Nancy Tobey has been making glass beads since 1996 using a hard glass called borosilicate. Though primarily self-taught, she studied lampworking techniques with Bandhu Scott Dunham, a nationally known glass artist. This year, Tobey began teaching at several venues including Horizons, The New England Craft Program of Western Massachusetts, FireWorks Studio in Boston and Brookfield Craft Center in Connecticut. Her work is offered in several galleries on the East coast including Handworks American Craft Gallery in Acton, Mass., and Arts Afire in Alexandria, Va.

TCR: How did you first become interested in working with beads and how did your work evolve to the pieces you create today?

NT: As trite as it sounds, it has taken most of my life for my work to evolve to where I am today. My interest in beads began when I was a child. My mom was a sales representative for a line of costume jewelry called Fashion 220 and I was always excited to see what new pieces she had for sale. I spent the next 30 years experimenting with all types of jewelry, fiber, clay and metal. I frequented auctions and yard sales looking for antique glass beads and crystal necklaces. I took them apart, cleaned them up and put them back together — I had fun, but did not feel particularly creative or challenged until I started making glass beads for myself.

TCR: How have you pursued your career?

NT: About seven years ago, with the support and encouragement of my husband, David, I left a full-time career in college administration. My goal was to work part time for two years while pursuing a small craft business. Within the first month I came across an instructional booklet for making glass beads. I thought this would be a good opportunity to combine my two passions — glass and jewelry. I worked for a couple of years learning the skills of lampworking and the art of glass beadmaking. During this time I sold some necklaces and earrings at local craft shows. I also began researching galleries that might be appropriate for my style of work. Eventually I made the decision to give up the part-time work and focus my energy on making and selling beads. To supplement my show income, I also began to teach beadmaking at several non-profit venues.

TCR: Who is the market for your work? What is your strategy for reaching them?

NT: I think the biggest client-base I have are designers and collectors. These are people who see my work as miniature works of art. To keep my designs fresh and to keep challenged, I try to introduce several new designs each year. I advertise in bead-related magazines, listing my upcoming shows there as well as on my Web site.

TCR: Where can customers find your work, through wholesale or retail shows, galleries, the Internet? How does your business break down in terms of sales from each of these venues?

NT: Most of my work is sold directly through bead shows. I manage to show at six or seven retail shows each year. The largest selling venue for me is the Whole Bead Show in Tucson. It is primarily wholesale business, and those sales end up in galleries and bead stores throughout the United States. I also do business with two craft galleries, where the focus is finished work with my beads. Lastly, I have a small presence through my Web site. Mostly, I field queries for prices, but I actually sell very little via the Internet. Each bead is handmade and varies in color and size. I actually prefer when a client gets to hold and appreciate a bead before deciding what to buy.

TCR: Have there been major turning points in your career? How have they helped/hindered your business?

NT: My first turning point was when a gallery owner told my I should think about resigning from a part-time job and dedicate more time to beadmaking. This bolstered my confidence enough to actually take the full-time plunge. The next big one for me was when I volunteered to be on the board of directors of the Society of Glass Beadmakers (now International SGB). That gave me a fair bit of visibility in the glass beadmaking world. I was able to network with many great artists who guided me through the business of selling. The “hindering” portion of this is that volunteering takes a great deal of time and energy. I take those duties very seriously, and sometimes it was difficult to make a decision to put my “job” before my volunteer efforts.

TCR: In talking with bead artists over the years, I know it’s been a problem when people buy your beads to string them into jewelry, then take credit for the whole piece … has this been a problem for you?

NT: I know this is a problem for many bead artists. When I sell a bead, I give up the ownership to a designer. I have seen my beads in some galleries, with the designer’s name, but not mine. The designer takes credit for the design, and says she is using contemporary handmade glass beads by American artists. There is acknowledgement that the bead component is handcrafted by someone other than the designer. I will admit that the first time I was in the Corning Museum gallery and saw several beads from my Grand Canyon series in a beautiful necklace, I was a little sad that my name was not associated with the piece. I suppose I could stop selling my beads and just keep them all hoarded in my studio. But, I want my work out there — and quite frankly, there are many better designers than me!

TCR: What has been the most difficult thing you have encountered in your work?

NT: The travel! I do not fly — I drive or take Amtrak to show and teaching locations. This can be limiting for me when deciding on teaching and show venues. It also packs on extra days away from home. Traveling for weeks at a time takes a toll on me, and David, and, of course, the cats!

TCR: What, in terms of business insight, have you learned to do or not to do over the years?

NT: I have learned to say “no.” In the beginning I was eager to take on as much work as possible, so I accepted custom orders — more than I could reasonably manage. I realized after a couple of years that I would burn out or learn to hate what I do. I want to make and sell glass beads, so when someone has a specific request that falls outside of that, I really take time to think if it is something that would be fun to tackle, or be a thorn in my side. Once I make a decision, I don’t second-guess myself.

TCR: How has the Internet affected your business?

NT: I cannot say it has an impact one way or another. My Web site is predominantly informational — I view it as a place where people can see the type of art I create. I also list the galleries that carrying my work so if I am not doing a show nearby, clients know where they can go to find my work.

TCR: What is the next step for you?

NT: I plan to continue learning about my art. I am taking a few metalsmithing classes to help improve my knowledge of that area, but as for my next big thing, I think I want to keep that to myself for now … let’s just say I am working on a technique that I think will be exciting and take my work in a new direction.