Meet Trailblazer Nicole Berger

Today we’d like to introduce you to Nicole Berger.

Nicole, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Growing up, being an artist never seemed like an option for me. Work hard, study business, get a job, save your money, start a family, blend in. That’s what I thought I had to do, but a part of me always knew that I would never fit into that box. It wasn’t until my second year of business school that I realized I had to change my trajectory. With almost no artistic experience and really no idea what I was getting myself into, I signed up for a class in the glass department at Tyler School of Art, part of Temple University in Philadelphia, PA. There I was introduced to two things that changed everything; an incredibly nurturing community of makers and the versatile mistress that is glass. The more techniques I learned, the more captivated I became with the medium. With the help and support of my incredible instructors and fellow students, I continued through the glass program at Tyler. I then set out to learn as many processes as I could find mentors to teach me. My main focus being in flame-working and cold-working methods. After school, I apprenticed for a prominent glass artist in Philadelphia, there I worked in a studio with seven other artists. My first few years out of school I spent traveling the states collaborating and learning from other artists within my community. In 2016, in need of a change of scenery, I moved to Arvada, CO where I now work in a group studio space with some amazingly talented and supportive friends and fellow artists. I am now seven years out of school and four years working as a borosilicate artist in the Glass Pipe Community.

Has it been a smooth road?
I don’t think any artist would say their road has been completely smooth. It’s almost against the nature of being an artist to be comfortable; extended bouts of self-doubt, financial stress, endless hours, countless failures, there is a lot of struggle that come with it. On the other hand, I have also experienced a tremendous amount of support from my community, I’ve been lifted up by teachers and mentors and they’ve helped me get to where I am today.

My medium, glass, is a very difficult one. Lots of cuts and burns, and a lot of broken pieces. I’ve spent weeks making different elements to a piece to have it all crack and explode during assembly. It’s a gut punch, especially when you only have $24 in your bank account. There’s no insurance, no hourly wage that covers you when those things happen, you just sweep up the broken pieces and start again. It takes a very tough individual to overcome this type of stress but if your passion for the work and the process is strong enough you’ll be able to learn and grow through the failures. View failures as lessons that would be my best advice for anyone starting out. Everyone fails, what really matters is what you do after.

We’d love to hear more about Cold Berger Glass.
I am a Glass Artist, there are a surprisingly large amount of us! There are many different facets of glass as a medium and many different processes. My current process is flame-working; where I use a torch connected to propane and oxygen to melt rods and tubes of borosilicate glass. Borosilicate’s original uses were for cooking/dishware or scientific experimentation, mainly used in laboratories and kitchens. Now, it’s most common form, at least in my world, is the pipe. I strongly suggest watching the movie “Degenerate Art” by M. Slinger. It’ll give you a good understanding of this incredible community of makers. Most artists in this community have a pretty unique style and tend to stick to one or two subjects.

My preferred subject is 90s Memphis style design, bright colors and clean lines. As a child of the 90s, I try to bring elements of my youth into my work. It allows me to connect with my audience and collectors, and reminds them of their younger years as well, who doesn’t love a little dose of nostalgia?

What’s the most important piece of advice you could give to a young woman just starting her career?
If you’re going to be an artist, and you’re planning on making a living as an artist, you have to know about business and branding. Being able to market your own work is one of the most important skills you can learn. You can make the most amazing pieces in the world, but if no one knows about your work, how would they know they need it? It also isn’t always about the work itself, it’s about you, the maker, find out who you are what you’re about and show the world, give them someone to fall in love with and your work will sell.

Stop being so hard on yourself, stop doubting yourself, and never stop making. Your skills aren’t where you want them to be? They never will be, as you grow and learn you will never be truly satisfied with your skill level, but that’s the fire that keeps you going, that makes you keep learning and progressing. Take every lesson given to you, never turn down an opportunity to learn a new skill, you’ll never know when you’ll be able to utilize it.

Don’t accept ‘boy’s club’ mentalities, and never let anyone try to take your sparkle. If you’re not accepted in a space because of your gender, that’s not the space for you. Keep looking, your crew will find you. Group up with like-minded people, don’t try to go this alone, the life of the artist is made much better when you have a community to pick you up when you fall and cheer you on when you’re killing it.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @coldberger

Image Credit:
Tabor Bonde – With Love Photo – is the photographer for all pink background shots

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