Glass pendant by Steven Wheeler

Today my Grand Rapids Press column is about a talented glass blower I met last fall. He makes beautiful pendants and sculptural pieces inspired by nature. I found his story very inspiring and I hope it has the same effect on you.

If you’ve ever hesitated to live your dream, you need to meet Steven Wheeler.

At 24, he seems to possess the artistic confidence of someone much older and a sense of purpose that has guided him into a career as a professional glassblower without any formal training.

“I never actually (used) a torch or touched anything until I bought my own torch,” he said. “Then I just bought the equipment and started doing it.”

When you see his work, it’s hard to believe he has arrived where he is artistically by trial and error. But the fact he did is inspiring.

Many budding artists would balk at investing thousands of dollars in a torch, kiln and raw materials without trying glass art, but Wheeler didn’t waste time worrying about whether he could make a living as an artist. He simply got to work.

Read the rest of Wheeler’s story…

I also shot a short video when I visited Wheeler’s West Michigan studio, so you can watch him play with fire, too. Check it out…