In this episode, I sit down with Amy Lemaire, a multidisciplinary artist and educator based in Brooklyn, NY, who currently teaches at Salem Community College in New Jersey.

Amy shares how she grew up immersed in creativity—playing with plants, painting, and exploring art from a young age. She earned her BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, focusing on painting, but along the way picked up a hot head torch and began experimenting with glass through bead making.

She talks about traveling while using her beads as currency, before eventually landing in New York to pursue her Master’s degree. We dive into how she balances making her own work, teaching, and earning income through other creative paths—like working as a high-end floral designer—the “trifecta” that helped support her life goals.

Amy also shares how developing an allergy unexpectedly gave her the opportunity to step back and fully focus on glass, reshaping her creative journey.

This is such an important conversation about making space for creativity, adapting as life shifts, and making meaningful waves in glass education to help build a better future for emerging artists.

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