Today we’d like to introduce you to John Long.
John, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
This is a brief description of how I got started. Back in 1996, I was a musician in a band that toured an average 25 days per month. After a year of this (1997), we decided to slow down to only travel 2 weeks per month. As a musician, I wasn’t making a lot of money and I needed a part-time job. This was difficult to find because I traveled so often.
There were some Glass artists that used to see our weekly shows, and they inspired me to try it. I suddenly realized that glass art was a job I could do which would allow me to dictate my own schedule, and I could bring my art on the road with me to supplement my income. This combination of music and art kept me thriving in both for the next couple years…
I moved from Albuquerque to San Diego in 1999. In 2000 I started dating my future wife, who is also a very talented glass artist. I quickly immersed myself in the glass art scene here in San Diego. Over the years there has always been a lovely community of talented and inspiring artists to keep me going.
Glass art has been a fantastic journey thus far in my life.
Highlights:
-I went through 3 formal apprenticeships in glass early on to start my career.
-I taught for 5 plus years as a glass art instructor at UCSD, until the program lost funding.
-2009 I went to China to teach glass art
-2010 I started working full time as a computer programmer, and hardware technician.
-2014 I started a company called EcoStraw.com in order to do something to increase awareness of single-use plastic waste and to provide a sustainable option to plastic drinking straws. This business is still thriving and is one of my part-time passions to this day.
I’m sorry this information could probably have been presented more efficiently, but hopefully, this is enough for you to decide if it’s a story you would like to pursue.
I am very skilled in four different styles of glass art; Torch-work, Furnace work, Fusing, and Cold work. I have been lucky to work with and learn from several talented local artists over the years.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Living as an artist in San Diego has certainly not been a smooth road. It’s an expensive city. I have struggled financially for most of my time here in San Diego. Yet I have always managed a really enjoyable quality of life here.
Early in my career, I approached art as more of an entrepreneur than as an artist. This meant my living depended on getting wholesale orders and filling them. This was fine when I was still learning new things. Eventually, I hit a point in my career, right after the economy dumped in 2008, where I felt more like a 1 man China operation than a glass artist. I was cranking out the volume, but my art was not progressing.
I began to study website design, programming, and building/repairing computers as a means of taking the financial burden off of my art. To this day I prefer to pay my bills through “work”(non-artistic) and consequently I enjoy making glass art again.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with EcoStraw – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
This is complicated to answer because you sought me out for my art, but I think my business, ecostraw.com is equally interesting.
So, Art first. I’m kind of known as a jack of all trades here in San Diego. I get a lot of references for custom commissions, glass repairs, and prototype work because I know at least a little bit about everything glass. I make marbles, sculptures, lamp shades, glasses, windows, vessels, door handles, paperweights, walking eyeballs, etc.
I have a good reputation after 17 years because I know what I can do with my skill set and I always deliver what I agree to create. I also do quite a bit of one on one private instruction. Generally speaking, I have found that people who are brave enough to seek out instruction in glass art are really cool people. For this reason, teaching is one of the most fulfilling things I do with my art form.
About EcoStraw.com:
Ecostraw is a company that exists as a wholesale, and online retail entity. My sister and my mother approached me about making glass straws back in 2013. I thought it was a stupid idea. But it spurred me to do some research. I was shocked. The National park Service came out with a survey in 2013 that informed us that we are using 500 million plastic straws per day in the united states alone. This number is still bandied about to this day. Who knows how much that number has increased since then. To lend a little perspective the average person uses approx 584 straws per year, and it is very conservative to say that plastic straws take over 100 years to break down.
Recent studies have indicated that all sea salt, around the world, has trace amounts of plastic in it. So we are already eating it, and it’s growing impact on the planet is going to become too much to ignore any longer.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
Plans? It’s tough. The cost of living in this town continues to rise. Jobs are hard to land, and making a living as an artist is as hard as it has ever been. Ecostraw pays some bills, my Art pays some bills, and side jobs pay some bills, but none of them consistently pay all the bills. Every month is a hustle and I never know how I’m going to get the bills paid. Having said that, life is good when I focus on the present. After all, San Diego is such a great place to live.
I feel like I have been at a crossroads in life for a couple years now. I don’t know what my next big opportunity will be, but when it comes you can be sure I will make the most of it.
Contact Info:
- Website: EcoStraw.com, ArtGlassGuild.com
- Phone: 505-507-9690
- Email: johnnyglassguy@yahoo.com
- Instagram: @johnnyglassguy , @ecostrawusa
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EcoStrawLLC/
- Twitter: @ecostrawusa
Getting in touch: SDVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
