1. I know that you are a painter and a glass artist from Croatia, can you tell me a couple of words about yourself? How did you start your jewelry business?

Greetings and thank you once again for the award. I graduated the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb and painting simply led me to research and combining various materials. I never liked to being labeled, I have always explored various approaches. The idea of working in glass simply fascinated me. Glass as a material had everything I needed to be able to express myself artistically. The jewelry came by chance, through thinking about glass sculpture and whether glass can be wearable.

2. How can you make it in several creative worlds as a painter, as a glass designer and as a person working in theatre?

I don’t want to limit myself to the names of categories and directions in art and in the work I do. It’s all me. Painting, theatre, glass and sculpture and whatever else comes up. I push some thoughts or ideas through various ways of expression. Each gives something different and shapes my ideas.

3. How would you describe yourself and your jewelry to somebody that hasn’t yet discovered you?

When I talk about my jewelry I like to say that it is wearable glass. It is not so beautiful and perfectly made, but it has the charm of old lace or antique weaving. It is visible and yet discreet. I made jewelry that I would like to wear. That’s how I thought about it.

4. Congratulations on winning our prize, I loved your glass creations when I first spotted them. Could you please tell me what inspires you in the process of creating your products? Why did you choose glass? What is the Transparent Breath for you?

I am overjoyed and honored by your award and thank you. I find inspiration for my work in some words, verses, quotes from books or everyday life that have touched me and that I have been writing down for years, as what seemed beautiful and significant to me and I don’t want to forget. Also, it is not only text, there’s also photographs or something else that sparks inspiration.

Glass as a material fascinated me already at the Academy . It combined everything I needed for what I wanted to express in my work. The power to constantly change visually, to live from light and from darkness, its transparency. The „Transparent Breath” is an example of words that inspire me. As a project, for me it means, first of all, beautiful people, beautiful Venice, and the feeling that you are still doing something well because you were invited to be part of something so beautiful.

5. Can you tell me a little bit about your creative process? How is a piece created?

My works were created using the technique of fusion, weaving in glass. I have always loved relief and structure. In the artistic sense my sculptures are some drawings in 3D space. My jewelry is always a part taken from the weaving that stood out at first glance, that seemed special to me. I am cutting it out and finishing it up so that it can become wearable.

6. How do you see glass art and jewelry in an increasingly digitized society?

The world simply moves forward and changes very quickly. Digitized society has one good side which is the availability of information and the possibility of connecting other people. I think you should be open to new things but also choose what to use.

7. Which do you like better, online or offline sales of your products?

This is a very difficult question for me. Actually I don’t think much about selling my works and I never had the talent to sell anything. For now, my works are for sale in a couple of galleries or people around me are buying them. I think that I will have some possibility of online sales soon.

8. What is the most important lesson you learned in your creative career? What was the best advice you received from somebody?

When I think about what would be the most important lesson of my creative career, the first thing that comes up is the idea of staying true to yourself and what you feel and how you think about your art and never giving up on that. In addition it takes a lot of research, learning and being open-minded.

9. Do you have special designers that you follow or admire?

There are a lot of artists that I admire and from whom I learn. From the world of painting, such as Anselm Kiefer, and Iranian photographer and artist Shirin Neshat. In the world of glass, a man whom I greatly admire is Lino Tagliapietra and people whose work I feel close to me as Ida Scheijgrond, Keiko Mukaide and Theo Beaumont, jewelry by Ute Kolar and Marta Edöcs. In our region I admire the artist Tanja Pak and in Croatia it is Anton Vrlic, glass artist and painter who inspired me and taught me many things about glass.

10. How do you deal with plagiarism? Did this happen to you?

So far, I have not encountered plagiarism of my works.

11. From your point of view, can AI become a competitor for artists? How can artists be able to use AI and still have their own artistic style?

AI can provide incredible possibilities if it is only a tool in human hands, but the question is: will it lead us to art without a soul?

12. What advice can you give to a glass designer that is starting a creative business?

My advice for people who are starting their creative work is to remain persistent even when things don’t go well, to be consistent with yourself even when you are criticized, but also to have an open mind for learning and research.

All the images are sent by Jasminka Begić from her personal archieve.

Thanks to Eleonora Varotto and Arte Design Venezia for a great collaboration.