Completed - Glass Blowing

7. Watch or do glass blowing (8/3/2018)

You guyyyyyys.

THIS WAS SO COOL.

Technically it was very hot, but you know what I mean ;)

I've always thought glass blowing was awesome and that it would be amazing to actually see it in person. I've watched SO MANY videos. But I actually got to do it! What I actually did was pretty simple, but it was still so neat to be able to help make something out of molten glass. Like what!?

Quick back story: Mad Mac (food truck from Provo that I LOVED) moved to Boise, and opened a store-front, so I REALLY wanted to go there. Then, Death Cab for Cutie, one of my favorite bands and the last one I really wanted to see live, was doing a show in Boise!! (I couldn't get tickets to the SLC show.) And before all of this, the lovely Sara had told me about Boise Art Glass where you could actually DO glass blowing, which was one of the inspirations for this goal. Add all three things together? It was the perfect storm for a perfect trip!

We drove up to Boise in the morning and met up with our friends Sara and Garrett that afternoon. We split a two-person class fee, so Garrett and I both made something while Sara and Jonathan watched (we're cheap frugal and also didn't have a lot of time haha). First we got to pick what we wanted to make, Garrett picked a cup, and I picked ornaments. (Our family ornament of the year!) Then we picked our colors and Kevin, our awesome teacher, told us all the safety stuff. Garrett went first and got to do some really neat stuff involving a paddle, a hollowed-out shaper thing, and some sitting-on-a-bench pole-rolling. Then he had a cup! It was so cool!!

Then it was my turn! I was so worried I was going to mess something up, but I was SO EXCITED. First, Kevin dipped the pole into the big vat of molten glass. (I think the pole had an official name, but it's been a month so it's being called a pole.) Then we rolled it on a metal table to turn it into a little cylinder and we dipped it in the color. Next we stuck it in a furnace and turned it for a little while. We repeated the color dipping and furnace 1-2 more times and then we brought it over to the bench. Then I got to blow glass! It was more difficult than I thought it would be. My band/choir days are definitely over and I no longer have any lung capacity haha :) I also felt a little weird - I was at an odd angle and my mouth kept making "pbbt" sounds while I was trying to blow...but it was still cool haha :) While I was blowing, he was shaping it into a sphere. When it was shaped correctly and had cooled down a little, he took a little nub of molten glass, put it on top, and twisted it into a holder/loop before putting into the cool-down thing. And bam! It was done in like 10-15 minutes! I ended up being able to make two more ornaments.

I kind of wish I had done some something that let me use a few other tools, but I still really enjoyed my experience. And now we have our ornament(s) of the year! And not only do they have a lot of meaning because I freaking made them, but there's some extra sentimental meaning too. Because they were made from glass, I see them as a representation of the idea of the refiner's fire. We've been going through some pretty hard things this year, but we can and will come out of those trials better and more beautiful. And then to me, the colors I picked represent healing and hope, which goes along with us getting through those trials.

And there you have it! My air is in those glass globes! And because of that, this goal is finished :) I would highly suggest going to Boise Art Glass if you're ever there, especially to take a class (request Kevin!) or to watch someone else making something. It's seriously the coolest (hottest).