We had the good fortune of connecting with Tristan Tuttle and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Tristan, how has your work-life balance changed over time?
In the past, this has been a hard issue for me to work through. Hard work is important, but there has to be a balance of some kind between hustle and rest. If I work myself to death trying to build something, yet I have no energy left to pour into my family and my life outside of work and art, then what is the point? I’ve watched friends burn themselves out working, until they could not enjoy the fruits of their labor. I want better than that for me and my family. I spent most of last year either pregnant or postpartum, which obviously caused my work schedule to change. I slowed down working until gradually I just stopped. Newborns tend to require a lot of attention, and I couldn’t figure out how to work and tend to both my new baby and my four year old. I felt frustrated because I was torn between focusing on my family and wanting to work, not because I love what I do (although I really do), but because I felt like I had lost so much momentum already. I was afraid people would forget about my work, or even worse, quit caring altogether. I felt guilty because I couldn’t hustle in the season I was in, and I wanted to focus solely on my family. But just as I was gearing up to re-start my stained glass business and try to regain that momentum I was afraid I lost, the pandemic shut everything down. I know this time has been hard and the personal and economic toll has yet to be fully determined, but I think one positive thing to come out of this time is that everyone is rethinking their priorities. After months of a slower pace, I think the previous mindset has lost it’s appeal for a lot of people. I think we’ve grown more attached to the idea of a work/life balance. I know that for me and my family, my work has become more of a means to an end than my primary focus. I love what I do for work; I love seeing a client light up when they see the custom piece I worked on for them. The colors and the light still make me so happy to create with, but I see the value of my work being that it helps afford a life I want to live with my kids and husband. I don’t feel guilty about the time I spend not working anymore. I have limited childcare, so whatever I can get done I get done, and if I can’t finish it that day, it can wait. As important as I think my art may be, what I offer is not a life-or-death emergency and I don’t have to pressure myself like it is. I used to make myself crazy trying to do everything for everyone at warp speed and then feeling guilty when I felt like I failed. Whatever may happen with my business now has to align with what happens at home, not the other way around. I realize that having the freedom, both personally and financially, to work for myself is a privilege. The life I want to live happens front and center, while before it was shoved in the cracks, taking a backseat to whatever was on my workbench at the time. And as an unintended side-effect, I’ve spent time focusing on other interests and that has really inspired me when I get back to my workspace. So, my plan for the future is to do good work, share it with others, and when quitting time comes, leave my work in the studio.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I am a stained glass artist, and it is such an interesting medium to experiment with. I started making stained glass when my first daughter was 7 or 8 months old, and I was struggling with post-partum depression and anxiety, but working with glass and having a focus outside of my motherhood was a healing balm. Art in all forms is healing. I started out making Christmas ornaments for a family gift exchange, and pretty soon, I was making larger pieces for other friends and family until it became a legitimate stream of income. I learned from the best, Tony Raxter, and now we get to work together! I am most proud of our home portraits. I really love capturing the essence of a special place in glass, especially when our clients tell us the backstory. Most of the portraits end up being three dimensional, and they are by far the most challenging thing we work on. Along the way, I learned that I cannot take myself too seriously. I’ve learned that if I show up and do good work, tell the internet about it, and be consistent, the right people will show interest. I also learned the hard way to take a deposit of half up front on larger projects. That one was a rough lesson! I want folks to know that everything good about me or about Reflecting Light Stained Glass is because God has done a work in my life and my heart. I want everything in my life to reflect that, including my glass work.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I live at least 45 minutes outside of the city, so I don’t have much to offer in terms of Atlanta sight-seeing, but if anyone heads north to Ball Ground, I’d tell them to check out the Ball Ground Burger Bus. It is such a cool restaurant made out of a converted bus that sells the most delicious burgers. My father-in-law insists that their onion rings are the best in the world! You eat inside the bus and it’s a really neat dining experience. After lunch, I’d say to head just a little more north and visit The Edge of the World. It’s a little hideaway full of little swimming holes and waterfalls. It’s a not-so-hidden gem straight out of a movie!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My biggest supporters are most definitely my family. My husband Jared is the most incredible and patient man I have ever met, and he always supports my artistic ideas, even when they are a bit wild! He’s a great partner and father to our girls, and I’m proud that we are still growing together after such a long time together. Mama and Daddy taught me and my sister the invaluable lesson of how to work for ourselves and that if we love God and other people, we’d be alright. My in-laws are an actual dream, and the fact that they love me as their own is so encouraging and I would be lost without them. My mentor Tony Raxter has taught me everything I know about stained glass. He has poured countless hours into teaching me and letting me ask question after question until I get it right. I have been so blessed!

Website: www.reflectinglightstainedglass.com
Instagram: @tristantuttle
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/reflectinglightstainedglassstudio/

Image Credits
Katie Weeks Photo