On this edition of "The Secrets of Mastery," we’ll hear one woman’s journey from starving artist to owner of a successful, large-scale glassware company.

Annie Morhauser, founder of Annieglass, started her business 40 years ago with little more than debt and determination. Today, her glassware can be found on fine dining tables across the country—as well as in the Smithsonian.

“The secret to mastery is adaptability,” Morhauser says. “I don’t care how talented you are, how much money, opportunity, [or] if you’re at the right place at the right time. The most important thing is adaptability.”

Annie Morhauser first fell in love with glassblowing in the 1970, when she saw the craft at a beach party on the California coast. She went to art school, and began selling her own handcrafted glassware at galleries and craft fairs. But she soon learned that wouldn’t pay the bills. So she scaled up and started her company,  AnnieGlass, which now has a factory in Watsonville, California. 

Morhauser has found a way to mass-produce plateware that is durable enough to survive a storm, but still has the unique beauty of glass made by the human hand. 

The 20+ workers at AnnieGlass use minimal technology, like waterjets, to produce Annie’s designs for a broad client base that includes high-end department stores like Neiman Marcus, and hotels in Las Vegas Hotels. 

Annie shares her wisdom about “letting go” of mistakes, the importance of “hiring up,” and how she feels about babies being baptized in her glassware. 

LINKS: 

AnnieGlass: https://annieglass.com/

Craftsmanship Magazine's podcast page: https://craftsmanship.net/podcasts/

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