How to learn how to blow glass
How I did it: My daughter found a one day workshop at a glass studio in Atlanta. It was a fairly small group, only five of us, so we all got multiple opportunities to work with the glass, making a couple of flowers, a paperweight (that one involved some blowing) and finally a cup or, in my instance, a glass ball. The iron rods used to gather the molten glass from the furnace are fairly heavy, and it's a laborious process, especially when you are just learning and are so awkward with the medium. I didn't realize that my finished products would have to cool down for 24 hours in the annealer, so no immediate gratification, but the whole experience was really cool (not physically) and I'd do it again.
Lessons & tips: Wear sturdy clothing and accept that you are going to get burned a little. The instructors were super safe, but at some point you'll grab that gathering rod a little too close to the glass, and it's Hot.
