You must be willing to turn your hand to all aspects of the trade and to take opportunities where they arise.
What is your job?
I'm a stained glass designer/maker and run my own company, Apollo Stained Glass in Deptford.
What does your job involve?
My job involves talking though with customers what they want and researching anything they might be interested in. Measuring up sizes. Drawing up the plan (and occasionally scale drawings). A lot of standing and manual dexterity – cutting glass and leading panels. The cementing of panels means that you get very dirty and it can be hard work hacking out old glass when you fit the new panels. Keeping up with your accounts and organising / estimating your supplies for your work. There can be health and safety risks especially when you do repairs work. You often get cuts, sometimes need to wear a mask and should use barrier cream on your hands when leading up.
How did you get to this point in your career?
I started copperfoil glasswork as a hobby, making candleholders etc and thought that I would like to learn the leaded side of the trade. Leaded work for windows and doors was on a larger scale and it seemed to be a proper trade that you could make a living out of. While keeping a part-time job, I wrote to lots of different workshops asking if they had any work or would be willing to do a trade of skills. One replied and I ended up building them a website in return for them teaching me how to make a panel. While there, the cementer left and I got the job. That was 10 years ago and since then I have completed an informal apprenticeship which involved learning to lead up panels, cut glass, deal with customers and general managing duties and fitting panels on site. In 2002 I set up my own business, Apollo Stained Glass.
What training did you do and where?
I went on to do a Modern Studies degree specialising in Geography and History. I didn’t really have a clue what I wanted to do when I left and ended up doing a variety of office type jobs.
Which piece of work are you most proud of?
I trained in a very traditional workshop and I love the symmetry and classic look of a lot of Victorian and Edwardian stained glass but I also enjoyed a more unusual project where the customer took a photo of Canary Wharf tube station and had this translated across his front door and surround.
What do you need to succeed in your industry?
You must be willing to turn your hand to all aspects of the trade and to take opportunities where they arise. You don’t need to be a maths genius but you do need to recognise that you need some need maths skills to do this job; taking measurements, adding up customers bills, working out geometric designs, doing your accounts.
Who’s your work hero / heroine?
Keith Barley is a very talented stained glass conservator who opened my eyes to the care and attention to detail that’s required in restoring old panels.
What inspired you to do this type of work?
I liked the large scale of the work, the way it can transform people’s houses and the historical side of the work interests me, researching original period designs and making old panels as good as new.
What do your family/friends think of the work you do?
Fortunately for me I have parents around and they are happy that I finally found something that I love doing, although they worry about the health aspects sometimes.
What are your tips for anyone wanting to do your job?
Read as much as you can about the job; contact The British Society of Glass Makers for further information. Write to studios to ask if you can job shadow or assist. The Crafts Council has a list of stained glass studios that you can apply to. Be prepared that the clean arty side is only a small part of the work – much of it is repetitive, manual and often dirty work.
Creative inspirations
My Nan
Like a lot of her generation ‘needs must’ led to great creativity, not only with the necessities like clothing, but also with making hats, cooking, painting and telling the funny or sad stories of her life in gripping detail.
Primary School Teacher – Lynn Cooper
Lynn Cooper taught at Fossdene School in London in the 1970s. She taught me that it’s ok to be yourself.
Marc Chagall
His work is so colourful and, despite the poverty of his roots, full of love.
Vermeer
For the colour and directness of his work.
Ruth Taylor Jacobson
A modern stained glass artist, but one with great power in her work.
Maus – graphic novel by Art Spiegelman
This book made me aware for the first time how effective the visual image can be in conveying complex things that perhaps could not be written down.
John Hayward
A stained glass artist with a 1950s look to his work, just a real pleasure to look at and admire his work.
Isaac Babel
Not often an easy author to read but one that paints a graphic picture of the hardness and the softness of life with brutal honesty.
Nina Simone
For having all the colours of life in her voice.
William Blake
He’s a bit strange at times but always very passionate about it!
If you would like advice on creative careers and courses, contact a Creative Way Careers Adviser - either Matt Ball on m.ball@uel.ac.uk / 07889 001764 or Sarah Comerford on s.comerford@uel.ac.uk / 07515 051509.