Living the sweet life is about letting yourself come to create whatever you want. But it’s important to be able to do whatever it is that fires you up in a safe environment.
To support all types of creators and the freethinkers, Nectar has developed custom safety eyewear lines, including one made in American specifically for glassblowing artists.
Artist Elbo uses Nectar’s heat-resistant Aura shade 3 lenses to protect against IR radiation and minimize visible sodium flare when he’s working on glass pipes and jewelry in his private studio in Philadelphia. Elbo has also teamed with a freethinking collective of glass artists out of Evergreen, Colorado, called Everdream.
“I mainly focus on sculptural pipes as a way to transcend the function itself,” says Elbo, who first tried the art form at Philly’s Tyler School of Art. “I make my work for young adults of the new generation and hope to get them interested in art through smoking and appreciating the work. I believe that glass pipes are a great gateway for young people to appreciate handmade objects in a culture that has abandoned the idea.”
Dinosaurs are a recurring theme in Elbo’s work, as are moons. Glass pipe making, which he says is appealing for its lifestyle and artistic freedom, is his true passion.
“When I look at the timeline of art history and try to place myself on it, glass pipes just make the most sense,” he says. “I fell in love with what it meant to be a pipe maker, and couldn’t see myself making anything else. The process itself provides a meditative space for me to truly explore.”
Travel and music also inspire Elbo. And he suggests we all can tap our creative energies and find flow.
“If you are fully immersed in your passion, with or with out monetary gain, your soul becomes richer than any amount of money could amount to,” he says. “Always follow your heart, and don’t let anyone stand in your way, including yourself.”