call from Anthropologie. I was so excited, but I couldn’t even return the call because I was teaching,” she said. “We worked through the process, and they ordered some pieces. Right now I’m doing a restock for them. It was a real burst for me.” Since that time, Kicking Glass By Sheree has taken off and has allowed Blum to continue to explore the medium and expand her repertoire. “There was a hotel in Mackinaw Island that bought my dishes and they use them, and an art gallery that has my horse plates. They like the horse plates out west,” Blum said. To a certain extent, Blum’s glass sells itself. The pieces are beautiful, functional and unique. She describes the process to create her pieces as tedious but soothing, when she is in the right mood. Depending on the day and the weather, the glass might cool exactly as expected or it might not, with natural effects like bubbling or crazing taking place, which alter the look of the pieces.
After selling to Anthropologie, Blum decided it was time to see what kind of exposure art shows in other cities might bring for Kicking Glass. “I pretty much just picked out places that I wanted to visit,” Blum said of her first year selling on the road. “Last year we went to the Biltmore, and that was great.” Right now, she stays mostly on the East Coast, but she hopes to plan a trip that takes her farther afield. This summer, Blum will hit the show route once again. “We’re getting ready to go to St. Simon’s Island. I like it there a lot. It’s a very nice place to go because I do well there, but I also have two children who live in Jacksonville,” she said. “We’re going to Atlanta later this summer, too. I like to go somewhere at least once a month.” While Blum doesn’t know what exactly lies ahead for Kicking Glass, she does have aspirations to expand the business, and mentions that a brick-andmortar location with a larger shop and employees are a goal. More importantly,
Blum hopes her story will make people evaluate what they are doing with their lives, and whether it makes them happy. “When you get to a certain point in life, you have to make a thoughtful decision. Whatever it is, if you really want to do it, be brave enough to try,” she said. Wherever her art takes her, Blum plans to keep learning, growing and playing. “I like to stay busy,” she said. “I don’t want to just sit here; that’s not why I retired.” For more information on Kicking Glass By Sheree, visit www.kicking glassbysheree.com. FY
July 2013 • Forever Young Lifestyle Magazine • Page 13