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Owner: Margaret Zinser
What: Lampwork beads
Started: In 2003; fulltime in 2005
Website: www.mzglass.com
Contact: mz@mzglass.com or 520.798.1609
2009 Tucson Show Schedule:
Click on link, The Best Bead Show, at the Kino Veteran's Center, for schedule.
About Margaret: When I began as a glass artist in 2001, I was preparing to start work for my master's degree in entomology. Working with glass kept me in intellectual balance and nourished me creatively, while the technique, chemistry, and physics of working with a molten medium sustained my scientific, analytical mind. This continues to be the case. When I started, I had no plans of even selling my work, much less make a living off of it. Initially, I reluctantly sold work to friends, and then started selling my beads at online auction sites. I was so delighted to see my beads travel farther than I have—to almost every state in the US, throughout Europe, and even to Japan, Singapore, Australia, and New Zealand! My creative development and growing business brought me more pleasure and fulfillment than anything else ever had. During grad school, the choice to make beads full-time became obvious: I HAD to do it.
Start-up cost. My favorite way to spend 'fun' money is on more glass and equipment, and I'm continually adding to my arsenal of tools. I guess the kit (with a torch, some glass, eyewear, and a few hand tools) started with cost around $300.
Business dream. My dream for my business and art changes continually, as it should. I hope that my art continues to sustain me, that I continue to push myself- creatively, technically, intellectually, and that the creative growth will continue to feed the growth of my business.
What Margaret likes best about the gem show. My fellow artists come to me! The bead industry is filled with wonderful people, who are generous with their advice, creativity, and friendship. It's a traveling family for me, most definitely! It's such a pleasure to spend a couple weeks reconnecting with them, brainstorming new ideas, and having a whole lot of fun. And during the Gem Shows, I purchase the bulk of the mineral strands and silver I use in my jewelry throughout the year. I also spend a lot of time shopping for tools for the studio. It's exciting.
What she likes least about the gem show. The traffic. Being a Tucsonan, I feel the influx of people and cars in the city during the shows!
Best advice to buyers or would-be lampwork entrepreneurs. To Gem Show buyers: Plan ahead of time. Plan where to stay, where to eat, and organize the shows you'll attend each day so that you aren't spending too much time in traffic. To would-be lampwork (or any medium) entrepreneurs: Do your craft because you love it and want to spend most of your waking hours doing it. Everything else is secondary.
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