Why does nobody talk about how bad management kills creativity in glass shops?

I hear a lot of glassblowers say that a firm hand is needed to run a hot shop well. But from what I've seen, that approach often backfires. In my last studio, the manager would hover over every bench, correcting us mid-puff. It made the room tense and mistakes more common. Now I work in a place where we discuss ideas before starting, and our pieces have more life. Sure, some direction is good, but constant oversight just isn't the way. We should give more credit to teams that trust each other.

5 comments

5 Comments

richarddixon2mo ago

Feel that, it drains the life out of the work.

chen.olivia1mo ago

Yeah, it's like derek_hill said, that focus on just pumping stuff out sucks all the fun out of it. You can't do good work when you're just watching the clock. Makes the whole thing feel pointless.

derek_hill1mo agoMost Upvoted

What if the real problem is the kind of work they choose to manage? A boss who only cares about fast, simple production pieces will always be on your back, because that's all they see. That pressure to just crank things out is what kills the craft.

seth1582mo ago

Man, that tension travels right down the blowpipe into the glass itself.

daniela852mo ago

Wait, but blaming all management is missing the point. A good manager knows when to step in and when to back off. For example, setting up the annealer schedule is help, not control. But breathing down someone's neck while they're on the pipe? That's just anxiety in glass form. The best shops I've been in had bosses who solved problems, not created them.