Creative of the Month: March 2025
- Tim Parks
- Apr 1
- 2 min read
-How did you become interested in becoming a creative person?
Interesting question. I don’t feel like I ever made a decision to be a creative person. My dad taught me to work with my hands, so I became very familiar with using tools, and my mom was always artsy, but I think what really spawned my creative brain was when I took a wood shop class in junior high school.
Creating something beautiful out of raw materials was very satisfying to me. Later in life, music took over as my primary creative outlet, and I loved playing guitar. The improvisational style, mysticism, and intriguing lyrics from The Grateful Dead gave me a new perspective on reality, and shattered my notions of possibility.
In 2011, I was in a bad motorcycle accident that flipped my life on its head. I was physically broken, I found myself lost and purposeless. My mom gave me a gift certificate for a class at a local stained glass shop (Val at Ocean Stained Glass is the best), and I was instantly hooked. I became predictably obsessed, and set out to push every boundary.
-How would you describe your work?
Our Deadhead community has always valued handmade art, and I naturally wanted to start creating Grateful Dead iconography in stained glass. So, armed with my newly acquired skill, and more than a touch of the OCD my dad gave me, I hit the ground running. I ended up specializing in smaller panels with lots of detail, and unconventional build methods.
-What inspires you and brings you the most satisfaction in doing your creative endeavors?
For me there’s nothing in the world like finishing a piece, and having the light illuminate my vision for the first time.
Conceptually, with a stained glass piece, you kind of need to build your vision with blinders because you can’t really see how all of components work until you’re finished. So there’s a lot of anticipation for that first light through the glass.
It’s really a wonderful feeling to see how all of the details in the design, glass color, texture, pattern, and shade all come together cohesively in a completed piece.
At Idy Stained Glass, my wife Carrie and I, wanted to create a space where I can pass on the knowledge I have through classes, and give folks the opportunity to learn an art form with tons of history and beauty. I’ll also be doing commissioned work for those that would like custom glass for their homes.
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