Today we’d like to introduce you to Clayton Gordy.
Hi Clayton, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
From the beginning, I was always extremely passionate about building computers, technology, and overall just creating things from scratch. I fell in love at an early age with computer programming and making 2D games with my friends that I grew up with in Walburg, Texas. I always thought computers and technology were fascinating. However, I grew up farming, so I was always drawn to old-fashioned gardening, farming, and anything related to the outdoors. My pepaw was someone who instilled hard work into my bones from an early age. My pepaw, alongside my parents Laurie and Joseph Gordy, made it a challenge for me to ever say, “I can’t do that” growing up as a child. If there was a willingness to accomplish the task, it can and it would be done. That is something that stuck with me for life, still to this day.
I majored in Visual Communications and Design, and dropped out of college after my third semester due to the cost of living where I was located in Waco, Texas. I quickly started freelancing and starting creating logos for businesses and individuals. This then led me to a print and graphics firm in Georgetown, my hometown per say, and I became a Production Designer with only experience and no college degree. We created graphics for companies like Under Armour, and Sports Clips, etc. Following my Production Designer position with Waterboy Graphics and Minuteman Press, I was quickly introduced after a year or so to another company in which I began exploring 3D programming, woodworking, and AutoCAD.
This new workplace was called “TechShop Inc.” and it was a do it yourself makerspace for all makers across the city of Austin, Texas. I am still friends with a majority of the people and artists that I worked with at TechShop. I quickly became a versatile artist and explored every single piece of equipment that we had in the shop. I started welding, operating water-jets, C02 powered lasers, and all sorts of other equipment just to name a few. Once the TechShop closed down due to cutting expenditures, we were all laid off, and the company went completely out of business in the states and overseas. I went immediately to a wholesale sign company that my father used to manage four plants at when I was a child, and I introduced myself to their team. I had not been there since I was a kid, but I still remembered watching them pour metal into molds to make bronze, aluminum, and brass lettering, etc. The strongest lesson I took in at this time was to not be scared of the unknown, always be willing to learn and branch out to accept new ideology.
I quickly gained entry into the circle of creators here, since I had experience already in graphic design, 2D and 3D programming, and operating CNC equipment. I began my new journey with them and quickly got promoted to a job that took me into managing inventory and production across all four plants. This soon deflated, as I had lost my passion for that industry. The promotion took all of the “fun” away from my daily activities. My salary was increased, but my mind was empty and I knew I deserved more for the hard work I had already put in.
I got into borosilicate lampworking shortly after working for the wholesale sign company, Gemini Inc. I began my journey into creating small-scale custom-made jewelry and trinkets like cremation marbles with encased pet ashes, etc. This took me into an addictive path that I could not stray from. I became quickly addicted to the art form and started experimenting with sculpting glass, fuming metals into glass, and encasing objects into glass that were not necessarily compatible with the coefficient properties of glassware. I started my own small business from the ground up. I did all of the production, design, marketing, and sales for my business. I operated social events, collaborated with artists all over the country, and quickly made a small name and impact in my local community. There were times that I would go to live events to blow glass, and people would walk up to me and tell me how much they appreciated my art, and I soon realized that I had started impacting other people’s lives. When this took effect, I was instantly hooked and I can never look back.
Today I actually work as a Loan Partner for The Cody Reid Team of NRL Mortgage, an amazing financial institution in Austin, Texas. I absolutely love my team, and I love every aspect of my current job. The gratification I receive from helping our clients achieve one of the biggest investments and dreams of their lives, is outstanding. I will be getting back into borosilicate lampworking in the future as a hobby, and as a source of supplemental income. I closed the doors to my business in 2020 and began just doing glass for fun, and I am only taking on custom projects into the future. I have taught private lessons, and I have worked for companies around Austin that allowed me to work in house. While creating is fun, sales is truly the thing I love the most about creating a product for others to enjoy.
Sales is my strongest passion, along with marketing, and I believe that the two definitely go hand in hand. In saying this, they also have some big differences, and it is key to know where the lines meet. My future will be in gemstone faceting and coldworking smaller more intricate forms of glass art. Nobody ever said being an artist would be easy, and I have now realized that it takes a strong passion and an intense amount of patience to become successful in any industry pertaining to creating. I have met so many people along the way, and I could not be any happier about where I stand today in my life. I have two amazing children that are my fiancés, and we have one boy on the way that will be born on April 2nd, in about six weeks from today.
I cannot wait to get my wheels turning again for the glass community. I have collaborations spread out over state lines currently that are still works in progress. I do not see this tradeskill ever fully dying out, no matter how saturated and competitive the industry may become. Glass dates all the way back to 2500 BC, and it is here to stay long into our future. Glass originated perhaps in Mesopotamia and was brought later to Egypt. Vessels of glass appeared about 1450 BC, during the reign of Thutmose III, a pharaoh of the 18th dynasty of Egypt. Glass will continue to expand across regions as we keep adopting new skills and experiences within the glass making community.
This is my story, and I hope you all will find some inspiration within these words. We all have a story and a purpose, and you miss one hundred percent of the chances you never take. Get out there, seize the day, and mold your future.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
A smooth road? Not hardly, and if I said it was a breeze, that would be a big understatement. It is not easy running any business. You have to expand your horizons and your mind and be willing to accept failure throughout every step you take. Success comes in staggering mannerisms. Success and failure are not two separate paths, they share many similarities. Without failure, you can never succeed. The struggles along the way dealt directly with money, time, and overall just the patience to get past the hurdles. You are constantly battling yourself, and it is a mental game from the beginning, and until the end. You must be willing to make sacrifices, whether that is going downtown with your friends, missing social gatherings, etc. You must never lose sight of who you are as a person though, being a hermit and a workaholic can sometimes change your social adaptation. It is key to keep your circle of influence strong in these times, and keep connecting with peers, clients, and most importantly family.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Borosilicate lampworking and coldworking glass. The same coefficient properties that you see in your standard scientific Pyrex dishware, etc. I specialize in programmed designs, and I lay out stencils by hand onto glass to create a mask, otherwise known as a pattern or stencil. I follow with layering and mathematical precise calculations to get the end results I desire. I then cold-work the glass with a form of sandblasting, using silicon dioxide, and create deep cuts and carvings into the glass very carefully. This is then followed with finishing techniques depending on the design, which would be better explained in a separate article. The patience in cold-working glass is just the same as the patience you need for flame-working. It takes a lot of time, and that is why not many people stick with it throughout their careers. It is tough, things get gritty, sweat, blood, tears will become constant, and the amount of failure is unimaginable at times.
What I am the most proud of is the collaborations and extremely talented artists that I have met along the way. I still have some projects going on currently that other artists are working on. My greatest accomplishment was a secret chandelier project called “The Heart-light Project” that was funded by a founder of Apple Cloud. My glass art has introduced me to people I never thought would want to be in my life. I have met rapper Killer Mike, The Palmer Squares, and I have even commissioned projects for some well-known music artists in Austin, my hometown.
What sets me apart from others is my versatility and my willingness to share my experiences and knowledge with anyone that asks me for it.
Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
Networking is key to any successful business. Keeping a wide circle of influence is key to growth. Staying humble throughout your success is very important when it comes to finding a mentor that can help you grow. Asking questions is one thing, but showing your peers and mentors that you are willing to put in the footwork is a completely different story. I swept floors, bought cases of beer, and gave the last shirt off my back per say to get the knowledge under my belt to get started. You have to put yourself in front of the people that you want to be like. You have to live the life you want to experience. The “Fake it, until you make it.” mentality actually does work. You must absorb yourself into all areas, test the waters always, and take a little in from every single task you complete. Learn to trade skills, and always be willing to accept advice, no matter how little you think that person knows. Every individual out there in this world has something to offer you.
I want to thank each and every one of you for reading about my journey as an artist. I also want to thank Voyage Austin for sticking with me for two years, and allowing me to write this article for their wonderful team. I hope you viewed some of these words today, as words of wisdom. Get out there and create something big today, the beauty is in the eye of the beholder. The best time to plant a tree was yesterday. Spark something new in your life, and always shoot for the stars.
Contact Info:
- Email: claytoncarlgordy@gmail.com | clayton.gordy.nrl@gmail.com
- Website: www.
gordysglassdesign.com | https://nrlmortgage.com/lo/cody-reid - Cell Phone: 512-508-1754
- Instagram: https://www.
instagram.com/ gordysglassdesign/ - Twitter: https://twitter.com/
gordy_clayton
