We’re looking forward to introducing you to Jackie Knowles. Check out our conversation below.
Jackie, so good to connect and we’re excited to share your story and insights with our audience. There’s a ton to learn from your story, but let’s start with a warm up before we get into the heart of the interview. What are you being called to do now, that you may have been afraid of before?
I lost both my home and my glass studio in 2024 after Hurricane Helene devastated my neighborhood in St.Petersburg, Florida. Now my life feels flipped upside down, and I’m being called to do all sorts of things I never imagined I would. Over a year later, my family is still living in a small temporary apartment while we struggle to rebuild our home, so I’ve had to seek out alternative ways of sustaining my art and business without having a real workspace.
Fortunately (in that funny way life has of balancing the bad with the good), just before the storm, Oceanside Compatible (a national stained glass manufacturer) reached out asking me to partner with them on instructional content. So although I can’t create physical glass art for the time being, I’ve been able to throw myself into developing virtual courses that teach glass fusing and Tiffany-method stained glass. This has necessitated my learning to use professional photography and video editing tools, both of which I was hesitant to dive into previously due to their steep learning curves and the massive time investment they require.
Now that doing my usual glasswork is no longer an option, it seems like a blessing that I’m able to spend so much time honing these highly useful skills, especially since creating these courses is a paid opportunity that helps replace the regular income I no longer have from selling my work, and the final product will be extremely valuable to anyone interested in learning the craft of glassworking.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Hi, I’m Jackie Knowles! I’m the owner, designer, and creator behind Glasswork Pixie®, which produces handcrafted wearable and displayable stained glass pieces.
I learned the arts of stained glass and glass fusing from my father while growing up in a small New Jersey beach town, and later combined and honed my affinities for product design and artistic exploration while attending the University of Pennsylvania, where I earned a degree in Mechanical Engineering along with concentrations in Fine Arts and Mathematics.
After nearly a decade working in the technology consulting industry while developing Glasswork Pixie® on the side, I transitioned to a full-time career of glasswork in 2021, and haven’t looked back since! It’s been a thrilling ride to go from sitting in a soul-sucking, corporate environment to instead pursuing my passion daily by constructing unique products that enhance the lives of others through both their aesthetic and function.
I prioritize product quality above all else. Through my perfection-seeking techniques, extensive QA processes, and use of premium materials, I strive to provide clients with pieces that are not only exquisitely beautiful, but are also built to endure through generations.
Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. Who were you before the world told you who you had to be?
I’ve been a creative for as long as I can remember—drawing, painting, and playing musical instruments have always felt like second nature to me. But even though my skills shone in art class, all of society, from my high school math teacher, to my parents, to role models I watched on the Disney channel, always emphasized how much MORE important a college education and a high-paying career were than any unique talent I might be able to cultivate. Accordingly, I obsessed over my studies, graduating as valedictorian, attending an Ivy League university, and ultimately landing a career in a lucrative and highly competitive industry. …and nearly a decade later I kept wondering when the happiness and fulfillment were going to follow. I was in total shock that the lifestyle I’d worked so hard to achieve, the one that was so prized by all of western society, felt so utterly empty and meaningless.
The scariest moment of my life was calling my boss and telling her I was leaving the company to “pursue my art.” She handled it very professionally, but I’m sure she was thinking, “Jackie’s gone off the deep end!!” Looking back now though, my only regret is not making that call years sooner.
So I’ve come full circle, back to being the life-loving creative I was before the world told me who I had to be. I’m grateful for the path that’s led me here, and for all the people along the way who (out of love and a desire to protect me) tried to push me to conform to societal norms. Having met both versions of myself, I can be confident that this is the happier woman.
What did suffering teach you that success never could?
Suffering is a little bit like a childhood bully. It’ll slam you into a locker, spin the combination dial, and saunter away whistling to your muffled cries for help. But without it, you’d never have learned that you could pick the lock from the inside and set yourself free. With success comes growth of ego, but with suffering comes growth of motivation, discipline, innovation, and so many other qualities that make the impossible possible.
Suffering has taught me that I can adapt to anything. I’d have never willingly given up my glass studio and all the precious tools, supplies, and art it contained, but after losing so much of that to Hurricane Helene I’ve still found a way to bounce back. I’m continuing to keep my art and business alive through the virtual instructional courses I’m developing, as well as by repurposing many of the digital recordings of my glassworking that I’ve captured over the years. I miss being able to perform physical glasswork with my hands, but I know that once I’ve returned to business as usual, my mental fortitude will be that much more resilient, and my heart that much more grateful to be able to do what I love every day.
I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. What’s a belief or project you’re committed to, no matter how long it takes?
There are two commitments I hold sacred: 1. Doing everything, no matter how big or small, to the absolute best of my ability, and 2. Being completely authentic, no matter the cost. Both of these dogmas mean I have to move slow.
I don’t release new content or products until they’re perfect. In today’s world of countless cheap options of any product imaginable, all with next-day shipping, going months without dangling a shiny new object in front of customers is not a tactic for explosive sales. However, I think people are disillusioned by how quickly these same products break, and by the fact that their makers seem to be out for a quick buck instead of out to provide their customers with lasting value. Instead, I’m gambling my business on the belief that people are willing to wait longer and pay more for solidly handcrafted products that withstand the test of time and are backed by a creator dedicated to quality.
On the same note, my business doesn’t often buzz with sales spikes generated by posting videos echoing the latest viral TikTok trend. In the age of technology, it’s tempting to share gimmicky social media content that brings millions of followers overnight, but just like the 9-to-5 corporate life, that strategy feels empty and unfulfilling to me. I do market my products and share my processes on social media, but I’m firmly committed to doing it in a way that’s 100% authentic to my style and sense of humor (which, if you’ve seen any of my social content you know may very well come at the cost of scaring away half of all potential customers). But again, I’m gambling on the belief that an audience built on authenticity is more loyal and long-lasting than one built on catchy fads.
And hey, the tortoise beats the hare in the end, right?
Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. If you knew you had 10 years left, what would you stop doing immediately?
Selling my work! I sell pieces both to generate income and to bring sparks of beauty and inspiration into customers’ homes, but labeling/packaging boxes and creating the same pieces over and over again to fulfill orders takes up a lot of time, which would be all the more precious in this scenario. I think I’d be happiest dropping any business-relevant activities and instead just creating anything and everything that pops into my head. It’s a good thing for my customers that I plan to live forever! (so far so good)
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.glassworkpixie.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/glassworkpixie/
- Twitter: https://x.com/glassworkpixie
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GlassworkPixie/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtngn-zVLYOqTXt7jVSNsEQ
- Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@glassworkpixie
Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/glassworkpixie
Image Credits
Jackie Knowles
