a (realistic) day in the life of a fused glass artist
27 October 2025
You’re not the first to wonder what it’s really like to be a fused glass artist. Today, I’ve decided to bare all and share what a day in my life at molten wonky is actually like.
While I do definitely spend most of my days dallying around the studio with glitter and colourful glass sheets in hand, my time is also equally spent carrying out admin, cleaning dust, and making my marvellously wonky creations look as spick-and-span as possible, ready for delivery.
Get ready for a picture collage of colour, chaos, kiln magic, and lots and lots of tea (you wanted honesty, so you’re getting it. Haha!)
8:30am: Starting my morning with sunflowers and a stroll!
I count myself as very lucky. My studio is only a few steps away from my house, which can be both a blessing and a curse.
However, while most battle traffic, bad drivers, and cramped public transport, I get to have a lovely mindful stroll through my forest of sunflowers every single morning.
They’re tall, cheerful, and always put me in the best mood to start my day of cutting, fusing, experimenting and making. Not a bad commute at all, is it!?
9:00am: First things first… tea!
Any creative knows that it’s tea (or your favourite form of caffeine) before all else. I like a proper cup of tea in my wonky mug to start the day. It keeps me ticking over, so don’t be surprised if this isn’t the first time you’ll find me topping up my ginormous mug throughout the day.
9:30am: Kiln opening time
Every morning feels a bit like Christmas when you’re a fused glass artist. Each creation spends around 14 hours inside the kiln, giving the individual glass sheets, frits, and stringers enough time to heat and fuse.
On this particular morning, I was greeted by neat little glass piles of fused glass snowmen, baubles, robins, mistletoe, and Christmas trees in preparation for the busy Christmas gifting season. I also gave out a little sigh of relief because nothing had cracked or gone skewiff — phew!
10:30am: Cutting, sprinkling, and sketching
With my treasures from the kiln cooling away, I always prep for my next batch of products. This part of my morning is a bit creative and a bit technical at the same time, which always keeps me on my toes!
I score and snap pieces of glass into shapes depending on the products I’m making on the day. Usually triangles for trees, semicircles for plump robin bellies, and squares for coasters and kits. When inspiration strikes, I even take this time to draw sketches on scrap paper so I can map out where each piece of glass needs to sit for the best result.
11:30am: Washing and drilling the day away
Once the pieces from the kiln have fully cooled, it’s time for a bit of TLC before they’re ready to be packed up. I use a damp sponge to wash each piece for the best shine, then bring out my drill and safety goggles to create holes for hanging nylon string.
It’s a messy process, but it wouldn’t be a real fused glass studio without the dust and chaos.
12:30pm: Lunch (if you can call it that)
You’d think that being a business owner means you can take lunch whenever you fancy, but honestly, I usually get so caught up in whatever I’m doing that I forget. Oops!
Around this time, I’ll make myself something to eat alongside my 2nd or 3rd cup of tea, and may even have a lie down. No picture needed for this one… all creatives need some midday horizontal time.
1:30pm: Packing up parcels
I like to pack and box up my orders with as much care as possible. Each fused glass decoration ordered is wrapped in crisp tissue, tucked into a branded molten wonky gift box, then sealed up before heading out on its big journey to the outside world.
2:30pm: Admin, emails, and trade orders
[Picture of Katie pointing to desk]
Welcome to the slightly less glamorous side of being a fused glass artist. When the afternoon strikes, I sit down at my gloriously messy desk and tackle trade orders, sort invoices, and try to keep up with my marketing efforts.
This part of my day isn’t nearly as colourful as the ongoings in the studio, but it’s essential to the everyday runnings of molten wonky. With this in mind, I plod my way through the paperwork with yet another mug of tea.
3:30pm: Back to the best kind of mess!
Mid-afternoon calls, and it’s back to the studio bench. At this point in the day, everything starts to look like organised chaos.
Think tubs of offcuts, tiny glass frits on every surface, sketches scattered everywhere — you get the drift. It might look like madness, but to me, it’s where all the wonky magic happens.
I usually start (or try to!) wrap up my day by getting more glass sheets cut into shape, and then layering, embellishing, and laying them out ready for firing in the kiln.
5:00pm: Other life duties
With the “official” working day wrapped up, it’s time to make dinner, pop out to do the food shopping, or put on any pile of dirty laundry I can find. The usual boring everyday kind of tasks!
7:00pm: Evening stringing in front of the telly
Oops. This happens more than I’d like to admit!
I’ll sit down in front of the TV with a box of fused glass decorations (on this occasion, my lovely Christmas trees), lengths of nylon, and a few jingly bells, and proceed to thread and tie the night away.
By bedtime, I usually have a little clan of finished decorations, all ready for boxing up the next day.
And there you have it… a day in the life of a fused glass artist
As you can see, being a fused glass artist isn’t just about making pretty things (although it is my favourite part of the job!).
There’s a lot of behind-the-scenes prep, admin, and cleaning that go into every fused glass decoration I make, and I wouldn’t have it any other way! It’s what makes them as wonderfully wonky as they are.
Learn more about me, or browse my collection of fused glass decorations and gifts and treat yourself or a loved one to a truly unique piece of fused glass art.