Designer Spotlight: Patricia Tyser Carberry
A BRIEF STORY OF WHAT YOU DO AND WHY YOU DO IT
I love working with glass, and making jewelry. It is a way for me to express myself creatively, and help women look and feel good about themselves.
HOW DID YOU GET INTO JEWELRY DESIGN?
Started working in stained glass, then fused (warm glass) and began to make beads, and then create jewelry with them.
WHAT MAKES YOUR COLLECTION UNIQUE?
I create all of my own beads, and each piece is one of a kind, or limited edition.
WHAT ARE YOUR INSPIRATIONS?
The glass tells me what it wants to do. I also love nature, and am inspired by organic elements.
HOW ARE YOU MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN YOUR LIFE?
Being a good friend, and taking the time to spend with loved ones.
WHAT'S SOMETHING UNUSUAL ABOUT YOU THAT MAKES YOU “YOU”?
I create without a plan in mind – just make what the glass seems to want to do that day. After a few weeks, I have amassed enough pieces to begin to create the jewelry.
WHAT'S THE BIGGEST STRUGGLE IN RUNNING YOUR JEWELRY BUSINESS LIKE A BUSINESS? OR WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SUCCESS IN RUNNING YOUR BUSINESS LIKE A BUSINESS?
The biggest struggle is getting more customers. I did high end craft shows for 10 years, and developed quite a following. It was before it occurred to me to get email addresses, so when I moved to AZ at age 50, I lost all of those clients. Since then, I have been in many, many galleries, have done trunk shows, home parties, you name it.
At age 61, I would like to do less schlepping, and more creating.
I have been working in glass for almost 40 years. Beginning in the early 70's with stained glass, I created custom, one of a kind and limited edition windows for commercial and residential establishments. In the mid 1990's I attended a workshop on fused glass, and became intrigued with working with glass in it's molten state. This led to my interest in beadmaking. Working with glass is very direct and immediate the ever changing rainbow of color and light continues to fascinate me
