been your biggest cheerleader as a creative entrepreneur?

Lisa Gifford Mueller : My husband and my customers. Allan is my photography biz partner, but doesn’t really have anything to do with my glass business. He does help out at shows and the Farmers’ Market. He encouraged me to turn Sassy Glass Studio into a “real” business and then once I got into it and people started digging my work, they become my cheerleaders. I am always blown away by the number of people who find me through someone else. They give me ideas for pieces, suggestions for display, encouragement, and so much more. Of course, there are some people who think I am nuts for being a creative entrepreneur. I also get a lot of encouragement from the group Entrepreneurs of Knoxville. It’s a local group of amazing people who build one another up. Go EoK!

Kelsey Golden: It’s so great to have that support system and other people who can cheer you on! Having your spouse on board is priceless, in my opinion.

Lisa Gifford Mueller : It makes all the difference in the world. Some days he wishes I would focus more on the photography biz.

Fused glass night light by Lisa Gifford Mueller

Kelsey Golden: What has been your biggest struggle as a professional artist?

Lisa Gifford Mueller : The biggest struggle in making ends really meet. Artists don’t get a weekly or bi-weekly paycheck so I wake up every morning thinking about how I am going to make money to feed my “family.” It takes a lot of hard work to build any business, but a creative business is a little different. You rely on people spending their discretionary income which is even more challenging in a troubled economy. I like to find new ways to get my work into the hands of people who want it. Like making smaller more affordable pieces like pendants. And teaching classes on how to grow creative businesses. Where others see problems, I see challenges and I like to figure out how to overcome all the obstacles. I struggle, but I try to make it more fun and exciting.

Kelsey Golden : I think having multiple revenue streams is really important for most artists. It’s difficult to make a living just from selling the art you create.

Lisa Gifford Mueller : Absolutely. I am always telling artists to look for other ways to ‘get paid’. Maybe they can’t quit their day job completely, but they can take on a part-time job to have a steady paycheck. I think I thrive on the stress.

Kelsey Golden: I definitely can relate to that! The stress keeps me motivated.

Lisa Gifford Mueller : Exactly!

Glass vase by Lisa Gifford Mueller

Kelsey Golden : What has been your biggest accomplishment with your business?

Lisa Gifford Mueller : Becoming a household name…Well, not exactly, but being recognized as ‘Sassy Glass Studio’ around town and being looked upon as an ‘authority’ on creative business. I say authority, but don’t mean to say I am an expert, but just someone who knows from experience and isn’t afraid to tell it like it is. Expert is a little too cocky for me. For me it’s amazing when I meet people and they are already know who I am, thanks in large part to social media, but also because someone told them about me and Sassy Glass Studio.

Kelsey Golden: That is a huge accomplishment!

Lisa Gifford Mueller : This is just a funny aside, but a couple of times people have come up to me and said “Would you be ‘all things sassy’ (@allthingssassy) and I answer, ‘Why, yes, yes, I am!’. I know that’s dorky, but people recognize me.

Kelsey Golden: Haha! That is awesome. It takes a lot of hardwork to become recognizable, but so exciting when it does happen!

Lisa Gifford Mueller : Absolutely!

Kelsey Golden: If you were beginning Sassy Glass Studio today, is there anything you would do differently?

Lisa Gifford Mueller :Oh yes! I would have set aside more finds to purchase supplies and I would have someone build me a kick-ass website or blog. There isn’t really much I would honestly have done differently. Jumping right in made sense at the time. Of course I tell other creatives differently! Do as I say not as I do!

Kelsey Golden : Haha! I did the same thing when I began my business, but I always tell artists just beginning theirs to do more planning! I don’t think it’s something a lot of creative people naturally think of. It takes some re-training of the mind. We just want to make things!

Lisa Gifford Mueller : Haha! Exactly! If you have a business background it’s easier, but most creatives don’t have any clue. That’s why they are creative in the first place. And I don’t mean that in a bad way. Most people are left or right brained, not both.

Kelsey Golden :What do you listen to or watch while you create you gorgeous glass pieces?

Lisa Gifford Mueller : I listen to rock and roll. Or NASCAR when the station will come in. It’s funny because I can stand music when I am working in the office, but the minute I get into the studio I turn the radio on.

Kelsey Golden : NASCAR! That’s not one I hear often. I come from a family of car people, so that’s always been around my house too.

Lisa Gifford Mueller : I grew up on Cape Cod and when Allan met me he said he didn’t know they had rednecks up there.

Kelsey Golden : Haha! That’s hilarious.

Glass soap dish by Lisa Gifford Mueller

Kelsey Golden: In closing, Lisa, what piece of advice would you offer to someone wanting to follow in your footsteps?

Lisa Gifford Mueller : Good question! Create a plan of where you see yourself and your creative business in six months, a year, five years, and make a map of how you plan to get there. You might not do every step on the map/plan, but you will have a goal in mind and a way to achieve it. Think things out ahead of time. And have a support system in place of people who will build you up and encourage you and your creative pursuits. Keep a positive attitude and be thankful for your customers. Never take anyone for granted! That’s more than one piece…

Kelsey Golden : All fantastic pieces of advice! Having goals in mind, whether you do each step or not, really is essential I think. Thank you so much for taking the time to talk with me, Lisa! You’ve been such a pleasure to get to know.

Lisa Gifford Mueller : And you too! It’s always great to meet other people who want creative business entrepreneurs to succeed! Woohoo!