My name is DK. Nagano and in 2005 I decided to follow my true path as a full time artist. I had always been creating art, in one form or another, but the decision to do some kind of art full time was prompted by attaining a rental with a little workshop. I taught myself how to create stained glass and started my website, Tropical Glassworks Hawaii.
It has not been easy, in fact, at times I was seriously discouraged. Freinds and family kept telling me to “get a real job”, but the longer I’ve kept at it, the less I was willing to quit. Starting my business in serious poverty and with only a $500 credit card, I was driven by the fact that if I couldn’t make this work, I would most likely be stuck in a low wage retail service job and my soul would die a slow death.
Artists are often caught in the dilemma of creating vs. surviving. Unless you are lucky enough to have a job that pays the bills and allows your creativity to flow, most likely you will have your creativity dampened.
It is with this thought that I would like to invite Hawaii artisans and crafters to link up to Hui Hawaii, in the hopes of networking and supporting each other on our artistic path.